Building a Culture of Trust: An Emphasis on Crisis Management
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 | Lori Mueller,
Partner, Donovan Group |
Schools do not become model schools by accident, especially when navigating moments of crisis. In this session, we will show how crisis-ready communication and community engagement can accelerate growth across four critical levers in the 5Essentials framework: safety, involved families and community, internal leadership communication, and transparency. Through real-world case studies, you’ll see how schools and districts have used intentional messaging and listening—before, during, and after a crisis—to protect safety, maintain public trust, and keep adults aligned around what students need most. You’ll examine practical tools, templates, and messaging frameworks that help reinforce the “why” behind tough decisions, reduce confusion and rumors, and strengthen family partnership even in stressful situations.
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Cracking the Code on Unmotivated Students: How Small Wins Create Unstoppable Learners
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 | Berit Gordon,
Teacher, Author, and Consultant, Heinemann |
Too many students have essentially given up. They go through the motions but don't believe they can succeed, draining classroom energy and often becoming behavioral problems because "not trying" protects them from feeling foolish. This session shows how to set up wins for even the most reluctant learners while building genuine independence. When students experience real success through carefully structured small steps, they begin to see themselves as capable. As they develop true independence, teachers move from constant coaxing to coaching, pulling small groups, and giving targeted feedback to those who need it most. Participants will learn specific strategies for breaking the "I can't" cycle and creating conditions where struggling students get the practice that drives improvement. Schools implementing this approach report dramatic shifts in student engagement and significant decreases in office referrals as students discover they can succeed.
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Creating a Comprehensive & Effective Teacher Development Program Using NWEA Data
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 | Arveneda Mcdonald,
Principal, Joshua Academy Charter School |
 | Angela Bond,
Teaching and Learning Specialist, Joshua Academy Charter School
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This session introduces a comprehensively aligned teacher development program designed to support educators from induction through sustained professional growth. The program integrates five key components—New Teacher Academy, Teacher Mentorship Program, Instructional Coaching, Professional Learning Communities (PLCs), and a Balanced Evaluation Process—to ensure consistency, coherence, and impact across all levels of teaching practice.
Participants will gain an understanding of how each component functions individually and collectively to strengthen instructional effectiveness, promote collaboration, and support continuous improvement. The session will emphasize alignment between professional learning, classroom practice, and student outcomes, by establishing a shared vision for high-quality instruction and professional accountability.
This overview session will set the foundation for implementation by clarifying processes, timelines, and outcomes to ensure administrators are equipped to meaningfully engage all teachers in a sustainable, growth-oriented professional development system.
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Creating Supportive Environments That Beat the Odds
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 | Heather Schmidt Davis,
Instruction and Leadership Coach, Center for Model Schools |
 | Dr. Adam Drummond,
Author and Senior Director, Center for Model Schools
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Why Do Some Schools Improve More Than Others? Schools serving similar communities often experience very different outcomes. Why?
Research points not to demographics, but to the organizational conditions principals create. This session examines how principals intentionally build supportive environments that reduce the impact of poverty on learning. Using the 5Essentials Framework, participants will explore how leadership choices shape student–teacher trust, safety, academic personalism, peer support, and future orientation—and why these conditions matter most in high-poverty contexts. Rather than focusing on programs or initiatives, this session highlights what principals can do to design, align, and sustain the conditions that allow students and teachers to thrive—despite the odds.
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Game Night to Increase Engagement
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 | Ebony Donley,
Teacher, East Clark/Literacy Innovations |
In this session I will talk about the benefits of family and community engagement while working with today's youth. I host free monthly family game nights at the local community center. The game nights attract between 30 and 50 participants monthly. This has allowed me to establish a rapport with students attending East Clark School and other schools in the community. The goal of the family game nights is to provide a safe space where the youth can enhance reading, math, and problem -solving skills in a fun way. Family game nights have allowed me to connect with parents and students outside of the school hours.
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Increasing On-Task Behavior
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 | Kimberley Tribbett,
Professional Learning Consultant, Center for Model Schools |
The greatest challenge isn't just "managing" classroom behavior—it’s igniting it. Ambitious instruction demands a different kind of "on-task" behavior—one where students are cognitively active, vocally collaborative, and intellectually challenged. When the cognitive demand is high and the engagement strategies are clear, off-task behavior naturally decreases. This fast-paced, "no-fluff" session moves beyond theory to provide educators with a toolkit of actionable strategies designed to increase student ownership of learning.
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Leading Data Teams: Developing Individual Capacity and Collective Efficacy
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 | Robert Thornell,
Instruction and Leadership Coach, Center for Model Schools |
Nuanced school and district leaders serve as change agents, creating and sustaining a culture to build teacher efficacy and live in a model of continuous improvement. Participants will learn about the importance of defining data team expectations, protocols and processes of data team work, and most importantly why you are committed to it. Using data sources such as MAP Growth, 5Essentials, state and local assessments, student work, student feedback and many others are all important. Discover ways leaders at campus and district levels have important data conversations and strategies for sustaining data work over time.
