2026 Learn, Grow, Lead Professional Learning Conference: Full Schedule

8:45am EDT

Opening Session

Tuesday June 23, 2026 8:45am - 9:10am EDT

Chesapeake Room (1st Floor)

Join us to kick-off our day of learning!

Tuesday June 23, 2026 8:45am - 9:10am EDT
Chesapeake Room (1st Floor)

Audience All Participants
Level All Levels

9:15am EDT

Guest Consultant Session: Framing Every Student for Success

Tuesday June 23, 2026 9:15am - 10:30am EDT

Chesapeake Room (1st Floor)

Every classroom tells a story — and belonging is the moment students realize they are part of it. In this inspiring keynote, teachers step into the director’s chair to examine how daily choices, language, and leadership shape whether students feel seen, heard, and valued. Using the Me, See, Hear, Steer framework, educators will explore how to create classroom cultures where every student knows they belong, their voice matters, and their presence moves learning forward. Because when students feel they belong, they don’t just participate — they thrive.

Speakers

Dr. Kim Richardson

Coach, Leadership Strategist, Speaker, Keep Rising

Dr. Kim Richardson is a leadership strategist, ICF Professional Certified Coach (PCC®), and founder of Keep Rising™. With a PhD in Educational Leadership and thirty years of experience as a teacher, coach, principal, and district administrator, she designs transformational learning... Read More →

Tuesday June 23, 2026 9:15am - 10:30am EDT
Chesapeake Room (1st Floor)

Belonging

Audience All Participants
Level All Levels

10:40am EDT

Stop Asking all the Questions: Let Your Students Lead With Reciprocal Teaching

LIMITED

Tuesday June 23, 2026 10:40am - 11:25am EDT

Empower Room (2nd Floor)

Limited Capacity seats available

In this interactive 45-minute session, you'll experience reciprocal teaching as a learner first then discover why it's one of the most powerful comprehension strategies you can bring back to your classroom. Instead of a lecture, you'll work in small groups using the four core roles of reciprocal teaching: Predictor, Questioner, Clarifier, and Summarizer. As you read together and rotate through roles, you'll feel firsthand how this strategy deepens understanding and gives every student a voice.

Speakers

Sarah Kohl

Tuesday June 23, 2026 10:40am - 11:25am EDT
Empower Room (2nd Floor)

Belonging

Audience All Participants
Level All Levels

10:40am EDT

Expect It, Teach It, Reinforce It: Creating Consistent Classroom Expectations and Routines

FILLING

Tuesday June 23, 2026 10:40am - 11:25am EDT

Greenbrier Room (1st Floor)

Limited Capacity filling up

Strong classroom management begins with clear expectations, consistent routines, and predictable responses. In this session, participants will explore how to establish and reinforce classroom expectations through effective transitions, 3R Language (Reinforce, Remind, Redirect), and logical consequences that promote student responsibility. Teachers will leave with practical strategies for creating a positive, structured learning environment where students know what is expected and are supported in meeting those expectations.

Speakers

Lakesha Cherry

Elementary Teacher, Chesapeake Schools

Tuesday June 23, 2026 10:40am - 11:25am EDT
Greenbrier Room (1st Floor)

Community

Audience All Participants
Level All Levels

10:40am EDT

Moving Past "Good Job!": Designing Feedback That Drives Actual Revision

LIMITED

Tuesday June 23, 2026 10:40am - 11:25am EDT

Engage Room (2nd Floor)

Limited Capacity seats available

You spend hours placing numbers or letter grades on a stack of papers, only for students to glance at the grade, stuff the assignment into their backpacks, and never look at your comments again. Sound familiar? The problem isn’t a lack of effort, it’s a lack of actionable feedback design. This hands-on session shifts the focus from giving grades as a final result of past learning to feedback as a blueprint for immediate growth.

Through a mix of concrete analysis and collaborative design, you will leave this workshop with a personalized starting place to transform your grading workflow and empower students to take ownership of their mistakes and move forward with learning growth.

Speakers

Katilyn Pait-Fulcher

Tiffany Britt

Tuesday June 23, 2026 10:40am - 11:25am EDT
Engage Room (2nd Floor)

Student Ownership & Engagment

Audience All Participants
Level All Levels

11:35am EDT

Guest Consultant Session: Teacher Leadership 101

LIMITED

Tuesday June 23, 2026 11:35am - 12:20pm EDT

Chesapeake Room (1st Floor)

Limited Capacity seats available

Being a master teacher does not automatically make someone a great teacher leader. While classroom expertise is foundational, the skills required to lead adults are profoundly different from those used to teach students. In this interactive session, we will explore teacher leadership not as a formal title, but as a " process of influence" that anyone with the internal drive to improve student outcomes can exercise. Whether you are a mentor, a department chair, or a teacher looking to solve a problem " under the radar, " you will leave with a concrete understanding of the work and competencies of teacher leadership that will bridge the gap between classroom excellence and school-wide impact.

Speakers

Dr. Kim Richardson

Coach, Leadership Strategist, Speaker, Keep Rising

Tuesday June 23, 2026 11:35am - 12:20pm EDT
Chesapeake Room (1st Floor)

Student Ownership & Engagment

Audience Teacher Leaders
Level All Levels

1:30pm EDT

Guest Consultant Session: Supporting Student Identity With Belonging

LIMITED

Tuesday June 23, 2026 1:30pm - 2:15pm EDT

Chesapeake Room (1st Floor)

Limited Capacity seats available

Students are constantly deciding whether to be themselves or to blend in. When classrooms prioritize fitting in, students comply— but often at the cost of identity, emotional energy, and engagement. When classrooms cultivate belonging, students feel safe enough to participate authentically and learn deeply. In this session, educators will explore the critical difference between belonging and fitting in, using identity development frameworks to understand student masking, stress, and disengagement. Teachers will learn how to shift from compliance-driven norms to co-created social contracts that honor identity, build emotional safety, and foster genuine inclusion.

Speakers