About the Symposium
In this unique three-day event, school and district leaders are invited to join Education Week as we convene experts, practitioners, and researchers — and tap into the deep reporting knowledge of Education Week’s editorial staff and research team — to discuss the top issues and challenges confronting leaders today.
Through a variety of session formats, guests, and topics; each day will offer attendees the opportunity to dive deep into the ever-changing landscape which school and district leaders are charged with navigating. Attendees will leave with actionable takeaways that can be adopted and adapted to schools and districts everywhere.
Attendees will gain insight into the strategies used by leaders, innovators, and influencers to:
- Rebound faster from the disruptions of the 2020-21 school year
- Learn proven tactics that help drive your strategy in the 2021-22 school year
- Discover the latest findings and best-practices delivered to you by Education Week’s K-12 journalists, experts, and Research Center
Check back as we continue to add Sessions & Speakers!
Symposium Sponsors
Agenda
May 10
Teaching & Learning
The 2020-2021 school year will be one that is studied for generations to come: the pandemic has changed how students learn, teachers teach, and administrators lead. We’re grappling with questions that will directly affect all stakeholders in the K-12 education enterprise including:
• What technological advances have we made during the year of hybrid/remote learning and what do we think the next few years will look like as a result of these learnings?
• How do we measure what students have learned and what should we be thinking about when evaluating student performance in the years to come?
• What implications will this year have on the future of curriculum and assessment, closing the achievement gap, and preparing students for the workforce?
1:00 PM ET
Opening & Welcome Remarks
Michele J. Givens
Chief Executive Officer,
Education Week
Givens is the CEO of Education Week and EdWeek Market Brief.
1:10 PM ET
The Pandemic's Affects on Learning
Education Week Research Center Director Holly Kurtz presents new survey data and insights on how district leaders, school leaders, and teachers view lost instructional time during the pandemic, how it's affected student learning, and how they plan to help students catch up.
Holly Kurtz is the director of the EdWeek Research Center.
1:30 PM ET
Distributed Leadership in Curriculum Development
Join EdWeek senior contributing writer Catherine Gewertz in discussion with 2021 Leader to Learn From Anna Heyer.
Catherine Gewertz was a writer for Education Week who covered national news and features.
Anna Heyer
Science Coordinator,
Flowing Wells Unified School District (Tucson, Ariz.)
Heyer shines in her leadership as a science specialist, connecting people, listening and modeling her pedagogy by seeking out new knowledge and ways of learning.
1:50 PM ET
The Science of Reading: Best Practices for the Early Grades
Early elementary students, whose first years of schooling have been disrupted by the pandemic, are likely to need even more support this fall to learn how to read. This panel of experts and educators will discuss how research can guide school leaders in planning early reading instruction that will build students’ foundational skills and literacy development.
Sarah Schwartz is a reporter for Education Week who covers curriculum and instruction.
Nell Duke
Professor of Literacy, Language, and Culture,
University of Michigan School of Education
Duke is a professor in literacy, language, and culture and the combined program in education and psychology at the University of Michigan. Duke’s work focuses on early literacy development, particularly among children living in economic poverty.
Fumiko Hoeft
Professor of Psychological Sciences & Director of UCONN Brain Imaging Research Center,
University of Connecticut
Hoeft is a neuroscientist studying learning with a particular interest in literacy acquisition and dyslexia; as well as on resilience and emotional well-being. Her work has been widely covered and she has received honors from organizations such as the International Dyslexia Association, Learning & the Brain Foundation, International Mind Brain & Education Society, and Society for Neuroscience.
Tanji Reed Marshall
Director of P-12 Practice,
Education Trust
Reed Marshall is the director of P12 Practice at the Education Trust where she works with states, school districts, and partners with other organizations to use data in uncovering educational inequities to provide pathways forward for all students, particularly students of color and those experiencing or living in economic uncertainty, have access to an equitable, high-quality learning environment.
