-
Core Curriculum
MODEL SCHOOLS CONFERENCE
Event Agenda
June 22–25, 2025 | Gaylord National DC
Join our featured speakers, Model Schools, Innovative Districts, Epic Educators, and Aspiring Model Schools as they share best practices in leadership, teaching & learning, assessment, inclusivity, literacy, school culture, family and community engagement, and so much more!
Don’t miss this opportunity to learn, connect, and be inspired!
Featured speakers
Keynote Speakers
Energize your Passion
Dr. Adam Drummond
Author, Senior Director
Center for Model Schools
Fueling your Momentum: You Owe YOU
Eric Thomas, Ph.D
Author, Speaker, Educator
Eric Thomas & Associates
Stories as a Catalyst: Transforming Education through the Currency of Connection
Dr. Mary Hemphill
CEO & Founder, The Limitless Leader; Senior Fellow
Center for Model Schools
Powerful Engagement Strategies
Theresa Atchison
Instruction and Leadership Coach
Low-prep, High-yield: Formative Assessment Strategies
Alisa Braddy
Instruction and Leadership Coach
Instructional Leadership
Dr. Adam Drummond
Author, Senior Director; Center for Model Schools
Seeing the Potential in Every Student
Kyle Greene
Author and Keynote Speaker
Creating Connections in Classrooms
Leah LeComte
Instruction and Leadership Coach
Personal Climate and Culture
Gerry Brooks
Teacher
Keeping the Vision in Tune: Aligning Culture with Action
Karen Cagle
Instruction and Leadership Coach
NWEA Data for Differentiation
Dr. Heather Schmidt
Former Superintendent; Instruction and Leadership Coach
Student Engagement: More than Buzz
Stascia Hardy
Epic Educator
Tools to Turn Conflict into Resolution
Danny Konopasek
Instruction and Leadership Coach
Closing Learning Gaps
Glenn Ledet
Instruction and Leadership Coach
High Performance Under Pressure
Andrew Marotta
Director of Communications & Academic Services, Port Jervis School District; Author
Leading Resiliently through Discomfort
Derek Pitts
Instruction and Leadership Coach
Straight Facts on Dyslexia
Dr. Tiffany Peltier
NWEA Senior Professional Learning Strategy Consultant
Fostering a Culture of Ambitious Instruction
Robert Thornell
Author and Instruction and Leadership Coach
HMH Literacy Strand Sessions
(Read 180, Into Reading, Into Literature users)
Check Out Read 180's New Bookshelf to Foster Independent Reading
Cherith Fluker
Director of Professional Learning
HMH
Finding their Happy Place: How Placement Decisions are made in Read 180
Kimberly Olive-Torrance
Senior Implementation Manager
HMH
Toolbox Talks: Elevating Collaborative Learning and Discussion with the Right Tools in Into Literature
Leslie Claiborne
Instructional Coach
HMH
Shift Students from Self(ish) Connections to Globally Confident Ones
Patrice Bruny
Senior Implementation Manager
HMH
The Must Dos for Every Foundational Skill K-2 Into Reading Lesson
Kaci Dengler
Instructional Coach Teacher's Corner from HMH
Ready, Set, Differentiate to Get Students Into Reading
Kayla Dyer
Literacy Coach Teacher's Corner from HMH
Featured Programming
| Sunday, June 22 | |
|---|---|
| 9:00am–7:00pm | Registration |
| 11:00am–4:00pm | Pre-Conference Sessions (optional, lunch included) |
| 7:00pm–8:00pm | Opening Keynote Experience—Potomac Ballroom |
| Monday, June 23 | |
|---|---|
| 7:00am–8:00am | Light Breakfast—included |
| 7:00am–4:00pm | Registration |
| 8:00am–9:00am | Opening Keynote—Potomac Ballroom |
| 9:30am–12:00pm | Concurrent Sessions |
| 12:00pm–1:30pm | Lunch—included |
| 1:30pm–4:00pm | Concurrent Sessions |
| Tuesday, June 24 | |
|---|---|
| 7:00am–8:00am | Light Breakfast—included |
| 7:00am–4:00pm | Registration |
| 8:00am–12:00pm | Concurrent Sessions |
| 12:00pm–1:30pm | Lunch—included |
| 1:30pm–4:00pm | Concurrent Sessions |
| Wednesday, June 25 | |
|---|---|
| 7:00am–8:00am | Light Breakfast—included |
| 8:00am–12:00pm | Concurrent Sessions |
| 11:00am–noon | Closing Keynote—Potomac Ballroom |
*Breakfast & Lunch included on Monday & Tuesday and Breakfast on Wednesday
Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center | 201 Waterfront Street, National Harbor, MD
Leading a System that Learns
Effective leaders live by this truth: If you want to solve a problem in your organization, examine the systems that cause it. In this collaborative, action-oriented pre-conference experience, we zero in on leaders’ primary role in elevating learning for all students as we investigate the systems of assessment and instruction. This session is designed to meet role-specific needs for creating lasting impact in schools, as we:
- Define leadership values that match your school’s vision and mission.
