Igniting Change

This year of professional learning will be framed by two one-day conferences–one in the fall and one in the spring. Between the two conference dates, professional learning will continue through several one-day sessions, communities of practice events, and personalized, on-site coaching.

Districts and schools are encouraged to engage with the professional learning designs that best meet their needs. Professional learning experiences span throughout the school year and include Fall and Spring Conferences, Professional Learning Series, Communities of Practice, and Personalized Coaching.

Register For the Fall Conference

Thursday, September 28, 2023

8:30 am - 4:00 pm

CT Convention Center (Map)

100 Columbus Blvd, Hartford

Individuals: $350 per person

Groups of 3+: $275 per person

Register Now

Keynote Speakers

Cornelius Minor

Cornelius Minor is a Brooklyn-based educator. He works with teachers, school leaders, and leaders of community-based organizations to support equitable literacy reform in cities (and sometimes villages) across the globe. His latest book, We Got This, explores how the work of creating more equitable school spaces is embedded in our everyday choices—specifically in the choice to really listen to kids.

He has been featured in Education Week, Brooklyn Magazine, and Teaching Tolerance Magazine. He has partnered with The Teachers College Reading and Writing Project, The New York City Department of Education, The International Literacy Association, and Lesley University’s Center for Reading Recovery and Literacy Collaborative. Out of Print, a documentary featuring Cornelius made its way around the film festival circuit, and he has been a featured speaker at conferences all over the world. Most recently, along with his partner and wife, Kass Minor, he has established The Minor Collective, a community-based movement designed to foster sustainable change in schools.

Whether working with educators and kids in Los Angeles, Seattle, or New York City, Cornelius uses his love for technology, hip-hop, and social media to bring communities together. As a teacher, Cornelius draws not only on his years teaching middle school in the Bronx and Brooklyn, but also on time spent skateboarding, shooting hoops, and working with young people.”

Dr. Bettina L. Love

Dr. Bettina L. Love is an award-winning author and the William F. Russell Professor at Teachers College, Columbia University. Her writing, research, teaching, and educational advocacy work meet at the intersection of disrupting education reform and strengthening public education through abolitionist teaching, antiracism, Black joy, and educational reparations.

Dr. Love is a sought-after public speaker on a range of topics, including abolitionist teaching, education reform, anti-racism, Hip Hop education, Black girlhood, queer youth, educational reparations, Hip Hop feminism, art-based education to foster youth civic engagement, and issues of diversity and inclusion.

In 2014, she was invited to the White House Research Conference on Girls. For her work in the field of Hip Hop education, in 2016, Dr. Love was named the Nasir Jones HipHop Fellow at the Hutchins Center for African and African American Research at Harvard University. In April of 2017, Dr. Love participated in a one-on-one public lecture with late feminist icon, bell hooks, focused on the liberatory education practices of Black and Brown children.

In 2018, Georgia’s House of Representatives presented Dr. Love with a resolution for her impact on the field of education. She has also provided commentary for various news outlets including NPR, PBS, Ed Week, The Guardian, and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Pathways

Grading Reform Pathway
Examining equitable practices for accurately representing student growth & to leverage engagement & improve access

Participants in this pathway will:

• Build capacity to lead transformation in grading practices, including developing a common purpose for grades
• Investigate strategies for separating academic achievement from non-academic factors in grades
• Examine methods for assessing and reporting student learning
• Develop strategies to engage teachers, families, and community members in conversation about equity-centered grading, feedback, and assessment practices

Culturally Responsive Pedagogy
Understanding culturally responsive teaching practices to foster excellence for diverse learners

Districts participating within this pathway will spend 5 days unpacking their understanding of culturally responsive teaching practices, and how to implement instructional practices to meet the needs of and foster excellence for diverse learners.

Participants in this pathway will:

• Bolster capacity in cultural competency, inclusivity, and instructional equity
• Develop and expand capacity to support integrating dimensions of multicultural education and culturally relevant teaching and learning practices
• Build the capacity to lead the development of curriculum and instructional plans that ensure broad, diverse perspectives and viewpoints in educational programs and departments

Inclusive School Culture
Understanding how discipline practices, SEL, & school culture intersect to create welcoming & inclusive school environments

In this pathway districts will consider how discipline practices, SEL, and school culture intersect and can be leveraged to create a welcoming and inclusive school environment for learners and their families.

Participants in this pathway will:

• Bolster capacity in cultural competency, inclusivity, and welcoming school environments for all students and adults
• Build an inclusive school/district climate in which all students feel supported intellectually and academically, and feel valued in the educational environment regardless of identity
• Gain tools to engage the school community in productive conversations about race, power, and privilege

Equity-Centered Leadership
Growing capacity to lead equity-centered change

Description coming soon

Interested? Register Now!

Thursday, September 28, 2023

8:30 am - 4:00 pm

CT Convention Center (Map)

100 Columbus Blvd, Hartford

Individuals: $350 per person

Groups of 3+: $275 per person

Register Now