2:45 PM ET
Don’t Miss the Bus: Top Trends K-12 Leaders Can’t Afford to Ignore
Content provided by: SAVVAS Learning
As we look forward to the new school year, educators are asking: How can we effectively measure learning, re-engage students, and capitalize on what we have learned during the pandemic? During this unprecedented time, students have taken on new responsibilities and experienced an entirely new form of education. Teachers have learned to use a myriad of tools and face unique challenges as students return to classrooms with a variety of mindsets and academic skills. Savvas Learning Company leaders Heidi Bruhn, a former teacher and district administrator, and Tom Hamilton, head of curriculum development, will discuss key trends — such as how to assess without over-assessing and embrace student-driven classrooms — and provide actionable strategies to support teachers and students in this new frontier of learning.
SAVVAS Learning Company
3:05 PM ET
Literacy Across Subjects
EdWeek staff writer Sarah Schwartz for a Q&A with 2021 Leader To Learn From Danielle Kelsick.
Sarah Schwartz is a reporter for Education Week who covers curriculum and instruction.
Danielle Kelsick
Chief Academic Officer,
Environmental Charter Schools (Redondo Beach, Calif.)
Kelsick is the Chief Academic Officer at Environmental Charter Schools. She was previously the Assistant Principal of Environmental Charter Middle School – Inglewood. Before becoming an administrator, Kelsick taught English at ECHS and at South Bronx Community School for Social Justice in New York City.
3:25 PM ET
How Remote & Hybrid Learning are Reshaping
K-12 Education
Many teachers dread fully online instruction or a mix of remote and in-person learning known as hybrid. And a growing body of evidence suggests those models have contributed to students falling significantly behind in their schoolwork during the pandemic. Yet despite those frustrations and concerns, many district leaders and experts say remote and hybrid instruction will be offered to some extent in many districts next school year and beyond. One big change driving that expectation is that districts have purchased and distributed tens of millions of digital devices while making massive investments in at-home connectivity over the past year, creating the infrastructure necessary to support widespread educational experimentation and innovation. They have also found that despite largely negative feelings about remote and hybrid instruction, some students have thrived in these non-traditional environments. This discussion will maps out the future of remote and hybrid instruction in schools.
Kevin Bushweller oversees coverage of educational technology and learning environments for Education Week.
Bree Dusseault
Practitioner-in-Residence,
Center on Reinventing Public Education
Dusseault is practitioner-in-residence at the Center on Reinventing Public Education (CRPE), supporting its analysis of district and charter responses to COVID-19. She previously served as executive director of Green Dot Public Schools Washington, executive director of pK-12 Schools for Seattle Public Schools, researcher at CRPE, and was a principal and teacher. Dusseault serves on the boards of Teach For America Washington and City Year South King County and is a Pahara-Aspen fellow.
Jef Fugita
Executive Director of Curriculum & Instruction, Educational Research & Design,
Jeffco Public Schools (Golden, Colo.)
Fugita is the executive director of curriculum & instruction for Jeffco Public Schools in Golden, Colo. He previously was a teacher, middle school assistant principal, elementary principal, assistant director of assessment & research, and an achievement director.
Stacy Stewart
Network 13 Deputy Chief of Schools,
Chicago Public Schools (Chicago, Ill.)
Stewart, a 29-year veteran of the Chicago Public Schools, is the Network 13 deputy chief of schools, which serves 31 schools in the district. Prior to that, she was the principal of Belmont-Cragin School in Chicago. Since becoming principal in 2010, she worked diligently to improve the quality of teaching and learning with dual language education, early childhood education, social-emotional learning, fine and performing arts, and personalized learning.
Ken Thompson
Chief Information Technology Officer,
San Antonio Independent School District (San Antonio, Texas)
Thompson has been the chief information technology officer for the San Antonio Independent School District since 2018. Previously, he was the chief information technology officer for Baltimore City Public Schools. Thompson has worked in public education for more than 25 years, leading complex IT service delivery organizations and leveraging IT resources to assist K-12 organizations in achieving organizational goals.
4:20 PM ET
SEL as a Plan to Slow the Impact of Learning Loss
Content provided by Center for Responsive Schools
The five SEL competencies create a strong foundation from which to mitigate learning loss and address the inequities that have disproportionately impacted students of color during the pandemic.
Disruptions to schooling caused by the COVID-19 pandemic have resulted in significant learning loss and is felt even more deeply among students of color, who face systemic inequities including limited access to educational resources.
