Staff Development for Educators Taps "America's Educator" Ron Clark to Deliver Keynote at 2013 Las Vegas Conferences for Professional Development

PETERBOROUGH, N.H., Nov. 14, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Ron Clark, the teacher and best-selling author known as "America's Educator," will be the keynote speaker at the Staff Development for Educators™ (SDE) 2013 National Professional Development Conferences in Las Vegas next July at the Venetian/Palazzo Hotel & Casino.

"We are honored to have Ron Clark speaking at the opening of our Las Vegas events," said SDE President, Terra Tarango. "His passionate stories about his teaching experiences in North Carolina, Harlem, and at the Ron Clark Academy in Atlanta are remarkably uplifting and inspirational. Ron's natural charisma, by itself, is energizing and motivating. Next year's conferences will again provide best-practice examples that administrators and teachers can confidently take back to their classrooms. But this time, those practices will be infused with Ron's contagious passion for educating our children."

Clark's presentation on July 15, 2013 in Las Vegas will be the keynote for three multi-track national conferences and two pre-conferences, all of which are designed to provide educators with a range of relevant strategies for turning pedagogical research into K-12 best practices. The two, daylong pre-conferences, Power Up! Connecting Technology to Today's Learners and the Differentiated Instruction Administrator Summit will be on July 15. The I Teach K! National Kindergarten Teacher Conference will take place July 15-18. And the National Conference on Differentiated Instruction and the National Conference on Singapore Math Strategies will both occur July 15-19 with the inclusion of the keynote.

Clark was the 2000 Disney American Teacher of the Year and the first to receive Oprah Winfrey's "Phenomenal Man" designation. He has been regularly featured on network and cable television, including "The Oprah Winfrey Show," the "Today" show and CNN. He was also the subject of a television movie, "The Ron Clark Story." He is the founder of The Ron Clark Academy, a privately funded, inner-city school serving middle school-age students from across metro Atlanta. Clark's first book, "The Essential 55," covers his 55 expectations of students and people in general. It has sold over one million copies and has been published in 25 different countries. His second bestseller, "The Excellent 11," examines principles for getting children excited about learning.

In his keynote speech, Clark will share his personal experiences in order to illustrate methods for ensuring success for every child. The methods explored will include the following:

– Vibrant, innovative techniques that keep the attention of students and make the curriculum come alive for them.
– An insistence on civility in the classroom—including "The Essential 55" classroom rules and procedures that instill manners and respect—in order to create an environment that is conducive to learning.
– The provision of opportunities for students to realize that the world is bigger than their own backyard and for fostering global awareness.

In addition to the Las Vegas conferences, SDE will also host a Midwest Conference on Differentiated Instruction in Chicago, July 21-24, 2013.

About Staff Development for Educators
SDE is America's leading provider of professional development for PreK through Grade 12 educators. Each year, teachers and administrators across the country learn real-world strategies and practical, classroom-proven techniques through our seminars, conferences, on-site consulting services, and online learning program. We remain committed to providing the most up-to-date, cutting-edge topics presented by the nation's top authors and educational experts who know what it means to teach. To learn more or to register for any of SDE's national conferences, please call 1-800-462-1478 or visit www.SDE.com.

SOURCE Staff Development for Educators