How do school leaders move PLC teams beyond compliance and toward meaningful collaborative learning? In this session, leaders will use the new Conditions for Effective Collaborative Teams guide to examine the systems, leadership practices, and cultural conditions that strengthen professional learning, improve tier 1 practices, and foster collective efficacy. Through discussion, reflection, and systems analysis, leaders will identify priorities for growth and determine practical next steps to strengthen collaborative practices and improve student outcomes across their schools and departments.
The ADA Title II Web and Mobile Application Accessibility Rule will impact far more than division websites. School and teacher leaders play a critical role in ensuring that newsletters, presentations, classroom materials, videos, family communications, and shared documents are accessible to all users, including individuals with disabilities. This session will provide practical guidance on school-level implications of the new requirements, common accessibility barriers to avoid, and simple strategies staff can implement immediately. Participants will also learn about the division’s implementation plan, training opportunities, and support resources. This work supports the 2026–2027 Strategic Action Agenda by strengthening equitable access to communication, learning, and family engagement.
Every student, staff member, and family deserves to feel seen, valued, and connected. In this interactive session, participants will explore the CARE Continuum, the VBCPS belonging framework built on Connection, Achievement, Responsiveness, and Engagement, to intentionally foster belonging across your school community. Participants will identify key practices within each CARE pillar that strengthen relationships and reduce barriers to learning, and design at least one actionable strategy to implement within their classroom or building. Attendees will also examine how responsive systems support equitable outcomes for all learners. Walk away with tools you can use right away.
A provisionally licensed teacher, a traditionally prepared first-year teacher, and a veteran new to VBCPS each walk into your building, and each one needs something different. In this session, leaders will use scenario-based case studies and a tiered support framework to map what responsive, proactive support looks like at Tier 1, 2, and 3. Through collaborative table work and cross-level peer learning, participants will leave knowing what to do next when a teacher needs more than what's currently in place, because every new educator deserves to feel known and supported from day one.
Ready to move beyond the AI hype and into high-impact practice? This interactive breakout session explores how leaders can empower staff to use AI as a collaborative partner for professional growth. We’ll share practical strategies for using AI to streamline administrative tasks, enhance PLC collaboration, and provide personalized teacher support. Participants will engage with hands-on tools and leave with a "Quick-Start" framework to lead AI implementation at their own locations. Join us to discover how prioritizing staff capacity with AI creates a stronger, more connected school community where everyone thrives.
This session opens with a direct challenge to the language we use when we talk about students and builds the case that culture is not the soft stuff, it's the precondition for all of the instructional work we're asking teachers to do. Leaders will examine how adult culture in PLCs shapes classroom culture for students, explore what collective efficacy actually requires of a faculty, and consider their own role in modeling the learning environment they want teachers to create.
As school leaders, we have a unique opportunity to lead the transition from traditional practices toward a shared vision for innovation. This session reframes AI as a sophisticated co-designer rather than a hurdle. By leveraging Gemini and MagicSchool, we will explore how to design inquiry-based, AI-resistant assignments that prioritize authentic student voice. Attendees will gain actionable strategies and resources from the Social Institute to move from traditional assessments to high-engagement, student-driven learning. Join us to help staff ensure that critical thinking and original process remain at the heart of the modern curriculum.
What if your most impactful mentor has nothing to do with your job title? This session introduces HR Horizons, a mentoring model that intentionally pairs employees across roles and departments rather than by job alignment. Through a walkthrough of the program's monthly themes, hands-on activities, and real examples, attendees will learn how to build a mentoring initiative that strengthens peer-to-peer learning, cross-role collaboration, and fosters a sense of belonging among staff across schools and departments. Participants will leave with practical ideas for creating mentoring structures that help employees feel known, supported, connected to the mission, and engaged in meaningful professional dialogue beyond their immediate role or setting.
Ever wonder what happens between submitting a media request and seeing a post on social media? This session pulls back the curtain on the process and shows school leaders and staff how they can become stronger partners in sharing their school stories. Participants will learn practical strategies to improve event coverage requests, increase visibility through tagging and branded hashtags, and support timely, engaging content creation. The session will also provide guidance for schools interested in launching or strengthening their own social media presence while aligning with division expectations and best practices. Attendees will leave with actionable tips to help elevate and celebrate their school communities.
