Sessions & Speakers

This year's conference will focus around four core tracks: EdTech, Teacher Sustainability, Policy Innovation, and SEL / Culturally Responsive Education. Within each track, there are two designated sessions. Conference attendees are free to attend both sessions within a track or mix and match with other sessions they find compelling. You can think of the tracks as guidelines, not requirements. To learn more about specific speakers' biographical information, click on their images.

Keynote Speakers

Click on speakers’ names under the photos to read their bios

 EdTech Track: Revisiting Your EdTech Strategy

Now is the right time for schools and districts to revisit and refine their strategy for edtech in the classroom. It is more important than ever for leaders to have a clear vision for the use of edtech in the classroom, given new financial realities, lessons learned from distance learning, and new technological developments. This urgent need for a strategic overhaul underscores the importance of having a clear vision for the integration of educational technology. By bringing together panelists who represent three distinct perspectives—the seller, the buyer, and the advisor—this discussion aims to foster a rich exchange of ideas, and challenge existing assumptions on the effective use of edtech. Attendees will gain new insights and practical knowledge to help develop a more informed and forward-looking vision for the future of educational technology and learning experiences in our classrooms.

 EdTech Track: A Year of AI – Reflections from School Leaders on the Frontlines

The recent rise of AI has educators across the country exploring the technology, seeking to understand both its opportunities and risks. In this session, four PreK-12 school network leaders will share their perspectives on the equity implications of AI, where their staff are finding value in AI, and what they're learning from a change management standpoint. These leaders have "boots on the ground" in schools and will share their lessons learned as well as the perspectives of the staff and students they're serving.

 Teacher Sustainability Track: Nurturing Diversity: Building Resilient Teachers in Today's Educational Landscape

In the dynamic and multifaceted field of education, cultivating resilience among teachers is essential for sustainable professional growth and effective classroom practice. However, amidst the increasing diversity in student populations, teachers encounter unique challenges that demand a resilient mindset and adaptive strategies. This session aims to explore the intersection of diversity and teacher resilience, offering insights, strategies, and resources to empower educators in navigating diverse classrooms with confidence and efficacy. Attendees will hear best practices and lessons learned from a panel implementing national programs and networks that support students while creating rich learning experiences for aspiring educators that prepare them for education careers.

Policy Innovation Track: Testing Innovation and Competency-Based Learning

This panel aims to explore innovations in testing systems within educational organizations, discussing the latest developments and promising practices in assessment generally and specific to competency-based learning. We will share insights into the future of testing innovations and discuss what the pros and cons of regional & national assessment policies.

 Policy Innovation Track: Where Did the Kids Go? Exploring the Decline in Public School Enrollment

In the aftermath of the pandemic, a significant number of students have shifted from public education to alternatives like private schools and homeschooling. However, an even more concerning trend has emerged with evidence suggesting that some students are entirely unaccounted for, beyond these shifts. This session explores the mystery of missing students and investigates community-based, school, and government solutions to locate and reintegrate them into the education system. The goal is to understand and address this phenomenon, ensuring that every student has a pathway back in school and back on track.

 Teacher Sustainability Track: Changing Systems to Prevent Teacher Shortages

Since the pandemic, dramatic fluctuations in teacher retention and recruitment have received significant public attention. District and school leaders continue to compete to fill teaching vacancies and retain and train their workforce. In this session, we will explore systems-level changes that education leaders across the sector can drive to reimagine the teaching role and improve teacher retention. We will distinctly speak to long-term shifts that are necessary for addressing teacher shortages into the foreseeable future.

 SEL & Culturally Responsive Education Track: Revisiting the Racial Reckoning

The murder of George Floyd in 2020 led to some changes in the way US schools approach races, racial equity, and racial injustice. Some changes in school policy and operations were short-lived or temporary. Other schools have adapted their model or evolved to more regularly consider the role of race, class, and equity in their approach to schooling. this session will revisit the racial reckoning and discuss the various strategies and sustained changes that school leaders have created 4 years later to support the increasingly diverse population of children attending US public schools.

 SEL & Culturally Responsive Education Track: A District-Wide Culturally Responsive Approach To SEL

SEL is defined as the process by which all young people and adults acquire and apply the knowledge, skills, and attitudes to develop healthy identities, manage emotions and achieve personal and collective goals, feel and show empathy for others, establish and maintain supportive relationships, and make responsible and caring decisions. In this presentation, Drs. Dawn DeCosta, Deputy superintendent of schools in Harlem, NY, and Marc Brackett, Director of the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence and Professor in the Child Study Center, will discuss their 12-year collaboration bringing RULER, the evidence-based approach to SEL developed at Yale, to dozens of schools across Harlem, NY. They’ll discuss RULER principles, skills, and tools as well as culturally responsive practices that support educators in embracing children’s racial and cultural backgrounds to ensure all children and adults across the district benefit from SEL.

 EdTech Track: What’s the Plan?  Ensuring All Students Graduate with a Postsecondary Plan

Nearly 4 million students in the United States will graduate from high school this year, marking a rite of passage for students, families, and educators alike. But are all students prepared for their postsecondary endeavors? How can school systems do a better job ensuring all students graduate with a plan, and have completed the milestones necessary to make that plan a reality? It can be daunting to provide all students with the equitable support they deserve during this key moment of transition, especially given the size of counselor caseloads (nationally, the average counselor-to-student ratio is 408:1), the number and complexity of access milestones (e.g., FAFSA, applications), and difficulties understanding student progress across disconnected data systems. Educators from the RISE Network -- a multi-state collaborative working to promote on-track achievement and postsecondary success -- will share how schools are working together across geographic boundaries to use data and continuous improvement to drive equitable student outcomes. Presenters will share examples of impactful approaches, such as: postsecondary data teams, FAFSA task forces, summer melt texting campaign, and senior signing day celebrations. Through this session, participants will learn more about the RISE Network, the RISE Data Hub, and replicable strategies to promote access and opportunity for all students.