Daunted by the challenge of creating a portrait of a graduate or strategic plan? Do you have a plan currently on a shelf collecting dust? Examine the layered process of building an actionable strategic plan, from a community-informed, student-centered portrait of a graduate.

Participants will:

• Examine example portraits of a graduate and strategic plans to identify and discuss characteristics of strong and sustainable frameworks; 
• Develop an understanding of how community engagement and elevation of student voice are central to the portrait of a graduate and strategic planning process; and 
• Use the frameworks and understandings to draft or tune an individualized action plan for a school or district.

Learn how a statewide program for principals reduces the isolation of school leaders in a confidential community of learning where members share challenges and celebrate successes. Facilitators, responding to principals’ needs, design sessions that grow leadership capacity and promote shared leadership.

Participants will:

• Explore the principles of adult learning to engage principals from a rural state in creating a community of learners and leaders; 
• Experience how the network promotes collaborative learning among principals utilizing recent research, evidence-based approaches to problem solving, and preparation for difficult conversations; and 
• Review data illustrating program impact and consider how this approach might be used in various contexts to support and develop leaders’ learning.

Why is it important that the Standards for Professional Learning become policy in a state or district? What exactly happens when a state adopts the Standards and undertakes a broad implementation? How are district leaders using the Standards to guide resource and planning decisions? Meet innovative state and local policymakers who are driving improvements in professional learning by integrating the Standards into policy and regulations, evaluation systems, contracts with external providers, and funding applications.

Participants will:

• Hear reasoning and processes for using the Standards for Professional Learning to guide professional learning efforts; 
• Engage in individual and collaborative learning activities about priorities for policy change, best levers for improving professional learning systems, developing working groups, advocating for policy change, and using the Standards to inform funding and scheduling applications; and
• Develop a written plan for taking action to leverage the Standards in your own context.

Explore a principals' advisory council created to serve in a consultative role to one state as they design a standards-aligned school leadership pipeline for all schools. The advisory council makes recommendations that address the areas of improvement identified in the Wallace Foundation Principal Pipeline Self-Study, bringing people together to move their standards-aligned system for school leadership forward.

Participants will:

• Understand the importance of aligning vision, mission, and goals to national standards for leadership and learning; 
• Identify the key levers used by the state to engage/collaborate with principals on important policy issues impacting school improvement and workforce development; and
• Reflect on strategies for working with partners to gather input and garner support; recognizing that collaboration builds trust and buy-in necessary to transform a system.

SETDA, in partnership with Learning Forward and ISTE, will release Closing the Digital Design Divide with Title II-A in fall 2025. Explore how this can assist education leaders in leveraging Title II-A for edtech capacity building to maximize the impact of teaching and learning for all students.

Participants will:

• Identify strategies for aligning local Title II-A professional learning plans with state and federal requirements and recommendations for technology integration; 
• Support learning systems by instilling Universal Design for Learning principles when including professional learning on the effective use of technology; and
• Ensure that technology is integrated fully in Title II-A plans in meaningful and relevant ways so that students and educators have access to its benefits.

Discover how place-based learning empowers educators to connect curriculum with community and culture. Engage in hands-on activities to map local assets, design inquiry-driven projects, and amend curricula for broader learning.

Participants will:

• Learn to apply tools and frameworks to promote student-centered learning experiences; 
• Gain strategies to guide teachers in connecting curriculum to local stories, assets, and challenges, fostering authentic and meaningful learning; and 
• Create an action plan to implement place-based learning district-wide, empowering teachers to cultivate student leaders and build stronger connections between schools and their communities.

How can districts support novice administrators so they can effectively lead their schools on day one? Learn from program administrators and coaches in a large urban school district's job-embedded induction program. Hear from national researchers about the characteristics of high-quality administrator induction and their outcomes for principals and schools.

Participants will:

• Understand the importance of supporting novice principals and what research identifies as the characteristics of high-quality administrator induction; 
• Learn about the design and implementation of a successful district program; 
• Connect with other administrators to discuss challenges and solutions of implementing a high-quality district induction program for administrators; and 
• Create a plan for bringing ideas back to their districts.

Explore the Philadelphia Academy of School Leaders' ten-year partnership with their local school district, universities from across the country, national professional organizations, and local foundations, using a wide array of programming to support the leadership learning of K-12 school and system leaders.