Join us to explore how key principles from the Science of Learning can strengthen Tier 1 instruction, advance instructional clarity, and support a culture of learning across collaborative teams. We will examine current research on how students learn, remember, and transfer knowledge, while sharing a practical framework for evaluating instructional practices. Through collaborative discussion and application, participants will identify ways to integrate science of learning principles into PLC conversations, feedback cycles, and instructional decision-making to support more intentional, high-impact learning experiences for all students.
Join Care Solace for a session tailored specifically for VBCPS administrators. Moving past technical workflows, this session focuses on your strategic leadership role. Leaders will leave equipped to champion Care Solace and seamlessly guide families to counselors for a warm handoff. During this session you will:
Learn how to identify families struggling with mental health, substance use, and social service challenges.
Discover the critical care gaps Care Solace fills
Gain key talking points to confidently describe these services to families
Be provided with a quick, behind-the-scenes demo of how school counselors utilize the system
There is much talk in leadership about “building relationships” and creating “positive school climate” for our students and staff. But how do we actually DO that - authentically and consistently? In this interactive session, administrators will reflect on their own dimensions of diversity and consider how these shape their perspectives and interactions with others. We’ll move beyond sympathy to examine how interrupting the “Ladder of Inference” fosters authentic, human-centered leadership. Participants will analyze real-world staff scenarios and practice identifying internal triggers that test empathy. You will leave with actionable “handles” to maintain consistent kindness and regulated actions, ensuring your team feels seen, and valued.
This session equips coaches and leaders with a framework to help teachers overcome the barriers to inquiry-based learning. While experiencing the explore before explain model via a hands-on lab, participants will analyze a coaching model that integrates tech and gifted pedagogy to streamline logistics and reduce teacher workload. We will share how our approaches over the past several years are resulting in improved outcomes for our students. You will leave with a "coaching toolkit" designed to build teacher confidence, create a sustainable science lab structure, and empower staff to lead future-ready, hands-on science for every learner.
Instructional coaching is often busy—but is it visible, strategic, and impactful? This interactive session helps coaches and school leaders move beyond one-to-one support and leverage coaching as a driver of schoolwide improvement. Grounded in Visible Learning, participants will explore how to shift from teacher clarity to student ownership of learning and use coaching cycles to spread high-impact practices. Through hands-on reflection and planning, attendees will audit current coaching structures, identify opportunities to support and amplify practice, and develop a practical plan to make coaching more visible and aligned to student outcomes. Walk away with clear next steps for immediate implementation.
What does it take to move a PLC from compliance to true commitment? In this interactive session, explore a structured PLC model that drives collaboration, where teachers co-plan, refine instruction with coaching support, and lead meaningful PLC conversations. Participants will examine a practical planning document and PLC agenda aligned to data analysis, AVID strategies, Specially Designed Instruction (SDI), and gradual release. Through authentic examples and discussion, you’ll see how this approach builds teacher efficacy, streamlines workload, and improves student outcomes. Walk away with ready-to-use tools and a replicable system that drives instructional consistency, builds capacity, and fosters a strong sense of belonging among teachers.
We know that data can feel overwhelming, but you don't have to navigate it alone! And neither do your teachers. This session shares a collaborative framework for administrators, specialists, and teachers to work as a team so that PLC meetings can be functional and effective. We’ll explore how to aggregate data into simple, actionable fact sheets, as well as how to use data dashboards to drive PLC conversations. By streamlining the "how" of data analysis, we empower leadership teams to support their PLCs more effectively, ensuring that data-driven instruction feels like a shared win rather than a solo burden.
