Strand one: Cultivating rural teacher leadership

This strand will support rural teachers and teacher leader with leading instructional and organizational change, inquiry-based learning, and will center around the problems of practice that teachers bring with them from their classrooms and schools. This strand’s workshops and work time will focus on building cross-school connections with other professionals, sharing “what works” from the field, and leveraging the strengths of rural places for student learning.

Strand two: Middle-level education

Middle school students (ages 10 – 14) possess unique developmental characteristics, and need a school and learning experience different from elementary and high school. The Middle-Level Education strand will focus on the challenges and promises of young adolescents, and the philosophy, organization and practices to best meet their needs. Leaders and presenters have extensive background and successful teaching/leading experience in middle schools.

Strand three: reaching all learners

This strand empowers educators to create inclusive, equitable classrooms that meet the diverse needs of all students, including those with disabilities, multilingual learners and students from marginalized backgrounds. The Reaching All Learners strand is ideal for educators seeking to enhance their ability to teach inclusively in any educational setting.