In this session, we will discuss the impacts of learning loss during the pandemic, the inequities that have emerged during this time, how social and emotional learning (SEL) can help remedy these issues. We will highlight research that shows how explicit instruction in SEL competencies supports near-term learning recovery while imparting critical skills for lifelong success in and out of the classroom.
Center for Responsive Schools
4:40 PM ET
Is it Finally Time to Change How We Grade?
The pandemic and a wave of lower grades helped highlight shortcomings in grading practices, from problems with online gradebooks to the difficulty of distinguishing students' efforts from their grasp of content. An experienced Colorado teacher and his colleagues confronted these challenges and found new ways of assessing what students know. We'll talk about what they did and how they are thinking about grading for the future.
Stephen Sawchuk is an assistant managing editor for Education Week, leading coverage of teaching, learning, and curriculum.
James MacIndoe
English Teacher,
Standley Lake High School (Westminster, Colo.)
MacIndoe teaches 9th and 10th grade English at Standley Lake High School in Westminster, Colo. He’s been a teacher and leader in public IB high schools for over ten years, and recently earned his master’s degree in Educational Leadership from Regis University.
5:00 PM ET
Day 1 Closing Remarks
Andrew Bowen
Content Marketing Managaer,
Education Week
Bowen is the content marketing manager at Education Week.
May 11
Student Wellness & Community Engagement
We all recognize the importance of engaging and working with families, community organizations, government officials, and other partners to support academic success and student wellness. This critical work was always important; but as a result of the pandemic, we are seeing new kinds of partnerships and new stakeholders perspectives highlighting the value of this work. In these sessions, you will hear from those who identify, work with, and manage the programs that support student success and wellness. You will learn about what was working, what is working now, and what needs to be done to make sure all students are achieving their goals through sessions that will focus on:
• Social emotional learning (SEL)
• Engaging with students and their families
• Supporting underprivileged student populations
12:00 PM ET
Meet the Students & Filmmakers: A Year Interrupted: 2020 High School Seniors Face COVID-19 and an Uncertain Future
As the first generation of their immigrant families to attend a four-year college, high school seniors Luis Campos, the son of El Salvadoran parents, and Faith Achugamonu, the daughter of Nigerian parents, want nothing more than to graduate high school and attend college in order to fulfill their parents’ dreams. But as the pandemic upends every last detail of their plans and the nation faces a reckoning on racial injustice, they wonder what’s in store for them.
Join us for a virtual discussion with filmmakers Elizabeth Rich and Brooke Saias of Education Week about their recent documentary, A Year Interrupted: 2020 High School Seniors Face COVID-19 and an Uncertain Future. We will also be joined by Luis Campos and Faith Achugamonu, the two students at the center of this FILM.
Join us for a virtual discussion with filmmakers Elizabeth Rich and Brooke Saias of Education Week about their recent documentary, A Year Interrupted: 2020 High School Seniors Face COVID-19 and an Uncertain Future. We will also be joined by Luis Campos and Faith Achugamonu, the two students at the center of this FILM.
Scott Montgomery
Former Editor-in-Chief/Chief Content Officer,
Education Week
Scott Montgomery was previously the Editor-in-Chief for Education Week.
Faith Achugamonu
Student,
Washington University in St. Louis
Luis Campos
Student,
Virginia Commonwealth University
Elizabeth Rich is the assistant managing editor, opinion for Education Week.
Brooke Saias is a video producer for Education Week, working to tell stories about the impact of education on communities.
1:00 PM ET
Opening Remarks
Andrew Bowen
Content Marketing Managaer,
Education Week
Bowen is the content marketing manager at Education Week.
1:05 PM ET
Flash Briefing
Holly Kurtz is the director of the EdWeek Research Center.
1:25 PM ET
How Schools Can Earn — and Deepen — Trust With Families
With widespread learning at home during the pandemic, parents and families have had high-definition visibility into their children’s classroom learning experiences. They’ve seen how teachers interact with students, and they’ve picked up on the differences across classrooms. As Sonja Brookins Santelises, the CEO of the Baltimore city school system wrote in a recent opinion essay for Education Week, “For the first time ever, parents can see what exactly we’re giving their children—and what we’re not. … They are coming to know, through all that we do, what we believe about their children.” In this conversation, Santelises and Opinion Editor Elizabeth Rich discuss how the dramatic change in the relationships between families and schools offers a critical opportunity for schools to work in meaningful partnership with parents. One that puts students and their learning first, while also acknowledging the needs of educators so that everyone in the school community can thrive.
