Paul Drake

Assessment – Friend or Foe?

Posted on by Paul Drake

National exams drive schools all over the world. Many schools measure their success and build the culture of their school around these high-pressure exams. What is the place of assessment in classical Christian schools? How do students from classical Christian schools perform on national exams? How is teaching and assessment different in classical Christian schools? Is assessment even necessary in the Christian classroom? How can assessment create a balanced culture of grace and excellence in the classroom of every grade level? This is a great talk for anyone seeking specific, practical strategies to use in the classroom.

Trisha Sefton

Trisha Sefton has been writing curriculum and training materials with Rafiki for over five years. She has visited four of Rafiki’s ten villages where she was delighted to work with students, model lessons, train teachers, talk with RICE students, and meet with church partners. Her short time in Africa has further inspired her love of Christian Classical education and increased her enthusiasm for its spread throughout Africa. She holds a B.A. in Elementary Education and is a certified teacher in the state of Florida. Trisha was introduced to classical education in college and was blessed to complete her student teaching in an excellent classical school where she received years of focused, hands on training in classical methods. Since that time, she enjoyed 18 years of teaching in classical education before she married and became a full-time, stay at home foster parent. Trisha is a dynamic teacher who has a passion for training fellow teachers and inspiring students.

Paul Drake

Lesson Planning for Optimal Learning

Posted on by Paul Drake

The most effective teaching and the most meaningful student learning happen when teachers design the right learning targets and use them along with their students to aim for and assess understanding. This practical seminar will be helpful for elementary and secondary teachers as they strive to be more intentional in their instruction and assessment, with the ultimate goal of increased student achievement.

Lori Jill Keeler

Lori Jill Keeler has served for the past 10 years as the Loner School Principal at the Westminster School in Birmingham, AL. She earned a B.A. in Secondary Education and English Literature, and a M.Ed. in Integrated Curriculum and Instruction from Covenant College. She served as the educational expert on the founding Board of Directors for Evangel Classical Christian School in Helena, Alabama, has wri en second through six grade Bible curriculum, and has been a guest speaker on creating a culture of grace at several classical schools in the Southeast. Lori Jill and her husband Scott have two sons.

Paul Drake

Building an Effective and Healthy Parent Organization

Posted on by Paul Drake

Since parents are the primary educators of their children, then your school must connect with them. I guess that every school at this conference started because a group of parents wanted more for their own children and their city. In your school’s beginning, parents painted walls, mopped floors, bought used furniture, led the board meetings, and did most other things that just needed to get done. Overtime, the flaming visionary parents morph into a support structure whereby paid administrators and paid teachers carry many of the burdens. As this morphing takes place, your school grows in strength as you continue to give parents an effective and healthy way to partner with the administration and teachers. Roles and responsibilities are the key. Join me and one of our former Regents Parent Council Chairs, Carla for this lively discussion that exposes the lessons we learned and the ongoing challenges that await our school in parent organization advancement.

Rod Gilbert

Rod Gilbert serves as the Head of School at Regents School of Austin. He was the Head of Upper School for four years, and then he became the Head of School ve years ago. Prior to his start at Regents, he was the founding Assistant Headmaster of Trinity Academy of Raleigh in North Carolina. He and Angie have two children at Regents School. When he is not working with Regents, you may nd his family tending their Alpine dairy goats. They tend the goats, and enjoy delightful milk and cheese. In formal training he completed a B.S. in Economics and an M.Div. Currently he is completing requirements toward a Ph.D. in Education.