The National At-Risk Education Network (NAREN) and TranZed Alliance, affiliate organizations that serve children, families and child-serving professionals, will hold the 16th annual NAREN-TranZed National Conference, “Caring for the Whole Child: Mind, Body & Spirit,” for educators, clinicians, counselors and leaders who work with at-risk students.

This national conference held annually in Maryland has expanded in attendance and will take place Oct. 18 to 19, 2018, for the first time at The Baltimore Convention Center at 1 W. Pratt St. in Baltimore.

“We are excited with our growth in attendance to bring the NAREN-TranZed National Conference to The Baltimore Convention Center this year and engage with child-serving professionals from across the country together to learn the skills necessary to make a positive difference,” said Frank Kros, director of NAREN-TranZed. “Rooted in the belief that building adult capacity improves student outcomes, we’ll provide comprehensive proven skills for working with at-risk students in a wide variety of contexts.”

The conference will offer nationally recognized keynote speakers, over 95 breakout sessions, youth performances and networking opportunities. Conference topics include relationship building, instructional strategies, motivation and engagement, behavior management, trauma-responsive education, crisis management and staff well-being.

Keynote and featured speakers include:

• Dr. Joyce Cooper-Kahn, clinical child psychologist and author, will present keynote address “Understanding Executive Functioning in Children and Teens: Why Does It Matter?”
• Baruti Kafele, master teacher, transformational school leader and author, will present keynote address “Closing the Attitude Gap!”
• Shauna King, educational consultant, TranZed Institute speaker, adjunct faculty member at LaSalle University and author, will lead three breakout sessions.
• Frank Kros, president of the Transformation Education Institute and author, will lead breakout sessions and present the closing keynote address.
• Dr. Steve Parese, cognitive-behavioral specialist, teacher and author, will lead four breakout sessions.
• Dr. John Tan, author of “Reaching the Whole Child” and “The Singapore Experience” will present a keynote address.

To learn more and register for the conference, visit www.narentranzed.org. Early bird registration is available through Sept. 14.

The NAREN-TranZed National At-Risk Education Network is a private, nonprofit educational agency dedicated to promoting the success of at-risk youth in schools and supporting the professionals who work on their behalf. NAREN-TranZed is part of TranZed Alliance, the parent company of The Children’s Guild, headquartered in Baltimore.

TranZed Alliance is a nonprofit organization serving children, families and child-serving organizations and is dedicated to transforming how America educates and cares for its children through education, behavioral health and national training and consultation services. Affiliates of TranZed Alliance include The Children’s Guild, Monarch Academy Public Charter Schools, TranZed Academy for Working Students, TranZed Apprenticeships Services, The Children’s Guild D.C. Public Charter School, TranZed Institute, the National At-Risk Education Network, the TranZed Alliance Conference Center and The National Children’s Guild Fund. (www.childrensguild.org)