Helping students thrive takes quality teaching and access to services that support their learning and well-being. That shared focus brought approximately 100 education leaders, community stakeholders and partners to Nevada State University’s second annual Education Summit on Sept. 30.
Hosted by the School of Education in partnership with Opportunity 180, this year’s summit, “Supporting the Whole Child, Across Every School,” explored how collaboration and wraparound services can help students succeed, regardless of the school they attend.
The event built on last year’s conversations about ensuring every school has a quality teacher, broadening the discussion to the support services students need throughout their education.
“Our main focus, and our number one focus, is to ensure that our students of Nevada, Southern Nevada specifically, but Nevada as a whole, get the quality education, the services that they need, so that they can thrive and be productive citizens,” said Dr. Bernnell Peltier-Glaze, dean of Nevada State’s School of Education.
The program featured a fireside chat with Derrell Bradford, president of 50CAN: The 50-State Campaign for Achievement Now, and Dr. Victor Wakefield, Nevada superintendent of public instruction.
A panel discussion brought additional perspectives from Dr. Tiffani B. Curtis, superintendent of Legacy Traditional Schools; Nancy Kuhles, a speech-language pathologist; and Dr. Meski Renn, director of related services for the Clark County School District.
During breakout sessions, participants examined workforce shortages among special education teachers, speech-language pathologists and school psychologists, and how those shortages affect student support services across Nevada. The sessions highlighted current data and explored opportunities for collaboration, including the role of Nevada State’s academic programs and community clinics.
Peltier-Glaze said the School of Education plans to continue hosting the summit annually, creating an ongoing opportunity for school districts, higher education institutions and community partners to work together to support Nevada’s students.