| Session Title | Description | Strand |
| Getting Ourselves Ready for Rigor | As we move into a post‐pandemic period, we are dealing with the aftermath of school closings and growing learning gaps for students. Traditional remediation threatens to undo our progress on equity. Our only alternative is to partner with students to help them close their own gaps. This strategy is consistent with the science of learning, but it also means our role changes to coach. In this keynote, we will explore the questions: How do we support students to reclaim their intellectual curiosity and motivation to build their brain power for accelerated learning? What do we, as educators committed to instructional equity, need to know and be able to do to step fully into this coach role to help students reach higher levels of learning? We will look at the intersection of the science of learning, the science of reading, and culturally responsive instructional practice as we translate this integrated approach into a set of practical tools, routines, and processes that can help students close their learning gaps and complete unfinished learning. | Zaretta Hammond (Opening Keynote) |
| Unlocking the Power of Productive Struggle | Educators have the power to create a learning environment where struggle is engaging and ultimately life-changing for their students. Join award-winning author and CEO of Instructional Empowerment Michael D. Toth as he shares research and examples for creating classrooms where students grow their agency through academic and social emotional productive struggle. Drawing on his personal experience with productive struggle, Michael will also share how adults can grow through challenging times. Don't miss this opportunity to learn how to give all students the full toolset to thrive in academics and in life. | Michael Toth (Day 2 Keynote) |
| Big Little Things: Putting the Process Horse in Front of the Content Cart | The difference between a successful and dynamic lesson often lies in the little things related to process that help things run smoothly and keep kids engaged. We’ll explore the importance of effective visuals, teacher voice, listening and speaking skills, the use of music, priming, and many other “big little things” that make classrooms work. This session will be loaded with examples from K‐12 classrooms around the country. Grab a notebook and a writing instrument and get ready to rock; Ron doesn’t believe in ’sit and git’ breakouts. The basis for this session is Ron Nash’s book, Big Little Things: 40 Tools for Building a Better Classroom. | Setting the Stage for Empowered Learning |
| Bump Up the Rigor! Taking Tasks to a Higher Taxonomy | The level of questioning and/or tasks usually determines the level of thinking that is happening in a classroom. Are questions at the level of the taxonomy of the standard(s)? If not, how are students offered the opportunity to reach rigor? Whether you are currently implementing student-led teaming or considering that approach, join us as we discuss how the Thinking Guides can make this shift to rigor happen! Note: This session refers to tools from IE's Model of Instruction toolkits. | Setting the Stage for Empowered Learning |
| Creating An Environment that is Conducive to Learning | This deep dive into the Conditions for Learning elements from the Marzano Focused Teacher Evaluation Model will focus on how classroom instruction can be enhanced. We’ll explore how these elements must be intentionally planned and how the elements build on each other to elevate student achievement. | Setting the Stage for Empowered Learning |
| Creating the Right Conditions for Successful School Turnaround | Leadership is critical in creating a culture of learning. What are the “plays” that lead not just to somewhat effective learning but to phenomenal results? In this session you will learn what a school leader must do at each moment of a school day to make a great school run effectively and improve learning outcomes. We’ll delve into the conditions that are necessary for student learning to occur. Learn from an Instructional Empowerment partner principal who has transformed conditions in a variety of academic settings and knows first-hand the importance of creating a culture of learning. | Setting the Stage for Empowered Learning |
| Driving Teacher-Student Performance Through the Me and We of Efficacy | A focus on Adult SEL develops teacher self-efficacy which is the building block of collective efficacy. Learn more about the why behind this research and how school leaders can lay a solid foundation for cultivating a culture of collective efficacy that will drive teacher and student performance. | Setting the Stage for Empowered Learning |
| Emotional Intelligence: Fueling Teacher and Student Performance | Neuroscientists agree that emotional intelligence is a critical component of building agency and empathy. Learn more about how we may fuel emotional intelligence, agency, and empathy to drive teacher and student performance. Participants will be provided with actionable steps to help guide adult agency and empathy within the EI journey. | Setting the Stage for Empowered Learning |
| For Our Children: Why Students Should Fear Pity and Sympathy | Pity and sympathy are natural human responses. So, why should students fear them? Learn more about why and how pity and sympathy fuel learned helplessness and how we, as educators, can use the power of intentionality to support communities of empowerment. | Setting the Stage for Empowered Learning |
