WEDNESDAY, MARCH 16
4 Leadership Practices for Advancing Deeper Learning
Engage with like-minded district leaders from across the country to reflect on and expand your leadership practices.
#1: LEADING YOURSELF AND OTHERS THROUGH REFLECTION
Why is being a reflective leader key to being an effective leader? Based on the research of Dr. Brené Brown, Tim Spiker, and Adam Grant, you’ll explore this question through interaction and guided reflection. Their findings reveal that “Who
you are is how you lead” (Brené Brown) and the corollary “¾ of your effectiveness as a leader comes from who you are, not what you do” (Tim Spiker).
In this session, education leaders will…
- Explore key themes from the national bestselling books Dare to Lead and the recently released Atlas of the Heart.
- Investigate Brené Brown’s 3-part “Theory on Cultivating Meaningful Connection”.
- Learn how self-awareness is a key element to creating connections as leaders.
#2 LEADING YOURSELF AND OTHERS WITH HOPE
Hope is more than passive, wishful thinking. Hope requires action and engagement—and is both a skill and a mindset. This evolving body of research reveals that how you think about the future is directly correlated to your actions
in the present. Hope empowers you to find your way in a time of uncertainty, take courageous action in a time of fear, and persevere in the face of adversity. Hope sets the stage for visionary leadership
and propels us to take collective action on the vision—Portrait of a Graduate.
In this session, education leaders will…
- Explore the science of hope through the essential ingredients of goals, pathways, and agency.
- Engage with other system leaders to reflect on leadership mindsets and practices that build positive energy and momentum for the district’s vision.
- Make connections to the current, local context to identify why hope matters to students, staff, and the community.
- Map hope-building strategies to the local Portrait of a Graduate competencies to build momentum for the district’s vision.
- Take away practical, research-based strategies and resources to cultivate hope in students, staff, and the broader community.
#3 LEADING THE LEARNING
A critical aspect of leading systems transformation for deeper learning is to provide supportive conditions at every school. This transformation requires new modes for supporting principals and teachers as they shift their roles to advance deeper learning
for every student.
In this session, education leaders will explore these essential questions:
- How to (re)define success for building leaders and teachers with a focus on deeper learning and equity?
- What are the big ideas for system leaders as you support educators in designing, facilitating, and assessing deeper learning experiences for every student?
- What is the newest information about creating supportive conditions for principals and teachers in this work?
- How can we use current research on the brain and learning to support principals and teachers in making these shifts in the design, facilitation, and assessment for deeper learning?
- How can principals and teachers help engage the broader ecosystem/community in these shifts?
#4 LEADING THE ORGANIZATION
Effective systems change is essential for educational transformation. In this session, we will explore how current models of systems change are being used to accelerate equitable, system-wide transformation to deliver on the vision of deeper learning.
Education leaders will reflect on how to best align the entire system to implement deeper learning for every student using innovative models, resources, and practices.
In this session, education leaders will explore these essential questions:
- What are the most relevant change models to support system alignment?
- What are the most current practices for inspiring and engaging the broader ecosystem, including the community, in implementing your vision for deeper learning for every student?
- How can you apply current brain research to professional learning—in support of student learning?
- How can we connect the 4 areas of the Leadership Framework to scale deeper learning throughout the system for every student?
- How can we use our network of colleagues to accelerate and sustain this work?
THURSDAY, MARCH 17
School Site Visit
Travel with other system leaders to Mesa Public Schools, the largest school district in Arizona, as we visit Westwood High School. This site visit features their Portrait of a Graduate in action with a tour of Westwood High School’s team-based models and conversations with district leaders, educator teams, and elementary and secondary principals.
Mesa Public Schools is partnering with Arizona State University’s Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College to design the Next Education Workforce. You will observe
these innovative, human capital practices in support of deeper learning.
register now