How can school leaders design and execute effective school improvement plans? Hear from Maria Roberts and Miguel Gonzales about what they’ve learned from their research. They’ll be joined by some local principals who will provide insights into how they are using that research to improve teaching and learning environments and outcomes.

Whether you’re a teacher, current or aspiring administrator, instructional coach, or researcher, you’ll get some great information to help you take a more comprehensive approach to school improvement plans. This session is suitable for K-12 teachers, instructional coaches, administrators, and researchers.

Admission is free and CEUs are available for those attending the live event. A recording of the event will be available online

SPEAKERS

Maria Roberts, Ed.D

Associate Professor

Graduate Coordinator for Educational Leadership

Maria Banda Roberts is an associate professor with experience as a PK-12 teacher, school and district administrator, and higher education faculty. She holds a Doctor of Education in educational leadership from the University of Texas in Austin, a Master of Education in Educational Administration from the University of Texas-Brownsville, and a Bachelor of Science in chemistry from the University of Texas-Pan American. Roberts worked with special education students at a state center for six years, in a bilingual elementary classroom setting for nine years, in central office leadership for four years, and in campus leadership for nine years before moving into higher education. She taught and coordinated principal and superintendent preparation at the University of Texas-Rio Grande Valley and Texas A&M-Texarkana for ten years before coming to UNLV, where she has been since 2017. Her areas of research interest are principal preparation programs, leadership for predominantly Hispanic and ELL schools, and innovative leadership. She has published in nationally recognized journals in leadership such as the Journal of Research in School Leadership and the Journal of Educational Administration. Roberts' research expertise includes campus and district educational leadership, instructional leadership for Hispanic student success, and continuous improvement of leadership preparation programs.

Miguel Gonzales, Ed.D

Associate Professor

Miguel M. Gonzales, Ed.D. is an associate professor at UNLV. Gonzales' research focuses on reimagining education and school leadership in a post-industrial age. This focus is held up by three main pillars of his research: school leadership development, school technology leadership, and innovation in education. Gonzales has published his work in the Journal of Educational Administration, the International Journal of Leadership in Education, Journal of Research on Educational Leadership, and the Journal of Leadership and Policy in Schools.