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Leading with Purpose: A Real-world Guide to School Leadership with the 5Essentials
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 | Marc Cohen,
Instruction and Leadership Coach, Center for Model Schools |
This session is designed for teachers aspiring to become school leaders, offering both motivation and a realistic glimpse into the roles of assistant principals and principals. Participants will explore the critical impact school administrators have on student and teacher success, with a focus on instructional leadership, vision for teaching and learning, and strategic planning. Through research-backed insights and practical discussions, this session will reinforce the importance of strong leadership in shaping school culture and driving continuous improvement. Attendees will leave inspired and better prepared to take the next step in their leadership journey.
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Learning in Motion: Transforming Primary Math and ELA through Multisensory Engagement and Movement
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 | Laura Gerace,
Teacher, Ascension Parish Schools |
 | Auburn Cain,
Teacher, Lakeside Primary School
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What if academic learning didn’t require students to sit still to succeed? This session reimagines traditional instruction by putting movement, multisensory tools, and physical literacy at the center of Math and ELA learning. Presenters Laura Gerace (Master Teacher), Aubrun Cain (PE), and Nichole Maher (Master Teacher) will engage participants and explore how purposeful movement activates the brain, increases engagement, and accelerates mastery—especially for students who struggle in conventional settings.
Grounded in research and supported with real classroom examples from multiple grade levels (K-5), this session offers a practical, ready-to-implement framework for integrating movement into core content. Attendees will discover routines, station structures, and classroom-friendly strategies that pair academic vocabulary, phonics, fluency, and number sense with kinesthetic learning. Whether students are moving as they build reading fluency and comprehension or engaging in active routines to strengthen number sense and mathematical thinking, movement becomes a tool—not a distraction—to close gaps and deepen learning.
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MAP Growth for Beginning Users
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 | Corbin Edginton,
Director of Professional Learning, NWEA |
Developing a community of engagement and empowering students to demonstrate their learning is a foundation of MAP Growth. We will practice using MAP Growth to support a goal-setting process with students. Explore ways to involve students in the process to increase their motivation, sense of ownership, and likelihood of successful academic growth. We will also identify reports and resources to share with students and families.
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Movement is Magic: The Impact of a Comprehensive School Physical Activity Program
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| Auburn Cain,
Teacher, Lakeside Primary School |
In high-performing, future-ready schools, academic achievement and student well-being aren't competing priorities—they are inseparable. Movement is Magic invites participants to experience how strategic, research-based movement integration can fundamentally transform school culture, academic outcomes, student engagement, and behavior.
This interactive session will highlight how purposeful physical activity can be embedded into the entire school ecosystem—not just during PE—through a Comprehensive School Physical Activity Program (CSPAP). Attendees will explore scalable practices that align movement to academic standards, support multi-sensory learning, and increase focus, classroom behavior, and instructional stamina. Through practical examples and real-life stories, participants will learn how movement systems can be designed in ways that are sustainable, data-driven, and replicable across diverse school contexts.
Together, we will examine how leaders, teachers, and teams can shift culture by building strategic relationships, creating buy-in, and designing structures that make movement a norm rather than a novelty. Participants will walk away with tools to implement immediately—sample routines, scheduling approaches, classroom-ready movement strategies, and methods for monitoring impact through academic and behavioral data. One core feature highlighted will be the role of student agency—how our Physical Activity Leaders (PALs) serve as “movement ambassadors,” facilitating active brain boosts, leading schoolwide routines, supporting recess programming, and elevating student voice to strengthen a culture of movement.
Join me to discover how movement can be the magic that accelerates academic growth, boosts well-being, and ignites an energized school community—one where every student can experience success.
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Now Is the Moment: Why Focusing on Student Groups Is the Fastest Path to Transformational Change
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 | Danny Konopasek,
Instruction and Leadership Coach, Center for Model Schools |
| Dr. Adam Drummond,
Author and Senior Director, Center for Model Schools
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Districts do not transform by moving faster—they transform by focusing more intentionally. This session confronts a hard truth: systems that claim to serve all students often fail to meet the needs of those who need us most. Student-group focus is not a side initiative; it is the lever for whole-system improvement. Drawing from national data, lived school experiences, and district-level case studies, this session challenges leaders to move beyond generalized improvement goals toward urgent, targeted action for historically marginalized and overlooked student groups. When schools design for the margins, the entire system improves. This is both a call to action and a roadmap for leaders ready to stop waiting for the right time and start creating meaningful change now.
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Passport to the World: Integrating Global Awareness, 21st Century Skills, and Academic Growth
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 | Janet Morris,
Director of Federal Programs, Nash County Public Schools |
 | Michelle Royster,
Director of Community Engagement and Strategic Planning, Nash County Public Schools
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 | Melonee Hunter,
21st CCLC Coordinator, Boys and Girls Clubs of the Tar River Region |
 | Sheila Wallace,
Assistant Superintendent of Human Resources and Federal Programs, Nash County Public Schools |
This session will showcase how the Passport to the World after school and summer program engages students in global learning experiences while fostering academic growth, social-emotional development, and healthy living. Participants will explore innovative strategies such as culturally responsive enrichment, STEAM-based project learning, and family engagement practices that have led to measurable student improvement and increased engagement. Attendees will learn how to implement similar interdisciplinary programs in their own schools to prepare students for success as global citizens.