| Integrating SEL into Student Interactions Throughout the School Day | Many classrooms carve out a special time of the day to develop SEL skills. Is this enough? Do we see the desired outcomes across the school day? What if instead of a separate time devoted to SEL, we integrated SEL throughout the day through student interaction in order to develop the skills in real time with real situations? Join us to reflect on the most effective way to strengthen social emotional learning throughout the day. | Setting the Stage for Empowered Learning |
| It's All About the Task! Creating a Team Task | Are your tasks team-worthy? Does the team work interdependently to complete the task? Are teams experiencing a productive struggle as they learn together? Often the task is what makes or breaks a student team. Join this session to strengthen your craft of building a team task that will ensure your teams have the opportunity to experience productive struggle as they push their thinking to new heights. | Setting the Stage for Empowered Learning |
| Secrets to Successfully Creating the Conditions for Rigorous Learning | Do you have a strong desire to enhance your instructional toolbox by creating conditions for learning that support the implementation of research-based strategies? Whether you’re planning for the beginning of the year, a midyear reset, or you’re just looking for a place to get started, establishing the conditions for rigorous instruction will set a solid foundation for conquering demanding academic standards. | Setting the Stage for Empowered Learning |
| The 7 Powers for Equity | From test scores to graduation statistics, data trends demonstrate that many students of color are not being provided with the engaging, rigorous core instruction needed for academic success. Conscious Discipline empowers us to be conscious of brain-body states in ourselves and children, providing us with the practical skills we need to manage our thoughts, feelings and actions. These skills allow educators to evaluate how they may unintentionally trigger undesirable student behaviors. With the ability to self-regulate, we can teach children to do the same, setting the stage for learning to take place. | Setting the Stage for Empowered Learning |
| Answers to Your Burning Questions about iObservation and Evaluation | You have questions, we have answers! This open forum session is a great opportunity for new and experienced Marzano evaluation users to learn more about the model, the iObservation platform, and anything FTEM! | Elevating the Classroom Learning Experience |
| Best Practices for Serving Multilingual Learners in Any Setting | Participants will learn how to directly align and/or adapt to best practices that meet the needs of multilingual learners in all classrooms (Dual Language, English as a Second Language, and/or monolingual classrooms). Participants will walk away with key language acquisition strategies for 21st century learners and gain strategies to embed within school improvement practices. | Elevating the Classroom Learning Experience |
| Elevate Math Mindsets Through Teaming | Shifting to team tasks within the K-12 math block allows students the opportunity to tackle complex problems using collaboration, logic, and best practices. Join this session to learn ways to elevate the mathematical mindsets through teaming tasks and structures that you can implement tomorrow. Whether your classroom already includes student-led teaming or you are considering this approach, this is a session not to be missed. Note: This session refers to tools from IE's Model of Instruction toolkits. | Elevating the Classroom Learning Experience |
| Every Voice Matters: Creating a Culture of Rigor and Equity | A classroom culture where students routinely collaborate with peers on rigorous standard-based tasks provides the space for all learners to have equity of voice. When we focus on student strengths, along with structures and supports, deeper learning connections are made. This session focuses on how student teaming can be the pathway in creating a culture of rigor and equity where every voice matters. | Elevating the Classroom Learning Experience |
| From the First Bell to the Dismissal Bell: Serving Each and Every Student | Crete Intermediate School in Nebraska moved from being labeled as a targeted school of improvement to being recognized as a 2022 Distinguished School serving special populations by ESEA (Elementary and Secondary Education Act). Crete’s principals will share the shifts they and their staff went through in order to serve each and every student academically, behaviorally and socially. The lessons they learned can lift every student in your school too! | Elevating the Classroom Learning Experience |
| Harnessing the Power of Deliberate Practice: The Five Critical Conditions for Increasing Teacher Expertise | Learn how focusing on the Five Conditions for Increasing Teacher Expertise along with the Professional Responsibilities elements of the Marzano Focused Teacher Model will result in highly effective instructional practices. | Elevating the Classroom Learning Experience |
| Increasing Taxonomy and Collaboration in Secondary Mathematics | In this session, we will examine the different levels of taxonomy of student work in secondary mathematics. We will explore ways to increase task taxonomy aligned to the standards, including ideas to design team‐ worthy tasks and the productive use of rigor to improve learning outcomes for all students. We will also provide strategies to promote collaboration in the math classroom. | Elevating the Classroom Learning Experience |
