Participate in envisioning a physical and virtual space that serves as an innovation hub, lab, library, and learning commons. It is a place, both physical and virtual, where students, teachers, and administrators experiment, try out, create, and test major ideas before they are implemented across the school.
Imagine a space where books, media, and technology don’t just coexist—they ignite curiosity, experimentation, and bold new ideas. That is the essence of the Innovation Lab and Learning Commons (ILLC): the next stage in the metamorphosis of the school library.
Unpacking the implications of the "abundance" agenda for education.
This powerful professional learning session is designed for all educators—teachers, instructional coaches, and school leaders—committed to building truly inclusive learning environments where every student feels valued, heard, and empowered to contribute. We will collectively explore and practice equity of voice, a pedagogical approach rooted in the principle that all students, regardless of background or learning profile, deserve an equitable chance to participate in and influence the learning process.
Educator burnout is real—but it can also be a turning point. In this session, we’ll share stories, explore systemic causes, and co-create strategies for renewal. Together we’ll build a collective toolkit for sustaining joy, purpose, and impact in teaching and learning.
How can schools design discipline systems that are equitable, restorative, and empowering? Join a conversation about moving beyond compliance to practices that build belonging, strengthen relationships, and promote student growth.
Taking a broad look at the competencies and skills necessary to educate the next generation of citizens, where are our schools meeting the needs and where are we struggling? Examine a proposal in the form of a "Portrait of a Graduate" framework, but designed for civics, ethics, community building, critical thinking, interconnectedness, and global awareness.
If you could change one thing about education, what would it be? Join 2 preservice teachers in conversation about the little things we have control over every day as educators.
Concerned about climate change? Trying to combat student hopelessness and inspire them to take action for the future? Sign up! By working cross-curricularly, we can use examples from history on sustainable living, uncover everyday STEM practices of civilizations across the world, and build hopeful action for the future.
This conversation engages educators in using The Moth’s storytelling guide to craft authentic narratives. Participants will practice sharing stories, apply portions of our structured feedback protocols, and listen to learners stories. The session fosters trust, empathy, and collaboration, equipping educators with tools to strengthen classroom and staff communities.
This interactive session brings the attendees together to address bullying in schools. Through dialogue, scenarios, and collaborative problem-solving, participants will co-create practical strategies to recognize, prevent, and respond to bullying—leaving with immediate action steps to foster safer, more inclusive classrooms and communities.
An approach to education that centers holistic human thriving moves beyond traditional academics to prepare students for a complex, ever-changing world. We believe true success encompasses not only intellectual growth but also physical, mental, material, socio-emotional, and relational well-being.
This workshop explores the use of thematic instruction to intentionally make history classrooms more thoughtful places.
How might we use creative forms of expression to help us identify solutions, communicate expectations, guide processes, and innovate education? Experiment with strategies and discuss methods that bring purposeful creativity into our committee meetings and conference rooms.
Can schools use data to drive growth without reducing students to numbers? Join a conversation on humanizing data practices that inform instruction, empower teachers, and center student identity.
This conversation will engage educators in an interactive discussion about innovative approaches for teaching digital literacy and democratic participation using AI tools.
Building 21's Community Council empowers students to resolve conflicts through restorative conversations. This Tier 1 intervention trains 11th and 12th graders to guide peers, fostering a school culture of accountability, empathy, and intentional restoration.
A practical case study of how a Philadelphia elementary school implemented a collaborative equity audit and staff-led equity team to build internal capacity, surface actionable data, and catalyze gradual schoolwide change.
We’ll reimagine classrooms as spaces where creativity is practiced daily—through risk-taking, curiosity, and problem-solving. We'll focus on the question: How do we give students not just tools, but the mindset to tackle complex problems with confidence, imagination, and resilience?
Descriptions of how things work are often made more complex than they need to be. Let's cut through the noise.
Planning in an inquiry driven classroom can be challenging! What tools, workflows, and techniques do SLA teachers use to ensure that planning is student-centered and meaningful? How do you plan? Join in on an open and honest conversation led by an SLA teacher about planning effective units and day-to-day lessons.
