8/31/09

Film star and martial arts expert Chuck Norris will headline the 27th Annual Administrative Leadership Institute (ALI) Nov. 18-19 at the College Station Hilton Hotel and Conference Center in College Station.

This year's theme "Leaders Leading Leaders in Secondary Schools" will focus on how superintendents and other school leaders are recruiting and supporting secondary school principals.

"Our 2009 conference resonates with the college's mission of transforming lives and strengthens our resolve to help all 'generic kids' be successful in school and in life," said John Hoyle, director of ALI. "Research proves that great schools have exemplary school administrators."

The annual golf tournament will tee off at 8 a.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 18. Following the tournament, a panel of award-winning secondary school principals will present.

On Wednesday night, Norris will speak at the opening banquet at Miramont Country Club in Bryan. He will address the success of Kick Start, an intervention program for middle-school students. At this time, the Golden Deeds Award will be presented to John David Thompson III, partner in the law firm of Thompson & Horton LLP, specialists in education law. The John R. Hoyle Award for Educational Leadership will be given to Jeffrey M. Hanks, superintendent of Burnet Consolidated Independent School District.

On Thursday morning, Richard Elmore, the Gregory R. Anrig Professor of Educational Leadership at Harvard University, will give a presentation titled "Building School Capacity for Instructional Improvement."

Sponsored by the Department of Educational Administration and Human Resource Development at Texas A&M, the Texas Association of School Administrators and PBK, ALI is designed to focus on a critical issue that will help school leaders create or transform schools to help all children become successful students and people.

"ALI and the K-12 program in educational administration collaborate to prepare future school leaders and provide advanced professional development for current Texas school administrators," Hoyle said.

For more information on the conference or to register, visit http://ali.tamu.edu. Questions also may be addressed to John Hoyle at jhoyle@tamu.edu or 979.845.2748, or to Virginia Collier at vcollier@tamu.edu or 979.862.1336. Registration deadline is Friday, Oct. 30. Attendance is limited to 200.