| Let’s Get it Started! A Quick Start for Student Teaming | Are you ready to bring student teaming into your classroom, but unsure of where to begin? Establishing a learning environment for students to share, collaborate and learn from one another can happen quickly when proper structures and routines are in place. Join us to learn how to implement foundational teaming structures and routines to begin teaming right away! | Elevating the Classroom Learning Experience |
| Let's Give Them Something to Talk About! The Progression of Academic Conversations | Academic Conversations is a journey where students progress from learning to have conversations to having conversations to learn. Join us as we identify the noticeable shifts as conversations progress and deepen, as well as what you can do to support the shifts. We'll discuss how IE's Model of Instruction Thinking Guides can easily make this happen! Note: This session refers to tools from IE's Model of Instruction toolkits. | Elevating the Classroom Learning Experience |
| Little Kids Love Teaming Too! Teaming in PreK, K, and 1st Grade | If you want to learn more about how student teaming can work in primary grades, this session is for you. Teaming in the early grades brings a multitude of benefits and is easier to implement than you may think. Join us to learn practical ways to help students as young as 3-4 years old learn to collaborate with others while learning and building on their own developmental thinking. | Elevating the Classroom Learning Experience |
| Making ELA Standards Meaningful Through Teaming Tasks | So many ELA standards, so little time! Consider a shift from teaching standards in isolation to clustering multiple standards through rigorous teaming tasks. Join us as we discuss how the structures of IE's Model of Instruction make learning standards more meaningful for students in your K-12 ELA classroom. Note: This session refers to tools from IE's Model of Instruction toolkits. | Elevating the Classroom Learning Experience |
| Rethinking Direct Instruction: Letting Go is Easier than You Think | We've all heard the timely advice, “Work smarter, not harder.” So why do so many teachers feel exhausted at the end the day? Direct instruction is exhausting! Consider shifting to mini-lessons! Join this session to learn practical ways to use IE's Model of Instruction resources and structures to shift from the heavy lift of direct instruction. It's easier than you might think! Note: This session refers to tools from IE's Model of Instruction toolkits. | Elevating the Classroom Learning Experience |
| Standards-Based Planning and Progressions of Learning | In this session, we dig into the Marzano domain of Standards-Based Planning with a focus on understanding the elements in Standards-Based Planning, creating progressions of learning, and determining the taxonomy of the targets within the progression of learning. | Elevating the Classroom Learning Experience |
| Streamline or Struggle: Making a Difference with Target Task Alignment | In this session we will use the Marzano Taxonomy to determine target/task alignment and explore the research behind it. We will delve into the importance of intentionally planning questions that are aligned with the taxonomy of the target. Note: This session is designed to support the Marzano Focused Teacher Evaluation Model. | Elevating the Classroom Learning Experience |
| Support Staff Matter: Helping Non-Classroom Staff Flourish Using the Non-Classroom Evaluation Model | In this session we will provide an overview of the domains and elements in the Marzano Non-Classroom Support Personnel Evaluation Model and strategies for gathering evidence to demonstrate competency of the elements and domains. Critical positions such as instructional aides, media specialists, counselors, paraprofessionals play an integral role in maximizing student learning outcomes. Explore how the Marzano Non-Classroom Instructional Support Model can facilitate professional learning for all staff. | Elevating the Classroom Learning Experience |
| Teaming for ALL! | "I didn't know my students could do that!" We hear this all the time once teachers start seeing the benefits of teaming in their classroom. Teaming works across all content areas and all grade levels. If you are new to student-led teaming or just want some fresh ideas, join us as we discuss practical ways to make rigorous learning accessible to ALL students. Note: This session refers to tools from IE's Model of Instruction toolkits. | Elevating the Classroom Learning Experience |
| The Power of We | Ron Nash returns to BE2023 with one of our most popular sessions. This highly interactive session models practical strategies for sparking student engagement. In this session Ron will model engagement strategies such as standing pair share, pairs squared, paired verbal fluency, and give one/get one. Wear some comfortable shoes; you’ll be up, moving, pairing, sharing, laughing, and learning in this fast‐paced breakout session. | Elevating the Classroom Learning Experience |
| Using the Standards-Based Instructional Elements to Move from Direct Instruction to Complex Learning | In this session, we will dig deeper into the Marzano domain of Standards-Based Instruction to demonstrate how the elements can be utilized to achieve rigor. Note: This session is designed to support the Marzano Focused Teacher Evaluation Model. | Elevating the Classroom Learning Experience |
| Action Boarding 101: Routines for Effective Leadership | Take charge of your goals with Action Boarding! Learn how to create an Action Board with your Leadership Team to improve accountability, productivity, and communication. This system allows your team to strategically drive school improvement by mapping out your priorities, one action at a time! You are sure to get results! | Leadership that Empowers |
