Internationally recognized change expert, Michael Fullan, and leading authorities from International Center for Leadership in Education will keynote the Nevada 2011 Mega Conference April 8-10, at the Rio Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas. The conference is the state’s largest educational conference and attracts more than 400 professionals every year.

Fullan, dean of the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education at the University of Toronto, will launch the start of the conference, presenting “Six Secrets of Change.” Fullan is an innovator and leader in teacher education, and has been widely published on the topic of educational change.

In addition, Alisa Braddy, educator and consultant, will discuss the learning differences between boys and girls and provide instructional strategies to address their individual learning styles. Howie Knoff, national consultant, author and lecturer, will not only address the importance of the communication, collaboration, and cooperation among educational stakeholders, but also provide facilitative practices to build a collaborative culture, one conversation at a time. 

“This annual three-day conference brings together teachers, administrators, parents and other service providers from around the state to focus on current trends and best practices in education,” explained the University’s College of Education Dean Chris Cheney. “The College’s Center for Excellence in Disabilities collaborates with the Department of Education to offer more than 40 sessions at the conference, each designed to provide information on how to help meet the diverse needs of Nevada’s students.”

In addition to enriched content sessions, participants will the have the opportunity to network with other nonprofit educational agencies providing resources to educators by attending the Friday Night Share Fair.

New this year, a Nevada Schools recognition luncheon will be held April 9. Selected schools will be recognized based on a variety of variables, such as overall student performance data and continuous improvement as measured by student achievement during the past three years.

For more information on the conference, contact Ida Roberts at the University of Nevada, Reno College of Education, iroberts@unr.edu  or (775) 682-9055.