Raymond J. McNulty is Senior Vice President of the International Center for Leadership in Education. Prior to joining the International Center, he was a senior fellow at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, where he worked with leading educators from around the country to reinvent our nation's high schools. Ray also is a past president of the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD). An educator since 1973, Ray has been a teacher, vice principal, principal, and superintendent. From 2001-03, he served as Vermont's education commissioner. During his tenure, Ray focused on aligning the Department of Education's work on three key issues: early education, educator quality, and secondary school reform
Ray has presented at the state, national, and international levels on the need for school systems to accept the challenges that lie ahead. He is committed to raising performance standards for both teachers and students and to building solid connections between schools and their communities. Ray believes strongly that education systems cannot wait for the children and challenges to arrive at school; rather, schools need to reach out and help forge solutions.

Presentation Topics Include:

• Making Common Sense Common Practice in Educating All Learners
  What are some of the things that the International Center for Leadership in Education has learned from working with nearly 1,000 rapidly improving schools? What are some of the key strategies that lead to sustainable change efforts? In this session, Mr. McNulty will present strategies used to build a density for change in a school or system. He will also share specific actions that elementary, middle, and high schools have taken to engage all learners for success in the classroom.
  
  
• Bringing Best Practices to Scale Right Now
  The Model Schools Conference has secured a reputation as the nation’s premier convention on school reform. So how can you take what you have learned at this conference and lock it deeply into the practices and values that guide your teaching and leading every day? How can this event become the one that makes the difference for you? Mr. McNulty will share key strategies learned from educators who have used the Conference to "make it happen!"
  
  
• Closing the Achievement Gap: What Are We Learning and What Do We Need to Do?
  The International Center for Leadership in Education is involved with several research projects focused on what exactly happens in the schools and classrooms of highly successful high schools. The work has centered on schools with challenging demographics yet high student achievement for all subgroups. This session will provide an overview of the research results taken from proven and promising schools. In addition, Ray McNulty will discuss why we need to reinvent our education system. He will share the research that supports the Rigor/Relevance Framework™ and the importance of moving to application-based instruction as a means of raising student achievement.
  
  
• Innovation, Leadership and Rules: Dilemmas Faced in Education
  Educators are asked to reinvent their schools, but how do we reinvent an education system that is bound by rules, regulations, and procedures over which we have little control? Could the task be more challenging? Schools may want to do something innovative but lack the resources to do it or the rules won’t allow it! These are just a few of the dilemmas we face in education. In this session, Ray McNulty will share leadership lessons learned from successful schools and strategies to build leadership and innovation into the system, schools, and classrooms. Ray will also share the Learning Criteria to Support Rigor, Relevance, and Relationships, which was developed by the International Center for Leadership in Education as a tool for creating a comprehensive and sustainable school improvement plan or for assessing the breadth and depth of an existing plan.
  
  
• Leadership Skills for the 21st Century
  How do we create a new education system when we cannot envision it? How can we be innovative and develop new programs and services while facing extensive regulations and severe budget constraints? These are just a few of the dilemmas we face in education. In this session, Ray McNulty will share five new leadership lessons and a set of strategies to build innovation and leadership density into education systems, schools, and classrooms.
  
  
• Everyone’s Got the Message that We Need to Change, So Now What?
  This session will share some practical tactics, actions, and steps that have evolved from work over the last five years in reinventing schools. Ray McNulty has been involved in a number of change efforts from urban to rural and district to school-based. Getting the school improvement process started and keeping it moving are collaborative efforts that pose some interesting challenges. This session will provide some solutions.
  
  
• Literacy Integration
  This presentation will focus on the role of integrating strong literacy skill development into restructuring strategies for secondary education. During this session, Mr. McNulty will discuss the importance of literacy improvement as a fundamental aspect of all sustained school reinvention initiatives. Participants will be inspired to capitalize on the opportunities presented as they pertain to their own roles in providing a more rigorous and relevant education for all students.
  
  
• Future Trends and Challenges in Education
  The future is being shaped by four mega trends – globalization, demographics, technology, and changing values/attitudes. Ray McNulty will explore these trends and their impact on what students need to know and be able to do. In addition he will discuss why we need to reinvent our education system, share lessons learned in school reform, and describe the research that supports the Rigor/Relevance Framework™ and the importance of moving to application-based instruction as a means of raising student achievement. He will conclude by discussing the challenges we will face in the new conceptual age that lies ahead and the impact on students, schools, and society if we do not prepare students adequately for this changing world.
  
  
• Reinventing the Education System
  It is hard to disagree with the intent of No Child Left Behind — to give every student as rigorous and relevant an educational experience as possible. Districts and schools can move forward on implementation by using data to focus on the most essential learning and by providing multiple pathways for students to acquire the academic skills and knowledge they need, not only to pass the tests, but also to succeed in post-school opportunities. This presentation will discuss why we need to reinvent our education system, share lessons learned in high school reform, and describe the research that supports the Rigor/Relevance Framework™ and the importance of moving to application-based instruction as a means of raising student achievement.
  
  
• Promising to Proven: Lessons Learned
  For more than three years, the International Center for Leadership in Education’s Successful Practices Network has been involved with a research project funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to look at what exactly happens in the schools and classrooms of highly successful high schools? This work has centered on schools with challenging demographics and very high student achievement for all sub groups. This session will provide participants with a review of the research results taken from more than 35 proven and promising high schools. Participants will also learn about the four criteria used to evaluate proven schools and the specific characteristics that appear to be commonly found in high performing schools.
  