- Visually map how teaching and assessment systems affect student results.
- Plan how to distribute leadership to ensure consistent teaching practices.
Target Audience: Superintendents/Assistant Superintendents, Principals, Assistant Principals; all other district and building instructional leaders and/or aspiring leaders.
Strategies to Engage All Learners
Are your students consistently engaged in learning? Let's explore how to captivate the diverse minds in your classroom, day-in and day-out, by deepening our instructional toolboxes. In this interactive pre-conference, you'll dive into engagement strategies that lay the foundation for learning based on high expectations, critical thinking, deep understanding, and real-world relevance. Join us for an immersive experience that places student learning at the heart of professional practice and reinvigorates our ideas around instructional excellence.
Target Audience: Classroom teachers, support staff, special education teachers, guidance counselors, and more.
Full program agenda with session day/times coming in April 2025.
A Variety of Sessions to Deepen Learning
MSC 2024 Model Schools, Innovative Districts, and Epic Educators
Learn from educators driving transformational change.
- Model Elementary Schools
- Model Middle Schools
- Model High Schools
- Innovative Districts
- Epic Educators
Central City Elementary, Huntington, WV
Fairview Elementary School, Columbus, MS
Flatrock Elementary School, Stonecrest, GA
Francone Elementary School, Houston, TX
Heritage Hill Elementary School, Springdale, OH
Kingwood Elementary School, Kingwood, WV
Oakdale Elementary School, Tuscaloosa, AL
Plano Elementary School, Bowling Green, KY
Port Salerno Elementary School, Stuart, FL
Salem Avenue Elementary, Hagerstown, MD
Starr Elementary School, Grand Islands, NE
Verner Elementary, Tuscaloosa, AL
Yates Mill Elementary School, Raleigh, NC
Buchser Middle School, Santa Clara, CA
Davis Emerson Middle School, Cottondale, AL
Dr. John Long Middle School, Pasco, FL
John Glenn Middle School, Indio, CA
Rickover Junior High School, Sauk Village, IL
Tyrone Middle School, St. Petersburg, FL
Westover Middle School, Fayetteville, NC
Alief Early College High School, Houston, TX
Demopolis High School, Demopolis, AL
El Capitan High School, Merced, CA
eStem Public Charter Schools, Little Rock, AR
Great Oak High School, Temecula, CA
Manheim Central High School, Manheim, PA
Pine Forest High School, Fayetteville, NC
Woodville Tompkins Technical and Career High School, Garden City, GA
Boerne Independent School District, Boerne, TX
Elmira City School District, Elmira, NY
Eminence Independent Schools, Eminence, KY
Forsyth County Schools, Cumming, GA
School District of Pickens County, Liberty, SC
Moline-Coal Valley School District, Moline, IL
Orange County Public Schools, Orlando, FL
Peninsula School District, Gig Harbor, WA
Pontotoc County School District, Pontotoc, MS
Umatilla School District, Umatilla, OR
Wayne County School, Wayne, WV
Lauren Hoghe, Fifth Grade Teacher
Andrews Elementary School, Andrews, Indiana
Ashley Nalley, Mathematics Teacher
Preston County Schools, Kingwood, West Virginia
Kelly Murray, Mathematics Coach
Preston County Schools, Kingwood, West Virginia
André Benito Mountain, Principal
Marbut Traditional Theme School, Lithonia, Georgia
Meghan LeFevers, Director of Exceptional Children
Gaston County Schools, Bessemer City, North Carolina
Elise Tureau Frederic, Second Grade Teacher
Ascension Public Schools, Prairieville, Louisiana
Laura Gerace, Kindergarten Teacher
Ascension Public Schools, Prairieville, Louisiana
Erin Townsend, First Grade Teacher
Ascension Public Schools, Prairieville, Louisiana
Shirley Posey, Director of STEM
Imhotep Charter High School, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Rasheda Barksdale, Principal
D. M. Smith Elementary School, Cleveland, Mississippi
Roman Nowak, Teacher
École Secondaire Catholique L'Escale, Ontario, Canada
Hear from 2024 featured presenters on the power of presenting at Model Schools Conference
Secure spots for your team today!
Contact Us about Model Schools Conference
Simply fill out the form and a representative will contact you. We look forward to hearing from you!
Thank You for contacting us about Model Schools Conference ! Please check your email for next steps.
Thank You for contacting us about Model Schools Conference ! Please check your email for next steps.