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Question Everything: Creating Classrooms Where Students Take the Lead
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 | Beckie Stobaugh,
Learning Experience Strategist, Meteor Education |
What if students took greater ownership of their learning by asking the questions instead of just answering them? This interactive session explores how educators can foster student agency by designing engaging learning environments and developing a culture of inquiry. Participants will leave with concrete tools and strategies to increase student ownership, elevate student questioning, and make classrooms more learner-centered and purposeful. Rooted in current research and classroom-tested practices, this session is ideal for those looking to move from teacher-driven instruction to student-empowered learning.
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Quick-Prep, High-Impact Formative Assessment Moves
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 | Alisa Braddy,
Instruction and Leadership Coach, Center for Model Schools |
Discover fun and easy formative assessment techniques to instantly gauge student learning and adapt your teaching on the fly. This session will equip you with practical tools to keep your students engaged and on track. Join us for an interactive experience to enhance your formative assessment mojo!
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Relationship Over Everything: Building a Better Climate and Culture!
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 | Alissa Levy,
Administrator, Cleveland Heights-University Heights School District |
This session will discuss how building relationships will ultimately improve your climate and culture within your building. I will give participants an acronym that will assist them in providing A-1 service to students, staff, families and community partners. I will provide out of the box methods and ideas that can be used to make all stakeholders feel heard, valued and seen; which will ultimately create positive partnerships. (relationships/care - who are your co-presenters?)
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Talking is Thinking
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 | Denise White,
Instruction and Leadership Coach, Center for Model Schools |
Learn how to plan for and facilitate high-impact classroom discourse that invites every student—regardless of skill or confidence level—into meaningful conversations about their learning. In this session, you’ll discover simple, low-prep strategies and talk moves that are easy to implement yet powerful in practice, helping you spark curiosity, sustain engagement, and deepen the academic rigor of student discussions.
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The Greatness Formula: Student Mental Health, Belonging, and Academic Performance—How Schools Can Rebuild Hope & Fuel Achievement
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 | Duane Kyles,
Educational Consultant - Youth Mental Health Advocate, Uanesworld LLC |
Students across the nation are facing an unprecedented mental health and motivation crisis that directly impacts attendance, achievement, and classroom engagement. This session introduces The Greatness Formula, an identity-based mental wellness framework that schools are using to restore student hope, increase sense of belonging, and elevate academic performance.
Grounded in research on protective factors, belonging, and self-worth, this approach provides educators with practical strategies—including scripts, reflection prompts, and micro-affirmation routines—that help students rebuild confidence, take ownership of learning, and maintain resilience through challenges. Participants will leave with tools that support everyday classroom practice, educator-student connection, and schoolwide culture-building.
"When students rediscover their worth, they rediscover their willingness to work.
When hope rises, performance follows."
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This Is How We Do It: Creating Your DI Playlist
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 | Dr. Akecia Owens-Cunningham,
Educator, Academically Victorious |
Join this engaging session focused on exploring how Differentiated Instruction (DI) can transform classrooms and learning environments into inclusive, responsive spaces. Participants will learn how to remix instruction to increase engagement, access, and success for every learner because one size never fits all. Using the J.A.M. framework, educators and instructional leaders will explore Just-Right, Authentic, and Multimodal learning strategies, including visual, auditory, reading/writing, and kinesthetic approaches across content, process, product, and environment. Leave with practical ideas and strategies to take back and apply in classrooms, teams, and professional learning communities.
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Unlocking the Inner Superhero in Every Educator
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 | Aaron Patterson,
CEO, Aaron Patterson LLC |
Teaching is more than a profession, it’s a calling. Yet too often, the weight of responsibilities, the emotional toll of working with struggling students, and the constant pressure of academic performance can leave even the most passionate educators feeling exhausted, overlooked, and burned out. When teachers are running on empty, it not only impacts their well-being, but also the culture of the classroom and the success of their students.
In this interactive, uplifting, and practical workshop designed to help teachers, counselors, and school leaders rediscover their inner “superhero.” Using the powerful metaphor of superheroes and “kryptonite,” participants will explore how to overcome the forces that drain their energy and instead harness the unique strengths that empower them to thrive.
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Workshop Your Words
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 | Oatanisha Dawson,
Instruction and Leadership Coach, Center for Model Schools |
Deepen your ability to provide meaningful feedback. Join this session to learn precise, nonjudgmental sentence stems for offering feedback, inquiry prompts for receiving it, and reflective language for co‑creating next steps; practice these in a workshop‑style scenario rotations whether classroom teacher, instructional coach, department lead, and/or administrator. You will apply a concise written template (Observation; Impact on learners; Suggested next step; Timeline), and rehearse accountability conversations. Leave with scripted language, a role‑specific scenario plan, a ready-to-use debrief template for their school community.
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