2025 Annual Conference Learning Journey: Teaching & Learning

*Separate registration required.

Speakers: Connie White, Woodward Academy, and Elizabeth Helfant, Ravenscroft

Prepare your school to navigate the rapidly evolving educational landscape. Join this pre-conference workshop to develop strategies to implement curriculum mapping, AI integration, mastery-based grading, and the “Portrait of a Graduate” framework. We will align teaching and learning with the skills students need for an uncertain future, emphasizing critical thinking, adaptability, and real-world problem-solving. We will understand how to leverage data-driven decision-making to enhance student achievement and support instructional growth.

Join us to build a future-focused school culture that empowers educators and ensures long-term success. This session provides independent school leaders with actionable strategies to implement these trends in a way that preserves their school’s unique identity while fostering innovation. By preparing educators and students for an evolving world, leaders can sustain excellence, attract  families, and position their schools as leaders in education.

Speakers: John King, Ransom Everglades School, and Bob Bandoni, Students Shoulder to Shoulder

Explore how the Holzman Center of Applied Ethics transformed ethical inquiry into a dynamic, school-wide initiative. Learn how an independent school built a robust ethics program, including a speaker series, medical ethics roundtables, student-led advisory activities, and an ethical leadership partnership with Students Shoulder to Shoulder.

Discover strategies engaging students in program development and fostering leadership through applied ethical decision-making, on and off campus. Gain insights into how travel experiences and real-world case studies deepen students’ ethical engagement and moral imagination and shift the mindset of “service learning” to a more collaborative “learning service.” Attendees will leave with ideas for creating and expanding ethics programs in their schools, practical models for student leadership in ethics, and a broader understanding of how ethics can shape school culture. Whether starting from scratch or looking to enhance an existing initiative, this session offers a roadmap for embedding ethics into the fabric of independent school life.

Speakers: Diana Curtis, Webb School of Knoxville, and Miller Callaway, Webb School of Knoxville

Join us to experience the AI Co-Lab approach—a collaborative professional development model where educators actively explore AI tools together. In this session, you’ll see how this model creates spaces for teachers to interrogate AI’s power, potential, and pitfalls through hands-on exploration rather than passive learning. We’ll demonstrate how the methodology centers classroom educators in the discovery process, empowering them to develop pedagogically sound AI integration strategies they can immediately apply. Learn how this collaborative framework builds solidarity among participants and supports them in bringing practical insights back to their schools. Discover a professional development approach that’s both timely and actionable, placing teachers’ expertise at the forefront of educational AI implementation.

Speaker: Dr. David Yeager, Stanford University

Following his keynote, Dr. David Yeager, author of 10 to 25, will lead a breakout workshop designed for educators and school leaders who want to translate science into practice. The session will offer concrete strategies for designing learning environments, mentoring relationships, and systems of support that foster long-term motivation and well-being in students aged 10 to 25.

Speakers: Dr. Michelle Klosterman, Forsyth Country Day School, and Dr. Yolanda McClure, Forsyth Country Day School

Tired of evaluations that stifle, not inspire? Step into our story: a school that dared to rewrite the rules. We traded rigid metrics for genuine reflection, shedding the weight of endless paperwork. Witness the power of personalized growth plans and targeted feedback, tools that ignited teacher confidence. We’ll share our journey – the bumps  and the triumphs – revealing how this shift empowered educators to take ownership of their development. Leave with practical insights and the inspiration to transform your own evaluation system, fostering a culture where teachers flourish.

Speakers: Jared Colley, The Mount Vernon School, Matt Sculley, Providence Day School, and Rob McDonald, Trey Education

School leaders understandably ask questions about which tools or policies they should adopt in response to Artificial Intelligence. How do schools support faculty, nurture student learning, and anticipate AI’s challenges and opportunities? In our interactive workshop, we’ll shift the conversation from one focused on predictions, policies, and tools to one centered on a school’s mission and human-centered values as the framework for thinking about alternative, preferable futures related to AI’s impact on both student and workforce experience. The future doesn’t happen to us; we can shape its impact in ways that are mission informed. Attendees will participate in constructivist exercises like signal clustering and sense-making, scenario gallery walks, and a cross-impact analysis that reveals for each participant how future scenarios clarify possible plans of action so organizations can position themselves to support their people, provide protection, and transform practices and programs for the better, no matter what future scenario unfolds.

Speakers: Dr. Michael Neel, Vanderbilt University, and Russ Connell, Bayside Academy

In this session, we bring together key scholarly literature on teaching-learning and practical on-the-ground practitioner experience in teacher engagement. Drawing on extensive scholarship in teaching-learning and decades of experience in independent schools, this workshop offers a practically grounded and theoretically sound approach to analysis of classroom practice and instructional coaching conversations with teachers.

Speaker: Dr. Bre Stricklin, UMS-Wright Preparatory School

Harness the power of teacher feedback to drive meaningful growth while preserving the human element in education. Explore strategies to enhance faculty development through instructional coaching, emerging educational trends, and the use of adult learning theory. Discover how to transform evaluations into opportunities for growth, using strengths-based approaches that support and empower educators. Learn practical techniques for fostering reflective practice, providing actionable feedback, and designing professional development that meets teachers where they are. Engage in interactive discussions and real-world scenarios that illustrate how to balance accountability with encouragement. Walk away with strategies to cultivate a culture of continuous learning and improvement, ensuring that faculty feel supported, motivated, and equipped to thrive.

Speakers: Stewart Peery, Charlotte Country Day School, and Louis Tullo, Ravenscroft

This session will explore how artificial intelligence (AI) tools can be harnessed to support students who struggle with task initiation and completion. Drawing from a recent study of procrastination patterns among over 500 secondary school students in grades 7 and 10 from three independent schools, we will delve into the intricate relationships between self-regulation, gender, and age in the components of procrastination. This session will give attendees a unique perspective that builds on foundational theoretical frameworks by exploring connections to technology and innovative practices. Participants will leave with actionable insights on leveraging AI tools to create more effective, personalized interventions for students at different procrastination levels, ultimately fostering a more engaged and self-regulated learning environment.

Speakers: Rob MacDonald, Trey Education, and Meera Shah, Trey Education

Too often, schools settle for minor curriculum adjustments, fearing how bold changes will be received by colleges, families, and faculty. But the reality? Many colleges welcome students with deep, authentic learning experiences. Many families seek engaging alternatives to traditional models. And many teachers crave opportunities to focus on meaningful skills that empower students to make a real impact. This session dives into case studies of schools that have moved beyond incremental tweaks to transformative curriculum shifts—differentiating themselves and redefining student success. You’ll gain a practical roadmap to navigate change, from high-level vision to classroom implementation, ensuring your school moves beyond content transfer to truly powerful learning.