Day Three

Building Teacher Capacity Through Mentorship  - Dr. Deborah Jackson and Ms. Anita Kim McCullom - Room 230

This session will delve into the critical role of mentorship in education, showcasing how education leaders can significantly enhance student success. We will discuss how structured and effective mentorship programs empower teachers by developing their skills, increasing their confidence, and fostering a collaborative professional environment. Through improved instructional practices, these mentorship initiatives not only boost teacher retention rates but also create a more stable and skilled teaching workforce. Ultimately, by investing in the professional growth of educators, we can foster a more impactful learning experience that leads to enhanced student outcomes and overall academic achievement.

We Failed, We Listened, We Changed: Relational Parent Engagement Strategies That Reached Over 2,500 Families - Dr. Suzie White - Room 135

Parent engagement is critical to student success, yet many schools struggle to connect with families in meaningful ways. Drawing from our early failures and eventual success in engaging more than 2,500 families, this session explores why involvement is not the same as engagement, why some parents remain disconnected, and which parent behaviors are most closely linked to student outcomes. Participants will leave with research-based and field-tested strategies, powerful stories, and actionable tools to build trust and connection with every parent in their school community.

Breaking Down Silos: Addressing Organizational Behavior, Governance, and Collaboration Challenges in Schools - Dr. Everrett Smith - Room 245

K-12 schools face interconnected challenges spanning their organizational and governance infrastructures that undermine the effectiveness of their collaborative efforts. This session brings together educational leaders to examine critical issues including leadership shortages, teacher burnout, governance fragmentation, resource constraints, and barriers to meaningful collaboration, while exploring solutions for building more resilient, collaborative schools. The session emphasizes practical strategies for addressing these issues holistically rather than in isolation, with participants leaving with actionable insights for transforming their organizational network and partnerships to better support both educator well-being and student achievement during a period of rapid and fluid change as well as increasing demands.

School and Community Partnerships - Ceair Baggett along with the School and Community Partnership Team - Room 240

Partnerships are valuable, but without a solid understanding of the CLC model, we can’t build partnerships that are truly effective. This session will explore the foundational elements of the Community Learning Center (CLC) model and why that understanding is critical for strategic collaboration. Participants will learn how aligning with the CLC framework leads to stronger, more impactful partnerships that support student and community success.