Strong school culture is built through relationships, connection, and trust. Using the A.R.E. (Accessible, Responsive, Engaged) visible thinking tool, this interactive session explores how leadership behaviors shape staff belonging and strengthen relational culture over time. Through rotating roundtable discussions, participants will use the tool to surface new ideas, as well as tensions and organizational realities that can unintentionally erode connection and belonging in schools. Leaders will reflect on practical ways to strengthen accessibility, responsiveness, and authentic engagement while learning from colleagues across the division and leave actionable ideas for building more connected, relational, and human-centered staff culture.
Think of someone on your staff who doesn't yet feel connected — to their colleagues, to the work, to the mission. Now ask: what is your leadership role in that? Belonging isn't a feel-good add-on — it's a strategic lever with an effect size of 0.48 on learning, stronger than most professional development. In this 60-minute session, administrators will explore Signature Practice #1, Classroom and School Climate, from the Illustrated Guide to Visible Learning. Veteran leaders will share how they are building a belonging culture in their schools and all participants will leave ready to implement a specific action that moves the needle on our SAA priority: every staff member feels known, supported, and connected to the mission.
What does meaningful collaborative learning look like when teams are focused on improving student achievement? In this session, participants will use the Effective PLCs Tool to examine the difference between compliance-oriented meetings and collaborative practices grounded in inquiry, evidence, and collective responsibility for student learning. Through analysis, discussion, and application, leaders will strengthen their ability to recognize high-quality collaborative practice and identify the leadership actions that support productive team learning. Participants will leave with clearer look-fors for effective PLCs and practical strategies for strengthening instructional clarity, improving Tier 1 practices, and advancing student outcomes.
The Power of Praise transforms the traditional "walkthrough" into a joyful search for instructional bright spots and a culture of celebration. In this session, attendees will learn to facilitate cross-curricular "Praise Walks" that dissolve departmental barriers and build lasting professional alliances. Discover how witnessing great practices in a colleague’s room—regardless of content area—fosters a deep sense of belonging and collective pride. Informed by participant feedback and equipped with a turnkey toolkit, you’ll gain a non-evaluative framework to truly value your staff and cultivate a vibrant, collaborative school culture.
My leadership is grounded in the belief that creativity is not an enrichment — it is essential. I strive to build learning environments where artistic excellence, student voice, and meaningful reflection work together to shape both strong performers and thoughtful human beings... Read More →
School leaders are essential in shifting Computer Science from a "special" to a core literacy. This session provides a high-level briefing on VBCPS’s latest CS initiatives and a showcase of high-quality resources developed through recent ACSE grants. Participants will step into their students' shoes through high-energy, unplugged activities—like Parson’s Problems and Sorting Networks—designed to demystify computational thinking, algorithms, and debugging. By experiencing the same strategies introduced to specialists this year, including hands-on work with Micro:bits, leaders will leave with clear connections for integrating CS across the curriculum.
While Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) are a staple for certified staff, the essential "boots on the ground"—our Kindergarten and Special Education (SPED) Teacher Assistants (TAs)—are often left out of the collaborative loop. This session chronicles the 2025–2026 journey of Holland Elementary as we moved from "haphazard updates" to structured, data-driven PLCs for support staff. We will share the logistical blueprint for carving out time in a rigid elementary schedule, the specific frameworks used to empower TAs, and the measurable impact this shift had on student intervention and staff morale.
This session supports administrators and math specialists in designing, implementing, and sustaining a shared vision for high-quality mathematics instruction over time. Using their school’s concept map, participants will refine and align a coherent math vision with the broader schoolwide vision, grounded in the 8 Effective Math Teaching Practices. Through collaborative planning, they will identify key structures, entry points, and indicators for scaling implementation over time and connecting vision to daily practice. Participants will also explore how this framework can strengthen instruction and coaching across all content areas. Administrators and math specialists are encouraged to attend together.
What does effective instruction for English learners (ELs) look and sound like in today’s classrooms? This session will focus on research-based instructional best practices that support language development and academic achievement for ELs across content areas. Participants will strengthen their ability to recognize these practices during classroom observations and walkthroughs, while also exploring how WIDA ACCESS scores and other student data can inform instructional decisions. Participants will receive practical tools to support teacher feedback, guide instructional improvement, and strengthen outcomes for English learners.