| Beware! 3 Common Pitfalls to Avoid as a New Turnaround School Leader | Are you a leader who has joined the school turnaround scene in the past few years and could use a little reassurance to know you are not alone in navigating common obstacles? Are you gearing up for your first leadership opportunity and curious to know what lies ahead? Join us to explore the 3 most common pitfalls turnaround leaders face and strategies to ensure you lead your school back on track to success! | Leadership that Empowers |
| Building Teacher Team Efficacy and Agency | The we of collective efficacy begins with me. Learn more about the role we play in ensuring we build the confidence and agency educators need to help students thrive in their classrooms and beyond. | Leadership that Empowers |
| If You Feed Them, They Will Grow | Delivering performance feedback effectively is the key to developing people and their practice. There is an art and science behind this process and this session will teach you both. Learn how to identify and deliver bite-sized, actionable next steps in a way that will help your staff grow to amazing new heights! | Leadership that Empowers |
| An Intro to Catapulting Teacher and Leadership Teams to the Highest Levels of Effectiveness | Are you looking to build leadership capacity in your building or district? In this session, participants will be introduced to a set of research‐based team conditions essential for building the strongest teams, enabling them to be successful in meeting their goals. We will also share a metric for diagnosing strengths and weaknesses of a team and how team coaching through IE’s Instructional Leadership Institute will support your team in continuous improvement. You won’t want to miss this opportunity to catapult your teams to the highest level of effectiveness. | Leadership that Empowers |
| Lead the Change: Empowering Transformation in Your School | Change is hard…but transformational change that will empower your leaders and staff while elevating students’ learning experience is uplifting. Join us for an interactive session exploring ways to implement eight steps to second order change. Leave with tools to structure and drive the systemic change you want to see in your organization. | Leadership that Empowers |
| Power Up Your Influence | Your ability to craft a vision and empower others is the key to your success. This session will focus your attention on the power of influence while providing key takeaways on how to develop your influence and use it to mobilize and motivate key contributors. | Leadership that Empowers |
| Strengthening Leadership Team Effectiveness | What does it look like to coach a school-based leadership team to optimal effectiveness? Thinking about the leadership team as the primary mechanism in supporting schoolwide goals, we will drill down to determine the strengths and weaknesses of the team and discover ways to coach the team to achieve the desired goals by focusing coaching strategies on the means not the end. | Leadership that Empowers |
| The New KPI: Keeping People Inspired | Working in turnaround schools can be exhausting. Second order change requires teachers to adopt new and often challenging ideas about their role in the classroom. Once September comes, that motivational speech given in August may be forgotten and the challenge of change can dampen teacher morale. In this session you will learn strategies to keep your staff motivated and inspired all year long. | Leadership that Empowers |
| The Power of Ubuntu: I Am Because We Are | At IE, we use the power of Ubuntu to drive our social mission. Learn more about the power of Ubuntu and how you and your teams may incorporate its principles to move your teams forward. | Leadership that Empowers |
| The Profile of a Turnaround Principal: Improving Recruitment and Retention of Successful School Leaders | The role of a turnaround principal is complex and requires bold leadership. We will explore the competencies and skills that are the hallmarks of principals who successfully turn around low performing schools. Participants will build or refine a profile to support recruitment and retention efforts. | Leadership that Empowers |
| The School Instructional Maturity Model: A Framework to Immediately Strengthen Instructional Systems | Has your campus/district stalled in student performance no matter how hard you work? Are your instructional systems fully supporting the success of every student? In this session, participants will learn the pillars of our evidence‐based School Instructional Maturity Model and the systems that will strengthen core instruction. As a participant, you will determine the current phase of your school/district in each pillar and identify the root causes to create action steps that will drive continuous improvement to help move your campus/district forward to the next phase. | Leadership that Empowers |
| The Science of Creating a High‐ Functioning Senior Leadership Team | School and district leaders are only as effective as their leadership teams. A proactive leader invests in their team and uses the science of effective team design. In this session, author, superintendent coach, and IE’s founder Michael D. Toth will present research and practical examples for setting your senior leadership team up for success. Michael will share his experience coaching superintendents and cabinet teams of diverse districts to lead with a vision of ensuring all students are engaged in rigorous learning, receive quality core instruction, and can develop the skills they need for better life chances and opportunities. Participants will learn how to communicate a clear vision and moral imperative and empower their senior leadership team to engage in self‐ managed, goal‐directed work. If you care about preparing all students from every background to thrive in the new economy, and if you want to strengthen your senior leadership team to achieve that vision, this session is for you. (By popular demand, this three‐hour session is a repeat from last year’s conference.) | Leadership that Empowers |
