19th Annual isna education Forum Westin O’Hare Hotel 1600 N. River Rd., Rosemont, IL 60018 March 30 – April 1, 2018

19^th Annual ISNA Education Forum

Westin O’Hare Hotel 1600 N. River Rd., Rosemont, IL 60018

March 30 – April 1, 2018
Pre-Conference Workshops

Friday, March 30, 2018

8:30 AM – 5:00 PM
Faith Based Education: A Source for Hope and Healing

ARABIC TEACHER TRAINING

Developing Learners’ “Can-Do” Attitude: Designing Learning with Proficiency in Mind

Paul Sandrock
How do the newly revised NCSSFL-ACTFL Can-Do Statements help me plan my units, my instruction, and my assessment? Examine the Can-Do Statements to identify what language learners produce at the Novice, Intermediate, and Advanced levels of proficiency. Re-design one unit of instruction by creating effective assessments of each mode of communication, embedding tasks for learners to “investigate, explain, and reflect on” cultural practices, products, and perspectives – at the targeted level of proficiency.

Please bring to the workshop the outline for ONE unit of instruction you teach (decide if you want to focus on a unit from the beginning years, the middle years, or the final course in your program). This will help you apply the workshop ideas and examples as you practice re-thinking the planning of instruction and assessment.
Paul Sandrock, Director of Education at the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL), directs this national organization’s professional development and initiatives around standards, curriculum, instruction, and performance assessment. Previously, Paul was Assistant Director of Content and Learning at the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction (DPI), coordinating the areas of English language arts, mathematics, international education, and world languages. He earlier served as the DPI state-wide consultant for world languages. Paul taught Spanish for 16 years in middle school and high school and authored The Keys to Assessing Language Performance as well as Planning Curriculum for Learning World Languages. Paul worked on numerous national projects and initiatives, including Integrated Performance Assessment, World-Readiness Standards for learning Languages, Paul previously served ACTFL as a board member and president and received ACTFL’s Florence Steiner Award for Leadership in Foreign Language Education, K-12

PRINCIPAL AND LEADERSHIP TRAINING

New Principal & Vice Principal Boot Camp Leadership Training

Magda Elkadi Saleh, Shaza Khan, Yasmeen Qadri, Patricia Salahuddin, Leila Shatara
This year’s education forum has added a special pre-conference for new school administrators. The New Principal/Vice Principal Bootcamp promises to provide new leaders with an array of managerial and leadership skill training. This workshop is for those leaders who are seeking the knowledge and tools to navigate through the process of bringing positive change and school improvement to their organization. The pre- conference will include defining the role of the school leader, strategic planning, hiring and recruiting, culturally relevant leadership, team building, conflict transformation, and self-care for survival. Presenters with expertise and experience will guide you through a day of engaged learning and provide you with an opportunity to ask questions on specific concerns.
Magda Elkadi Saleh holds a Masters in Public Health from the University of South Florida and is in her 25th year as an Islamic School administrator.  She headed both Universal Academy of Florida (UAF) and American Youth Academy (AYA) in Tampa for 11 years each.  She led both schools through two successful accreditation visits and gained IB Diploma School authorization for AYA.  She is currently Director of Bayaan Academy, an innovative school focusing on achieving excellence in both Arabic/Qur'an/Islamic Studies and Academics. Magda has been consulting with Islamic schools and with communities contemplating opening Islamic schools since 1998 and served on accreditation evaluation teams for both FCIS and AdvancEd from 2009 - 2015.
Shaza Khan has her Ph.D. in curriculum and instruction from the University of Rochester. She is currently the interim Executive Director of the Islamic Schools League of America, a national non-profit organization for Islamic schools. She has worked in full time and weekend Islamic schools and Islamic curriculum development for a leading global publisher. In addition, Dr. Khan has also presented and published on the topics of Muslim American identity development, inclusion and diversity training for public school teachers and school counselors and the benefits of youth programming.  
Yasmeen Qadri is a tenured professor at Valencia College and an adjunct instructor at the University of Central Florida in Orlando, Florida. She is one of the founding members and the past principal of Muslim Academy of Central Florida, the first Islamic School in Orlando, Florida. Yasmeen has a Masters in Psychology from Osmania University in Hyderabad, India; a Masters in Social Sciences, and a Doctorate in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of Central Florida. She has received numerous Endowed Chair Awards at Valencia College to present at educational conferences and institutions in Turkey, Indonesia, India, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, and Hungary. She is the director and founder of EdConsultations, a social entrepreneurship that assists in women and youth training and mentorship, and currently serves as a board member in the Peace and Justice Institute, Service Learning Advisory Board and Study Abroad and Global Education at the Community Colleges.
Patricia Salahuddin, Ed.D. has been an educator for 30 years, she has held positions such as team leader, department chairperson and class and club sponsor. In 2000 she became a National Board Certified teacher and in 2011 she earned a doctorate of education from Florida International University (FIU); the focus of her research was character education in a Muslim school’s curriculum.  She is a founding member of Muslim Teachers Association (MTA), an organization designed to facilitate networking and professional development for teachers serving Muslim schools.   Patricia is the chairperson for Clara Mohammed School Board in Miami, Florida. Additional board service includes: Board member for the Council of Islamic Schools of North America, (CISNA) and Board member for Islamic Schools League of America, (ISLA).
Leila Shatara holds a master’s degree in education and is currently a PhD candidate in the Educational Leadership and Research Methodology Department at Florida Atlantic University.  She has been an educator for over 20 years, served as principal in Islamic schools and is a university instructor in the College of Education at Florida Atlantic University.  She is an educational consultant and helps schools develop academic programs, evaluation processes, prepare for accreditation and create school systems.  She currently serves as the Academic Coordinator of the Islamic School of Miami.  She also holds leadership positions as the Vice President of Council of Islamic Schools in North America (CISNA), a member of the Education Forum Programming Committee (EFPC), President of the Council of Islamic Schools of South Florida (CISSF) and a board member of Consultants for Islamic School Excellence (CISE). 