Participants will:

• Learn about the history of the design, development, and evolution of Philadelphia Academy of School Leaders programming; 
• Detail the impact of these programs on student learning and leadership pipelines and pathways; and
• Engage in deep learning dives about the Neubauer Fellowship and Leader of Leaders Program.

Explore practices that use AI and digital tools to support successful student outcomes.  Learn strategies to create personalized learning experiences that cater to each student's unique needs, ensuring better outcomes for each student.  Walk away with actionable insights to promote fairness and opportunity for all students.

Participants will:

• Gain a clear understanding of the historical context and goals of non-preferential practices in education, and recognize the challenges that have emerged from their implementation; 
• Learn how to apply AI-driven technologies to create tailored learning experiences that cater to each student's unique needs;
• Leave with practical, actionable strategies to apply in their teaching and organizational practices, fostering environments that promote fairness and opportunity for all students; and 
• Be equipped to apply contextual fairness by recognizing and addressing underlying disparities in their classrooms, using innovative tools and methods to support student success outcomes without relying on race as the central factor.

Learn how to design and gather relevant evidence on professional learning experiences that have positive effects on teaching practices and student learning outcomes. We will develop strategies for gathering crucial evidence on professional learning experiences to verify results and guide future improvement efforts, and explore ways to accommodate specific context factors that influence professional learning success.

Participants will: 

• Explore the factors that evidence shows do and do not contribute to the effectiveness of professional learning;
• Learn how to use the five levels of evidence that are essential in evaluating professional learning practices and experiences;
• Develop strategies for planning effective professional learning experiences that impact teaching practices and result in improved student performance; and
• Use group conversations to explore past personal professional learning experiences and reactions/responses of various stakeholders (i.e., teachers, school leaders, students, parents/families, and board members).

Identify professional learning features and content most likely to boost student outcomes. Synthesizing results from dozens of experimental studies, we'll first debunk common myths — ideas unsupported by evidence — and then talk about what works.

Participants will:

• Differentiate between less and more productive approaches to teacher professional learning; 
• Gain insight into how research has built knowledge of these less and more effective professional learning features and content; and
• Discuss how these findings might impact the design of their professional learning for teachers.

Explore ways to lead a school or district through the successful use of high-quality instructional materials, utilizing an AI literacy platform to support improved teacher questioning, data usage, and instructional practices.

Participants will:

• Examine how artificial intelligence supports lesson and unit internalization in high-quality English language arts curricula;
• Discuss how artificial intelligence cultivates improved teacher questioning and instructional practices and provides teachers with real-time data on student learning and how to pinpoint areas for intervention; and
• Learn how artificial intelligence increases the speed with which teachers can give feedback to students to drive improved outcomes, and supports new teachers in building content knowledge in a high-quality curriculum.

Explore the feasibility, need, and design of a Breakthrough College for Education, where educators, system leaders, and improvement practitioners develop the skills and mindsets necessary for scaling change.

Participants will:

• Identify the key components of a Breakthrough College for Education and what is required to build it;
• Explore cross-sector learning from healthcare and how it informs education’s capability-building needs; and
• Define what professional learning structures are necessary to sustain and spread large-scale improvement.

Examine innovative, evidence-based strategies for addressing the complexities of teacher recruitment and retention on a national scale. Explore a comprehensive framework for evaluating staffing patterns, compensation, policies, and teacher engagement grounded in doctoral research and real-world district audits.

Participants will:

• Understand the systemic factors contributing to teacher shortages nationally, with a focus on rural and high-need districts;
• Learn to apply a teacher recruitment and retention audit framework, including historical staffing pattern evaluation, competitive compensation analysis, and teacher engagement assessments;
• Explore real-world examples of successful strategies implemented in rural and small city school districts, identifying opportunities to replicate success in their contexts; and
• Develop plans using data-driven tools and strategies to address unique district challenges, fostering a sustainable and resilient teacher workforce.

Explore new strategies to make meaningful connections between schools, students' families, and their communities, with practical tools and approaches to strengthen collaboration, improve communication, and build trust among key stakeholders. Be equipped to create real partnerships that support student success and enhance community engagement in education.

Participants will:

• Learn key strategies for building meaningful community partnerships to support student achievement; 
• Explore effective communication techniques and tools to foster trust and collaboration among a wide array of stakeholders; 
• Gain practical ideas to implement inclusive family and community engagement initiatives tailored to their own school or district; and
• Leave with actionable steps to create sustainable connections that enhance student outcomes and strengthen the overall school-community relationship.