Elizabeth Rich is the assistant managing editor, opinion for Education Week.
Sonja Brookins Santelises
CEO,
Baltimore Public Schools
Santelises is the CEO of the Baltimore Public Schools and former vice president for K-12 policy and practice at the Education Trust.
1:50 PM ET
Meeting the Social-Emotional Learning Needs of All Students
The pandemic, economic hardships, and racial injustices have taken a steep toll on the psyches of many teachers and students. When schools resume in the fall, many of those stresses will remain, in spite of the improving outlook for health and safety as more people are vaccinated and the routines of normal life start to resume more fully. This panel will explore some thoughtful and creative solutions schools can use to help students re-acclimate to learning and meet their social-emotional and mental health needs.
Alyson Klein is an assistant editor for Education Week.
Stephanie Andrews
Interim Executive Director of Student and Family Support Services,
Tulsa Public Schools (Okla.)
Andrews has been an educator for over 20 years with Tulsa Public Schools serving as a classroom teacher, counselor, district counseling supervisor and currently as the interim executive director of the Office of Student and Family Support Services. Andrews has been leading the work of a social emotional learning grant through the Wallace Foundation. She holds an E.D.S in Educational Leadership, an M.S. in Community Counseling and a B.S. in Elementary Education. Stephanie is a nationally board certified as a school counselor. Stephanie is married with two daughters and also teaches music classes in the evenings.
Kristina MacBury
Principal,
Sarah Pyle Academy (Wilmington, Del.)
MacBury has been working in education for almost 25 years, in the classroom as a principal, consultant, author, and speaker with a focus on education reform and mental health advocacy. In 2018, the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP) recognized MacBury as one of its Digital Principals of the Year; in 2017, she was named a Top 30 Technologist, Transformer, and Trailblazer by the Center for Digital Education. Her school has also been recognized on several occasions, including as a Trauma Informed Champion by the state of Delaware.
Lydia McNeiley
Lead School Counselor,
Charles N. Scott Middle School (Ind.)
McNeiley is the lead school counselor at Charles N. Scott Middle School in Hammond, Indiana. She has been focused on implementing programs that meet the needs of a very diverse student population. Through her efforts, Scott Middle School has been able to engage students, families, and other stakeholders in supporting military veterans, enhancing Social Emotional Learning programs, exploring college and career readiness opportunities, and building ongoing partnerships with numerous outside agencies. McNeiley holds a bachelor’s degree in social work from Indiana University Northwest and a Master of Education in School Counseling from Purdue University Northwest. She was recently named a 2020 Indiana School Counselor for the Year finalist and is a Hammond Education Foundation Hero in Education Award winner. She serves as a member of the Hammond Hispanic Community Committee and volunteers with the Your Biggest Fan mentoring program and Girls Literacy Program through Athletes for Charity.
Karen VanAusdal
Senior Director of Practice,
Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL)
VanAusdal is senior director of practice at the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL). She oversees multiple initiatives to support and scale SEL in school districts and with collaborators in the field. Previously, she served as executive director for the Office of Social and Emotional Learning in the Chicago Public Schools. VanAusdal has worked in multiple youth-serving organizations and began her career as an elementary school teacher.
2:45 PM ET
The Road to Recovery: Removing the Blocks to Student Engagement
Content Provided by Newsela
School leaders face an unprecedented moment...and in that moment, deficit-oriented words like learning loss, remediation, and intervention are dominating conversations in K-12 spaces. If we’re going to help students rediscover their learning engagement in our traditional institutions, we can't revert to outdated practices of "drill and kill" remediation. During this session, Newsela’s co-founder and chief academic officer, Dan Cogan-Drew, will discuss how to make the right decisions about a path to academic success for all students, based on what decades of research have taught us about how people learn best. Let’s identify the rocks on the road for all students and understand what it takes to remove them.