Safety and Liability Preparedness Training

Safaa Zarzour, Roy Newton
Emergency preparedness can save lives, and we will consult expert resources who will share government issued training for those principals, board members, teachers and staff members who play vital roles not only in their daily service, but when the unthinkable does happen.

Anticipating scenarios for emergencies, stocking material resources, and drilling for the possible disaster is necessary for every school. What is the chain of command? Who will field the press? How will your school account for every student, and where do you go if a school-wide evacuation is necessary? These are just some of the questions tackled in this session.

In the morning, we will learn about Emergency preparedness and in the afternoon, we will learn from Br. Safaa Zarzour, JD, and an experienced administrator about legal potholes to avoid. In our litigious society, are you confident that everyone on staff knows what to do when decisions must be made quickly? Br. Safaa has a wealth of stories that are instructive and vital to prepare personnel how to handle those difficult choices.
Roy Newton is currently The Chief of Police for the Lombard Police Department.  He has served the Lombard Police Department for 32 years in a variety of capacities – starting out as a Community Service Officer. In his three decades with the department, he has served as Patrol Officer, Detective, Sergeant and Lieutenant, and Deputy Chief of Police. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree with Honors from Benedictine University and is also a graduate of the Northwestern University School of Police Staff and Command. He also serves as Program Coordinator at the Suburban Law Enforcement Academy at the College of DuPage.  Roy is Chairman of the Legislative Committee for the DuPage County Chief’s of Police Association.    

Safaa Zarzour, Esq. is the Administrative Coordinator for the Village of Bridgeview, Illinois. He is also the principal of Zarzour Law Offices, LLC. Mr. Zarzour focuses his law practice in the areas of Local Government, and Non-Profit Law. He is the Chairman of the Council of Islamic Schools of North America (CISNA). He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Mathematics from Arkansas State University, a Masters in Education from the University of Illinois in Chicago, and a Juris Doctor degree from DePaul University School of Law. He also holds teaching certificates from the States of Louisiana and Illinois, as well as a General School Administration Certificate in Illinois. Mr. Zarzour is a member of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois and a member of the Illinois State Bar Association.

TEACHER CURRICULUM TRAINING

Leadership that Makes a Difference!  (ASCD)

Opal Davis Dawson
Leadership can be a bumpy road. With new challenges and mandates, sometimes we find ourselves feeling like we are moving in reverse, stuck in park, or idling in neutral. It is more important than ever that schools have shared leadership opportunities.

 

Participants in this session will discover how to become a powerful engine of school improvement by exploring behaviors that administrative and teacher leaders demonstrate to inspire the hope, optimism, and actions needed to increase achievement. This will include building a common language for discussing practice, collecting data on teaching and learning, providing meaningful feedback, and support for professional learning and growth.

Opal Davis Dawson is an author, educational consultant, coach, and retired, award winning Pre K–5 public Montessori school principal with nearly 30 years of experience. While principal, she led her school in the implementation of the Understanding by Design® framework and Professional Learning Communities (PLCs). She coauthored the book, Best College Match (BK Royston Publishers, 2016) that focuses on College and Career Readiness for middle and high school students and helps them find the right college at the right price. She has served on educational foundations and boards, and she holds bachelor's and master's degrees from the University of Louisville.
Ms. Dawson has taught, led, and consulted in Title 1 and non-Title 1 schools, she has presented at conferences and major meetings on topics such as Formative Assessment, Professional Learning Communities, Common Core State Standards, Classroom Management, School Culture and Leadership.
QURAN TEACHERS TRAINING
Targeting the Perfection of Qur’an Recitation & In-depth Contemplation

Dalia El-Deeb, Ibrahim Nass, with workshop assistants Mona Hamid and Huda Taji
This workshop provides professional development for Qur’an teachers to empower them with the knowledge and skills needed to deliver Qur’an education according to high standards, inshaAllah. The need is growing for efficient Qur’an education that transforms individuals and extends benefits to their societies and to humanity at large. We will addresses the importance of removing the obstacles for Qur’an students and giving our children and youth access to the miraculous Qur’an, with proper recitation and in-depth understanding.
Dalia El-Deeb carries an Ijazah with Sanad of Qur'an recitation according to the narration of Hafs upon Imam Aasim. She published a series of Islamic Studies books for Elementary students & presented in a number of educational forums and workshops for professional development of Qur'an teachers in several USA states, as well as in Cairo, Jeddah & Dubai. Currently, she is the director of Ahlul-Qur’an Academy and of the Hifdh program at Bayaan Academy of Tampa, FL. She is also the Chairman of Nuraniya training & Certification in USA in affiliation with the Furqan Group for Qur’an Education in Jeddah, SA.



Ibrahim Nass has a certificate of Quran recitation according to Hafs narration upon Imam Aasim from Damascus, Syria, and a certificate of Quran recitation according to Warsh narration upon Imam Nafi' from Cairo, Egypt. He is a certified Nurania instructor who presented a number of Nurania workshops to Qur’an teachers in a many states as well as in Canada. He is the lead teacher at AQA hifdh program at Bayaan Academy in Tampa, FL.