| Are We a Match? Data Calibration: It's a Real Thing | When we look for patterns and trends within student data how can we ensure all teachers are calibrated to the standards? Join us to discuss ways to provide teachers with an equitable process to calibrate and analyze student evidence to drive instructional decisions. | Taking PLCs to the Next Level |
| The Power of Teacher Teams | We intentionally add structures and routines so that student teams are set up for success. What if we did the same for teachers? During this session we will prepare to empower teacher teams by setting up structures and routines to create and maintain a compelling purpose, use agendas to plan effectively, and learn how to elevate roles and responsibilities to maximize the strengths of teacher teams. | Taking PLCs to the Next Level |
| Action Boarding 201: Moving from Process to a Focus on Performance | Take your team to the next level with this advanced Action Board session. You will walk away with a deeper understanding of the continuous improvement cycle through Action Boards and move your Action Board from being process to performance oriented. This session will center on utilizing the retrospective to enhance your team’s effectiveness and focus on student outcomes. | Using Data to Power Up Student Outcomes |
| Data Deep Dive: Uncovering What the Data Really Means | Data, data everywhere - do you know what to do with all the data around you? How do teachers use all the data they have available to them to make instructional decisions? In this session, we will discuss how to do data deep dives that will focus on four elements: standards, students, item types, and whole class/individual students. We will dig into a protocol that teachers can use to make data-informed, just- in-time instructional decisions. | Using Data to Power Up Student Outcomes |
| Did They Get It? Verifying Student Learning During the Lesson | Are you looking for creative ways to gather evidence of student learning during lessons? This session will help you determine different ways to verify student learning and gather evidence to check for understanding. We will explore short cycle assessment data strategies to use in the moment, throughout the lesson, and after the fact. Join us as we tie all the pieces together to impact student learning. | Using Data to Power Up Student Outcomes |
| Empower Students to Track Learning by Using Technology | Discover how educators at Willard Elementary School in Illinois enable students to monitor their own progress toward learning targets and success criteria by leveraging IE's Empower Learner Growth (ELG) tool. Principal Dustin Covarrubias and Coach Sara Henry will share how students use ELG to determine which evidence demonstrates mastery and how teachers track daily progress, provide feedback, and capture an overview of real‐time student learning using ELG. Find out how ELG has allowed staff to drive short‐cycle data discussions within PLCs and adjust instruction within a lesson. | Using Data to Power Up Student Outcomes |
| Formative assessment is a Practice, Not an Instrument | Shifting from considering formative assessment a tool to understanding that it's actually a practice (or a routine) changes everything! Instead of focusing on the learning destination, let's instead use the journey getting there to connect, deepen and expand learning. In this session we will look at ways to shift to a formative assessment practice. Join us as we discuss how to build the routine of formative assessment into every lesson, every day, in every grade. Note: This session refers to tools from IE's Model of Instruction toolkits | Using Data to Power Up Student Outcomes |
| I Have Data, Now What? Data Analysis Isn't as Complicated as it Sounds | Using data to improve instruction that results in student achievement is every educator's dream. In this session we will discuss simple ways to use student data to elevate daily instruction. | Using Data to Power Up Student Outcomes |
| Let's Take a Walk | Do you want to maximize your IE Rigor Classroom Walk and Conditions Walk data? Join us for a deeper dive into your data to determine next steps for an action plan that produces results. This session is for participants who have used the IE Rigor Classroom Walk and Conditions Walk tools in a school setting. | Using Data to Power Up Student Outcomes |
| Stop Hoping for Results; Start Getting Results! | In this session we will use the Marzano Focused Teacher Evaluation Model to design more effective lessons by leveraging 3 key elements: Planning to Close the Achievement Gap, Using Formative Assessment to Help Students Track Progress and Providing Feedback and Celebrating Progress. Success begins with skillful planning…for you and your students! | Using Data to Power Up Student Outcomes |
| Using Coaching Cycles to Shift Gears and Drive Systematic Improvement | Motivated to begin coaching cycles with your teachers? Implementing coaching cycles includes intentional planning, monitoring, tracking and providing support in order to see systematic improvement. Join us as we discuss key components of a coaching cycle and practical ways to elevate teacher support. | Using Data to Power Up Student Outcomes |