Newsela
Dan Cogan-Drew
Co-Founder and Chief Academic Officer,
Newsela
Dan brings twenty-plus years of professional experience spent working towards a more perfect union of teaching, learning and technology. Prior to Newsela, Dan was the founding Director of Digital Learning at Achievement First Public Charter Schools, where he spearheaded the integration of digital learning technologies across the network. He began his education career in Teach for America and went on to teach in public and private schools, as well as in the US Navy. He holds degrees from Wesleyan University, Brown University, and Tufts University.
3:05 PM ET
Supporting Students Experiencing Homelessness
Homeless students are at an all-time high, but they’ve become significantly harder to find and serve during the pandemic. Amy Perusse, a homeless coordinator in the Everett Public Schools in Everett, Wash., talks about how to identify and support these vulnerable students, regardless of whether they are learning in-person or remotely.
Sarah D. Sparks covers the teaching profession and pedagogy for Education Week.
Amy Perusse
Homeless Education Coordinator,
Everett Public Schools (Everett, Wash.)
3:25 PM ET
Education and Public Health: Forging Strong Partnerships for Student Well-Being
The COVID-19 pandemic required education and health professionals to collaborate on intense, sustained level to help schools offer in-person learning and respond to the changing dynamics of the crisis. What lessons can that work offer for future cross-sector collaboration? We'll hear from two state schools chiefs and a pediatric medicine expert about their experiences during an unprecedented year for students and schools.
Sydnee Dickson
State Superintendent of Public Instruction,
Utah State Board of Education
Angélica Infante-Green
Commissioner of Education,
Rhode Island Department of Education
Rachel Orscheln, M.D.
Associate Professor of Pediatrics and Infectious Diseases,
Washington University School of Medicine (St. Louis, Mo.)
Orscheln is an associate professor of pediatrics in the Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases at Washington University in St. Louis, Mo. She is the director of ambulatory Pediatric Infectious Diseases at St. Louis Children’s Hospital. Her special clinical interest is in the care of the immunocompromised child and during the COVID-19 Pandemic, she has been actively engaged with schools on the safe return to in-person learning.
4:20 PM ET
How Schools Are Addressing Learning Loss: New Research from EdWeek
Content provided by Kelly Education
Are you in the midst of determining the resources, staffing, and type of solution to address learning loss? Do you know how your district’s efforts compare to others? With students expected to lose as much as a year of learning, there are many obstacles to overcome. Understanding how schools are moving ahead to solve the issue, will help you create a more stable foundation for your solution.
In this session, the EdWeek Research Center, in partnership with Kelly Education, reports on how school districts across the country plan to close the gap:
Key Takeaways:
- How schools are funding their efforts
- How often, when, and where their solutions will take place
- Which topics matter most
- How administrators and teachers opinions differ on the topic of learning loss
Kelly Education
Nicola Soares
Nicola Soares leads Kelly Education, the nation’s largest and most trusted education workforce solutions provider. As a former teacher, Soares relies on her knowledge and experience to help make the institutions she serves—from early childhood education centers, to K-12 schools, to higher education—stronger and more stable. Prior to joining Kelly Education, Nicola held positions at NBC Learn and McGraw-Hill Education.
4:40 PM ET
The Role Communities Play in Student Success
Some students have greater needs than others, and sometimes school leaders need to go above and beyond to connect with them. Carissa Purnell, who leads family resource centers in California's Alisal Union School District will explain how she built a strong community network beyond the school walls to find those students and get them the additional resources and supports they need.
Andrew Ujifusa was an assistant editor who covered national education policy and politics.
Carissa Purnell
Director, Alisal Family Resource Centers
5:00 PM ET
Q&A With Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona
Scott Montgomery
Former Editor-in-Chief/Chief Content Officer,
Education Week
Scott Montgomery was previously the Editor-in-Chief for Education Week.
Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona
Secretary of Education,
United States Department of Education
Cardona currently serves as the 12th Secretary of Education. Secretary Cardona is a lifelong resident of Meriden, Conn. and is proud alumnus of Meriden Public Schools. Following his time in Meriden Public Schools, he attended Central Connecticut State University for his bachelor’s degree and UCONN where he completed master’s degree in Bilingual/Bicultural Education, Administrator Preparation Program, Doctorate in Education, and Executive Leadership Program (Superintendent) Certificate.
