Educators from at least five states will gather in Natchez, Miss., this summer to learn practical strategies their peers have used to improve instruction and increase student achievement. JBHM Education Group, a Jackson-based school improvement company, is hosting its first annual Best Practices Conference July 20-21 at the Natchez Convention Center.

Featured speakers will be Dr. Douglas Reeves, founder of The Leadership and Learning Center, which serves schools across the nation, and Dr. Larry Lezotte, the pre-eminent spokesperson for continuous school improvement based on effective schools research.

Encouraged to attend are representatives of districts with schools that are struggling to meet tougher state accountability demands, as well as educators from higher-performing districts that seek to raise achievement for all students. Teachers and administrators from schools that have partnered with JBHM Education Group for jobembedded teacher coaching and principal mentoring throughout the year will be among those attending and presenting. Teams of principals, teachers, and, in some cases, students will present the best practices that have improved instruction and boosted their schools’ performance on state and other assessments. Scheduled to present are elementary, middle, and high schools from both rural and city districts in Arkansas and Mississippi.

JBHM’s 250 school improvement specialists also will attend, arriving a day earlier for training updates for the 2010-2011 school year. The company supported over 350 projects in seven states during the 2009-10 school year with most in Mississippi, Louisiana, Arkansas, and Alabama schools.

The Best Practices Conference offers local districts a professional development experience that is unparalleled in this region, according to Dr. Evelyn Webb, JBHM’s Vice President for Special Projects. “No other conference offers districts the opportunity to gain valuable training in best practices for everyone from the superintendent and board members to the principals and teachers,” she said. “Other conferences generally target one particular group. The strength of the Best Practices Conference is that it will demonstrate how the whole team must be onboard for sustainable improvements to take place.”

JBHM Education Group is hosting its inaugural Best Practices Conference as it celebrates its 10th year of school improvement consulting. For registration details, visit www.jbhm-edgroup.com.