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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
Developing Reading Fluency with Intermediate and Adolescent Multilingual Learners Across the School Day (k–8)
Jennifer Finney-Ellison
Educator and English 3D program co-author
Deepening Student Discourse
Denise White
Instruction and Leadership Coach, Center for Model Schools
Navigating the Future of Education: A Superintendent Strategy Forum
Dr. Chris Price
Senior Director, Center for Model Schools
From 'Help!' to 'I've Got This!': 1 Framework and 10 High-Impact Strategies to Empower New Teachers
Berit Gordan
Teacher, Author, and Consultant
An Educator's Playlist
Anthony Colannino
Principal, President, Leading and Teaching for Growth
Rise and Shine: Building Resilient Educators for a Brighter Tomorrow
Dr. Rachel Edoho-Eket
Principal, Howard County Public School System
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
Workshop Your Words
Oatanisha Dawson
Instruction and Leadership Coach, Center for Model Schools
From Burn Out to On Fire
Dr. Marc Cohen
Instruction and Leadership Coach, Center for Model Schools
Empowering Multilingual Learners in Evolving Educational Environments
Lauren Black
Product Enablement Director, HMH
Advanced Map Growth
Dr. Susan Price
Director of Professional Learning NWEA/HMH, Former Executive Director of Curriculum, Jefferson County Public Schools
Essential Map Growth Reports for Leaders
Dr. Beth Praska
Senior Professional Learning Consultant NWEA/HMH, Former Consultant and Literacy Specialist for the Minnesota DOE and the University of Minnesota
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 2025 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
Academy of Innovation at Remington, St. Louis, MO
Arcadia Elementary School, Tuscaloosa, AL
Brock Road Elementary School, Spotsylvania, VA
Compass Elementary School, Kansas City, MO
Dannelly Elementary School, Montgomery, AL
Dover Elementary School, Orangeburg, SC
Glenn Duncan Elementary School, Reno, NV
Hamilton Elementary School, Moline, IL
James Avant Elementary School, East St. Louis, IL
Matilda Hartley Elementary School, Macon, GA
Midway Elementary School, Blackshear, GA
Ricardo Richards Elementary School, St. Croix, VI
Rich Pond Elementary School, Warren, KY
Rozelle Elementary School, Memphis, TN
Sonny Carter Elementary School, Macon, GA
Woodland Forrest Elementary School, Tuscaloosa, AL
Brookland Junior High School, Brookland, AR
Dag Hammarskjöld Middle School, Wallingford, CT
Fountain Hills Middle School, Fountain Hills, AZ
Green Acres Middle School, Birmingham, AL
Huntington East Middle School, Huntington, WV
Irmo Middle School, Columbia, SC
Millennium Middle School, Seminole, FL
Putnam Academy of Arts and Sciences, Palatka, FL
Ridgeland Secondary Academy of Excellence, Ridgeland, SC
Smyrna Middle School, Smryna, DE
Bedford High School, Bedford, OH
Central High School, Phenix City, AL
Dougherty Comprehensive High School, Albany, GA
Fountain Hills High School, Fountain Hills, AZ
Garrett Morgan School of Engineering High School, Cleveland, OH
Hedgesville High School, Hedgesville, WV
Homer High School, Homer, LA
Innovation Academy High School, Medford, OR
Lathrop High School, Lathrop, CA
NeoCity Academy, Kissimmee, FL
Potomac Falls High School, Potomac Falls, VA
Shadle Park High School, Spokane, WA
Aiken County Public Schools, Aiken, SC
Berkeley County Schools, Berkeley, WV
Moline-Coal Valley School District, Moline, IL
Delaware Valley School District, Milford, PA
Ferris ISD, Ferris, TX
Gilbert Public Schools, Gilbert, AZ
Allendale Fairfax School System, Fairfax, SC
School District of Indian River County, Indian River, FL
Shawn Desmond, Principal
Avon Middle High School, Avon, MA
Dr. Rachel Edoho-Eket, Principal
Howard County Public School System, Ellicott City, MD
Colleen Fitzpatrick, Curriculum Supervisor
Middletown Public Schools, Middletown, CT
Maura Thompson, Teacher
Middletown Public Schools, Middletown, CT
Christopher Gibbs, Teacher
Volusia County Schools, Deland, FL
Robert Hinchiffe, Principal
Tyrone Thompson Elementary School, Las Vegas, NV
Courtney Jolly, Instructional Curriculum Coach
Memphis Shelby County Schools, Memphis, TN
Alexis Kelly, Teacher
Barack and Michelle Obama Elementary, Atlanta, GA
Ms. Loraine Foushee Media Specialist
Barack and Michelle Obama Elementary, Atlanta, GA
Mrs. Dekesha Marshall 5th Grade Reading & Social Studies Teacher
Barack and Michelle Obama Elementary, Atlanta, GA
Vernon Lowery, Principal
Cumberland County Schools, Fayettville, NC
Crystal Leshore, Teacher
Gulfport School District, MS
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