May 12
Leadership Post-Pandemic
The pandemic’s effects will be felt for years to come and we’re only just beginning to see the impacts it has had on the world. In education, we’re aware of what is at stake and many school and district leaders are doing everything they can to anticipate the challenges ahead. With these challenges in mind, what skills and supports will you need to make sure you’re ahead of the game and spending less time reacting. You will hear and learn from your peers about what they’re doing to stay ahead of these challenges and the skills they are honing to help them continue to meet the goals they have set to answer questions like:
• What lessons have we learned already and what hurdles do we anticipate over the coming years as a result of the pandemic?
• What skills and tools will be critical to grow and focus on in the upcoming school years?
• How do we reset from the pandemic and ensure our students and other stakeholders are able to do the same?
1:00 PM ET
Welcoming Remarks
1:00 PM ET
Family Engagement Post-Pandemic
Efforts to drive up student achievement are more successful when done in tandem with parents and families. That's the mindset of Detroit Superintendent Nikolai Vitti and Assistant Superintendent of Family and Community Engagement Sharlonda Buckman who are investing heavily in re-engaging parents—who had until recently been mostly cut out of district decision-making—in their plans to turn around public education in the city. In this Q&A session, we’ll discuss their initiatives, which have focused on giving parents a voice in how the school system goes about improving education and the resources to support their children’s schooling.
Arianna Prothero covers technology, student well-being, and the intersection of the two for Education Week.
Sharlonda Buckman
Assistant Superintendent of Family and Community Engagement,
Detroit Public Schools (Detroit, Mich.)
Nikolai Vitti
Superintendent,
Detroit Public Schools (Detroit, Mich.)
1:25 PM ET
COVID-19 Leadership Lessons & the Skills Needed to Lead Post-Pandemic
In times of crisis, district and school leaders can often draw on previous experiences to guide decision-making. But the COVID-19 pandemic has been a crisis like no other, requiring superintendents, principals, and other top-level K-12 leaders to make high-stakes decisions with incomplete or contradictory information. Three leaders discuss how the pandemic challenged them, what they learned about their own strengths and weaknesses, and how the experience will shape their leadership in the future.
Lesli Maxwell is managing editor of Education Week.
Valerie Bridges
Superintendent,
Edgecombe County Schools (Tarboro, N.C.)
Bridges has been superintendent of the Edgecombe County Public Schools in Tarboro, N.C., since 2017. She was previously the associate superintendent in Edgecombe County, an administrator in Washington County, N.C., and served as a teacher, assistant principal and principal in the Guilford County and Wake County school districts in North Carolina.
Scott Muri
Superintendent,
Ector County Independent School District (Odessa, Texas)
Muri has been superintendent of the Ector County Independent School District in Odessa, Texas, since 2019. He has previously served as superintendent in the Spring Branch Independent School District in Houston and deputy superintendent for academics in Georgia’s Fulton County Schools. He’s been an elementary and middle school teacher, an instructional technology coach, and a principal.
Michael Takayoshi
Principal,
Cascade High School, Everett School District (Everett, Wash.)
Takayoshi has been the principal atCascade High School in Everett, Wash. since 2019. He has worked in public education for over 17 years, having previously served as an assistant principal, athletic director, English teacher, advisor, and coach.
2:10 PM ET
Transforming Teacher Professional Development
Jason Hodgson, director of professional development at the Panama-Buena Vista Unified School District in Bakersfield, Calif., discusses his district's vision of professional development for teachers and what he's found to be the most meaningful and lasting methods of motivating teachers to engage in PD. As the architect of the district's PD for teachers on remote learning and related technology platforms during the pandemic, he'll reflect on lessons learned from that experience.
Jason Hodgson
Director of Professional Development,
Panama-Buena Vista Union School District (Bakersfield, Calif.)