  
• Are We There Yet?
  We are constantly seeking to improve our schools and our results in an imperfect world. Why then is change so difficult and often met with resistance? What about the need to create a strong and stable environment for our students – are change and stability in conflict? This presentation will offer some thoughts and hopes on how we can help our children achieve their dreams.
  
  
• Creating New Traditions in Education Leadership
  Ray McNulty will explore a series of new leadership traditions that harness the collected genius of the people in an organization while creating a positive impact on students. He will share eight attributes of leadership and how to measure their impact on an education system.
  
  
• Introduction to the Learning Criteria to Support Rigor, Relevance, and Relationships
  The International Center for Leadership in Education has developed a number of tools for aiding school improvement over the last 15 years (Rigor/Relevance Framework, Curriculum Matrix, resource kits, etc.). All of these tools help to build up an education system, school, and/or classroom for breakthrough performance. The Learning Criteria to Support Rigor, Relevance, and Relationships is a free resource initially developed to identify high performing schools. It has grown to become a tool to broaden the ways schools measure results, monitor school improvement initiatives and data, and communicate with the community. This session will share the theory behind the Learning Criteria, what it is, and how it can contribute to the school improvement planning process.
  
  
• Participation Gap
  The achievement gap continues to challenge educators despite significant efforts specifically designed to improve the performance of each and every student in our schools. As we try to close and eliminate the achievement gap, we must not forget that academic performance is linked to the whole child. It has been said that in order to touch the mind, you must first touch the heart. It is impossible for schools to close the achievement gap until they ensure that there is not a participation gap. Participation entails students being connected to their learning environment and having a desire to be at school, a hunger to learn, and a willingness to participate actively in the learning process. Participation is comprised of three components: personal worth, active engagement, and purpose. Closing the participation gap is the first step in improving the achievement of all students.
  
  
• Supporting Rigor, Relevance, and Relationships in the 21st Century
  The International Center for Leadership in Education has developed a number of tools to aid school improvement over the last 15 years (Rigor/Relevance Framework, Curriculum Matrix, resource kits, etc.). All of these tools can help to build up an education system, school, and/or classroom for breakthrough performance. The Learning Criteria to Support Rigor, Relevance, and Relationships is a free resource initially developed to identify high performing 21st century schools. This session will share the theory behind the Learning Criteria, what it is, and how it can contribute toward building 21st century systems, schools, and classrooms.
  
  
• Learning and Leadership for the 21st Century
  The International Center for Leadership in Education has developed a number of tools to aid school improvement over the last 16 years (Rigor/Relevance Framework, Curriculum Matrix, resource kits, etc.). These tools can help to build up an education system, school, and/or classroom for breakthrough performance. The Learning Criteria to Support 21st Century Learners is a free resource that was initially developed to identify high performing schools. In this session, Ray McNulty will describe the theory behind the Learning Criteria and how it can contribute to building systems, schools, and classrooms that prepare students for the challenges of the 21st century. He will also share some leadership lessons learned through this work.
  
  
• From Needs Assessment to Strategic Action (workshop session)
  The nation’s highest-performing schools realize that maintaining success is an ongoing process because student needs, community demographics, state requirements, and college and work-ready skills are continually changing. These schools utilize a needs assessment and planning process that causes them to monitor and reflect on student learning and performance continually. A needs assessment can reinvigorate the reform process and help school leaders to confront new and emerging challenges and explore potential solutions and successful practices from around the country. This session will describe strategies for continual school improvement.
  
  

"Primary Aim of Education"

"Mr. McNulty is a valued colleague whose knowledge and perspectives are deeply valued by our organization as well as by the districts and communities we serve.

He's very approachable and cares about our success. As noted above, his knowledge base is amazing. He has current and important information we need, and knows how to present it in a compelling fashion. Like the Velveteen Rabbit, he is REAL. He relates to the issues we face but doesn't let excuses get in the way of progress." “I would like to express my sincere appreciation on behalf of the Alabama Department of Education and central office personnel that attended the SDE Summit. Ray’s presentation provided research-based information and proven models needed to move this state to the next level as we strive for continuous improvement. A system approach to developing successful academic programs is crucial to improving student achievement within and across districts and has strong implications for best practice at the state level. Ray’s presentation was not only meaningful and rich in content, it was very motivational to hear. During the planning committee debriefing, many positive comments were made about the quality of the presentation and how well it aligned with the theme of the conference.

I must say that Ray’s presentation was the highlight of the Summit!” "We worked with Ray when our district was preparing for a vote in which our district would be split in two. The result was to split the district and we are in a much better position because of our work with Ray, preparing in advance for the outcome of the vote. Ray provided insight and a national view, which was very helpful in the planning sessions.

Ray’s ability to look at issues of concern from various perspectives, as well as his varied background and experiences in education, adds to the process of addressing issues. Ray is able to break apart the challenges allowing those working with him to identify new and creative ways to find solutions. Ray is always upbeat and positive, identifying the strengths of those he works with and he builds teams which will face the issues together once he has left.

We respect Ray for his skills and insight to help districts work through the challenges and opportunities which face public education today. We NEVER would have seen the progress that has happened without Ray." “Ray is able to present the ‘tough stuff’ about our challenges in a way that delivers a message of hope and instills a ‘can do’ attitude among our educators. Ray’s message to our educators has helped create a greater climate for change within our state. We are further along that systemic path to change because Ray has walked with us as a guide, mentor, and friend.”