More than 200 educators from school systems throughout Alabama and neighboring states will convene July 21-24 for the Samford Summer Institute for Teaching Excellence (SSITE). The program is sponsored by Samford University's Orlean Bullard Beeson School of Education and Professional Studies.

SSITE participants will discuss today's leading educational issues and explore trends and schools of the future.

Major topics and speakers include: "Cooperative Discipline," Pete DeSisto, director, Center for Cooperative Discipline and Education; "Beyond Behaviorism: Changing the Classroom Management Paradigm," Jerome Freiberg, professor of education, University of Houston, and specialist in classroom management and school discipline; and "Reading and Writing---A Balanced Approach," Bonnie Burns, author of How to Teach Balanced Reading and Writing.

Topics also include school law, student motivation, inclusive high school programs, national board certification, writing assessment and autism, among others.

Participants will be introduced to the FISH! concept as a way to boost morale and improve results in classrooms and schools.

Samford education professor Dr. David Little is SSITE director. All sessions will be held at the Richard M. Scrushy Conference Center on Highway 280.

The opening session on "Cooperative Discipline," led by Dr. DeSisto, will be Sunday (JULY 21) at 4:30 p.m. in the main conference room of the Scrushy Center.