How to continually challenge advanced readers in early grades? By designing personalized reading studies that combine reading and writing, assess for skills mastery through engaging virtual games, foster independence, and interdisciplinary connections.
Exploring collective best practices for engaging students as they read both fiction and non-fiction.
How do we meet this moment? What does showing up for one another look like in our schools and communities? How do we create connections that sustain us through difficult times?
Transform how students approach professional relationships through structured networking activities. This interactive session equips educators with concrete tools to teach networking skills, build student confidence, and create pathways to real-world learning opportunities including internships, job shadows, and career exploration experiences.
Join South Bronx Community Charter High School as we share our journey as a mentor school in New York State’s PLAN pilot, transforming graduation pathways through performance-based, student-centered learning. This interactive session will explore how we built systems for real-world assessment, support peer schools, and center equity and youth voice. Walk away with tools, strategies, and inspiration to lead personalized, competency-based learning in your own school or district.
A portrait of a graduate is a powerful symbol, but ultimately, it’s static. It offers a snapshot of who we hope students will become, but too often it stops short. It tells us what the end goal is, without showing us how to get there.
What we need is a path.
With the advent of AI, students can now create products in ways they never could before, but how do we know when those products represent deeper student learning?
Sometimes, it's really just the prompt! A lot of times, when class discussions go flat, we blame our personalities, the lethargy of "kids these days", or the curriculum. But often, if we had just asked the question a different way, changed a few words, we would have had success! This session is about sharing best strategies to ask the best questions.
At Tempe Elementary Schools, we are designing a new, purpose-driven learning model, centered on student agency and self-discovery. The goal is to help students identify their unique values, interests, and skills, as they explore and experience all that is possible for them.
The pressures on educators (and on everyone) are significant in this moment. How do we care for ourselves so that we can continue to care for others?
Creativity, flexibility, and endurance are required for every role in the school ecosystem—whether responding to another mandate, supporting a student in crisis, or figuring out staff coverage. Let’s discuss how we tackle both persistent and emerging challenges. Come for honest conversation, practical strategies, and tools you can use next week.
Discover how our public school supports 11th graders through a holistic internship program that connects students' interests to career pathways while addressing equity gaps in an urban, Title I setting. We'll share our collaborative model involving teachers, our Real World Learning Director, and our school social worker to support the whole student—academically, socially, and professionally—while building agency and disrupting systems of inequity.
Personal computing is not neutral and its effects feel different in 2025 than ten years ago. This is conversation on what we are seeing, and what we might do to create the technology environment we want
AI platforms will come and go. What disposition should we be nurturing in students to prepare them for the murky future of living and working with AI? This conversation will surface new modes of skills that learners need to leverage an unprecedented and evolving AI toolkit: judgment, agency, and creativity.
Curiosity, questions, wonder - these human qualities serve as powerful drivers of learning in the age of AI. This modern era is changing at a breakneck speed, leaving educators to grapple with how to best prepare learners for their future.
There is a fascinating intersection between art and science. Let’s talk about it!
We’ll be exploring Neuroarts—the science of how art and aesthetic experiences measurably impact the brain, body, and behavior. Learn how all forms of creative engagement benefit every student.
What if staff wellness was treated as central to student success? In this conversation, we’ll explore how intentional structures for educator wellbeing can reduce burnout, strengthen school culture, and transform sustainability. Together, we’ll reimagine how schools can proactively support the adults who hold them up.
Through a structured conversational activity, participants will discuss and debate the attributes and impact of the future learner, the future creator(s) of educational experiences, and the future foundational content and skills on the design and sustainability of the K-12 public education experience.
In a world defined by uncertainty, rapid change, and constant upheaval, it is the artist’s mindset—creative, adaptable, and boldly curious—that becomes not just valuable, but vital. It empowers us all to navigate complexity with confidence and to shape the future rather than fear it.
EduCon 2026