2:30 PM ET
Facing the Future Together: Digital Innovative Solutions
Content provided by Pearson
At Pearson, we want to embrace, empower and elevate our community of educators, clinicians, and students. Join us to discuss how digital innovative solutions can enrich the educational experience in the K-12 environment. We’ll share how these educational enhancements can improve student outcomes while supporting district professionals as they conduct efficient, comprehensive evaluations and maintain progress monitoring. Let’s partner together so we can provide what you need to inspire your students and staff, inside and outside the classroom.
J. Lynsey Psimas
Assessment Consultant and U.S. Regional Manager,
Pearson
Dr. Psimas is dually licensed as a school psychologist and clinical psychologist. She specializes in school neuropsychological evaluations and Social Emotional Learning. Dr. Psimas currently works for Pearson as an Assessment Consultant and U.S. Regional Manager.
Kristina C. Breaux
Senior Research Director,
Pearson
Dr. Breaux is a licensed special educator with expertise in learning disabilities evaluations. As a senior research director at Pearson, she develops clinical achievement tests and dyslexia screening measures.
3:00 PM ET
Building a Teacher Workforce That Looks Like Your Student Body
An increasing body of research demonstrates that same-race teachers positively impact the academic achievement of Black students, especially Black boys. But Black men comprise roughly 2 percent of the nation’s teachers. Baron Davis, the superintendent of Richland School District Two in Columbia, S.C., will discuss how he is recruiting more Black men to the teaching profession, creating roles for them beyond being disciplinarians, and the steps his district is taking to hire 100 more male teachers of color by 2024.
Denisa R. Superville was an assistant editor at Education Week who focused on principals and school leadership.
Baron R. Davis
Superintendent,
Richland School District Two (Columbia, S.C.)
Davis has been the superintendent of Richland School District Two in Columbia, S.C., since 2017. He’s the first African-American to lead the district.
3:20 PM ET
Accelerate Post Pandemic Learning Recovery: A Few Big Bets
Content Provided by Center for Grade Level Reading
“The hurt could last a lifetime” may prove prophetic. The magnitude of the learning loss resulting from the pandemic precipitated closing of schools has left significantly larger numbers of children on the more vulnerable side of an even larger achievement gap. These are disproportionately children of economically challenged, fragile and marginalized families. Mitigating the consequences of this reality will require urgent action on an integrated set of “must have assurances” to slow and stop learning loss and placing some big bets to accelerate learning recovery. This panel presents an overview of three of the “big bets” being promoted by the Campaign for Grade Level Reading to the local funders, civic leaders and stakeholder coalitions in the 350+ communities in its network.
The Campaign for Grade-Level Reading
Jean-Claude Brizard
President and CEO,
Digital Promise
Jean-Claude Brizard is President and CEO of Digital Promise, a global, nonpartisan, nonprofit organization focused on accelerating innovation in education. He is former Senior Advisor and Deputy Director in US Programs at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation where he focused on PK-16 education across five communities in four states. He also led several strategies to help close the racial and economic achievement gaps in Washington State’s educational system as well as support the growth and sustainability of the state’s public charter school sector.
He is the former Chief Executive of Chicago Public Schools. Prior to his appointment in Chicago, he was Superintendent of Schools for the Rochester, NY School District. Under Mr. Brizard’s leadership, both the Chicago Public Schools and the Rochester City School District saw substantial improvements in student performance. Mr. Brizard’s experience also includes a 21-year career as an educator and administrator with the NYC Department of Education. He served as a Regional Superintendent, supervising more than 100 schools in the Borough of Brooklyn and he also served as the system’s Executive Director for its 400 secondary schools. He is a Fellow of the Broad Center, a Fellow of the Pahara-Aspen Institute, and a member of the Aspen Institute Global Leadership Network.
He is the former Chief Executive of Chicago Public Schools. Prior to his appointment in Chicago, he was Superintendent of Schools for the Rochester, NY School District. Under Mr. Brizard’s leadership, both the Chicago Public Schools and the Rochester City School District saw substantial improvements in student performance. Mr. Brizard’s experience also includes a 21-year career as an educator and administrator with the NYC Department of Education. He served as a Regional Superintendent, supervising more than 100 schools in the Borough of Brooklyn and he also served as the system’s Executive Director for its 400 secondary schools. He is a Fellow of the Broad Center, a Fellow of the Pahara-Aspen Institute, and a member of the Aspen Institute Global Leadership Network.
Peggy Brookins
NBCT President & CEO,
National Board for Professional Teaching Standards
Jane Park Woo
Director,
Too Small to Fail
Jane Park Woo is the Director of Too Small to Fail, the early childhood initiative of the Clinton Foundation, where she leads national partnerships with corporations, nonprofit organizations, and associations to promote children’s early brain and language development. Prior to her role with Too Small to Fail, Jane served as an early childhood education consultant, working with various nonprofits and media organizations to develop research-based programs and content for young children and families in the U.S. and the U.K. Jane was previously the Associate Director of Content in the Education, Research, and Outreach department at Sesame Workshop, the nonprofit organization behind Sesame Street. In that role, she helped develop the whole child curriculum on which the television series is based and integrate Sesame Street’s educational content across media platforms—including print, video, online, social media, and licensed products. Jane holds an MA in developmental psychology from Teachers College, Columbia University and a BA in communications from the University of California at San Diego.
3:40 PM ET
How to Lead Through Emotional Exhaustion and Help Your Teams Reset
The past two school years have been emotionally overwhelming for students, teachers, and administrators. As we start to see signs that the pandemic will end, what do school and district leaders need to do to get their staff back on track and focused on student learning? In this discussion, two experienced district leaders and a scholar will tackle whether it's ok to cry in front of your teams, how to understand how people are feeling, and how to recognize and acknowledge grief and loss.
Daarel Burnette II was an assistant managing editor for Education Week.
Julio César Contreras
Leadership Coach, Ensemble Learning,
former Administrator, Tulsa Public Schools, KIPP Texas, and Chicago Public Schools
Contreras serves as a leadership coach supporting teachers, leaders, districts and families with strategies to support the academic and social success of every child. With 20+ years of experience, he has direct experience in the classroom as a bilingual teacher as well as a district leader of change. Contreras is a 2016 Education Week Leader To Learn From.
Joseph Meloche
Superintendent,
Cherry Hilly Public Schools (Cherry Hilly, N.J.)
Meloche was appointed superintendent of the Cherry Hill Public Schools on August 25, 2015. He is the first district alumnus to serve as Superintendent. Prior to returning to Cherry Hill as an educator in September 2003, Meloche taught middle school humanities and middle school English in the Willingboro and the Maple Shade school districts. He also served as the director of curriculum and as the principal of the Steinhauer School in Maple Shade.
Kerry L. O'Grady
Faculty Director & Associate Professor of Practice,
Georgetown University School of Continuing Studies
O’Grady is the faculty director and associate professor of practice for the Master’s in Public Relations and Corporate Communications program at Georgetown University’s School of Continuing Studies. A leader in higher education for the past 10 years, O’Grady’s previous appointments include New York University and the Fashion Institute of Technology. Prior to University life, she worked in public relations, advertising, and marketing at major magazines and newspapers across the country, including The Arizona Republic, Parents, American Baby, and Women’s Health.
4:30 PM ET
Event Closing Remarks
6:00 PM ET
2021 Leaders To Learn From Virtual Gala
Join us in celebrating Education Week's 2021 Leaders To Learn From! Our 2021 Leaders spent weeks and years assembling the foundations to tackle the 2020-21 school year’s unparalleled challenges.
The common thread in all of our 2021 Leaders’ work: They adapted to meet the exceptional challenges of 2020. But those adaptations were built on deliberate, often invisible work.
You'll have the opportunity to hear from our leaders as they reflect on their work and leave feeling inspired and ready to tackle the year ahead.
The common thread in all of our 2021 Leaders’ work: They adapted to meet the exceptional challenges of 2020. But those adaptations were built on deliberate, often invisible work.
You'll have the opportunity to hear from our leaders as they reflect on their work and leave feeling inspired and ready to tackle the year ahead.
Stephen Sawchuk is an assistant managing editor for Education Week, leading coverage of teaching, learning, and curriculum.
Denisa R. Superville was an assistant editor at Education Week who focused on principals and school leadership.
Attendee Fees & Pricing
This event is made free for district and school leaders in part from support from our Sponsors.
Job Function |
Price |
School & District Leaders |
Free |
All Others |
$395 |
