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Monday, March 31
 

9:00am PDT

1A-Literacy & Math Improvement Review with Teaching Matters Full
Monday March 31, 2025 9:00am - 10:30am PDT
High Tech High International Room 120
A powerful routine where improvement teams reflect on their data and learning, share a dilemma, and receive feedback from experts who can provide a fresh perspective and push. Join this fishbowl type session to experience this routine, learn more about a team’s work, and glean insights to inform your own improvement efforts.

Teaching Matters works with 23 school teams across New York City, with a focus on increasing 6-8th grade ontrack for post-high school success. A core tenet that undergirds our work is ensuring student belonging and engagement, while increasing math and ELA proficiency. Come learn more about this work, grapple with a dilemma together, and glean insights to inform your own improvement efforts.

Celebrate and push on the work: Give feedback on this session.
Speakers
avatar for Ryan Gallagher
avatar for Kiran Purohit

Kiran Purohit

VP of Curriculum & Instruction, New Visions for Public Schools, New Visions for Public Schools
Project-Based LearningScience curriculum designUrban high schools
avatar for Alicia Grunow

Alicia Grunow

Co-Founder; Improvement Specialist, Improvement Collective
Alicia Grunow is an educational improvement expert, specializing in how to apply the science of improvement to help teams, organizations and networks reach their improvement goals. Alicia started her career as a bilingual teacher in Denver Public School and then in New York City... Read More →
JB

Jacobē Bell

NSI Director, Teaching Matters
JK

Jeff Kitrosser

Associate Director of Research and Evaluation, Teaching Matters
Monday March 31, 2025 9:00am - 10:30am PDT
High Tech High International Room 120
  Sessions

9:00am PDT

1B-Liberatory Improvement: Reimagining the Intersections of Improvement, Equity and Justice
Monday March 31, 2025 9:00am - 10:30am PDT
High Tech High International Commons
Let’s have deep conversations on issues that matter to improvers. No slide decks, just real talk. Fireside chats are places for attendees to connect with luminaries, hear transformative stories, and ask questions. This is not a panel, but a free-flowing conversation where a pair of educational leaders interview one another and pursue their wonderings together.
Improvers 💜 data: Complete the Session Survey.


Speakers
avatar for Amanda Meyer

Amanda Meyer

Senior Director of Improvement, CORE Districts
CS
BH
Monday March 31, 2025 9:00am - 10:30am PDT
High Tech High International Commons
  Sessions

9:00am PDT

1C-Harnessing the Power of Understanding Variation Full
Monday March 31, 2025 9:00am - 10:30am PDT
High Tech High Room 148
In the pursuit of educational improvement, understanding variation is key to making informed decisions that drive real change. This interactive session will explore the power of Shewhart Charts to distinguish common from special cause variation. Using case examples, we will demonstrate how organizations, teams and networks can use these methods to accelerate their improvement efforts. 

We cannot improve what we can’t measure: Share your feedback on this session.
Speakers
avatar for Erica Geary

Erica Geary

Data Scientist, HTH GSE
avatar for Brandon Bennett

Brandon Bennett

Improvement Advisor, Teacher and Author
Brandon Bennett is an advisor, teacher and author who helps organizations in health care, education and social welfare improve outcomes for the communities and individuals they serve. As the founder of ISC LLC, Brandon Bennett teaches advanced improvement methods and partners on a... Read More →
Monday March 31, 2025 9:00am - 10:30am PDT
High Tech High Room 148
  Sessions

9:00am PDT

1F-Empowering Teachers and Students: Using Practical Measurement to Support Culturally Responsive Math Teaching Filling
Monday March 31, 2025 9:00am - 10:30am PDT
High Tech High Room 137
In this methods session, we describe what practical measures are and how they might be used to empower educators and students to use data to solve meaningful problems. Practical measures that are easy to use and prioritize learning from actionable data can help educators improve the quality of instruction. To emphasize this, we will share  an example of a set of practical measures designed to support teacher learning and capability to enact culturally responsive teaching. Participants will learn about the measurement development process, test this new measure in practice, and explore opportunities to integrate practical measures in their own educational system. Participants will also consider ways to center equity and justice in other kinds of practical measurement work in their own systems.

We cannot improve what we can’t measure: Share your feedback on this session.
Speakers
avatar for Brent Jackson

Brent Jackson

WestEd
Mathematics teaching and learning! Former middle school math teacher turned researcher. My research focuses on supporting mathematics teachers' learning, gender in mathematics, and groupwork. Let's chat about Complex Instruction!
avatar for Sola Takahashi
RN
avatar for Jahneille Cunningham

Jahneille Cunningham

Improvement Specialist, WestEd
Monday March 31, 2025 9:00am - 10:30am PDT
High Tech High Room 137
  Sessions

9:00am PDT

1G-All Of Us > Any Of Us: Math Teachers Getting Better Together Filling
Monday March 31, 2025 9:00am - 10:30am PDT
High Tech High International Room 215
What gets in the way of building a great math classroom? A network of math teachers are defining and improving on common problems of practice. Join us to explore the range of tools & routines we’ve developed to structure collaborative improvement across a state-wide practice-research NIC.

Celebrate and push on the work: Give feedback on this session
Speakers
avatar for Joanna Burt-Kinderman

Joanna Burt-Kinderman

Project Lead, Mountaineer Mathematics Master Teachers (M3T)
Joanna Burt-Kinderman has been a math teacher and teacher of math teachers for the last 25 years. She is a project lead and developer of  Mountaineer Mathematics Master Teachers (M3T), a network improvement community of local improvement team led by math teachers across 37 West Virginia... Read More →
avatar for Breck Loudermilk

Breck Loudermilk

Mountaineer Mathematics Master Teacher, Marion County Schools, WV
avatar for Jason Massie

Jason Massie

Mountaineer Mathematics Master Teachers, Monroe County Schools WV
Monday March 31, 2025 9:00am - 10:30am PDT
High Tech High International Room 215
  Sessions

9:00am PDT

1I-Leading to Improve: Using Community Action to Address Chronic Absenteeism Full
Monday March 31, 2025 9:00am - 10:30am PDT
High Tech High International Room 205
This session will guide participants through a community-driven approach to addressing chronic absenteeism, drawing on lessons learned from ImpactTulsa’s successful Community Action Forums. Participants will engage in hands-on activities, leveraging data to identify key barriers to attendance—such as safety, mental and physical health, transportation, and housing—and co-design interventions to combat these challenges. Through collaborative discussions and case examples, attendees will learn how to mobilize community partnerships, lead cross-sector efforts, and drive improvements in attendance and student outcomes. This session is ideal for leaders focused on systemic, results-driven change through field-building and community collaboration.

We cannot improve what we can’t measure: Share your feedback on this session.
Speakers
avatar for Aubrey Flowers

Aubrey Flowers

Head of Cradle to Career Initiatives, ImpactTulsa
Aubrey serves as ImpactTulsa's Head of Cradle to Career Initiatives. Aubrey is a passionate advocate seeking to facilitate meaningful change for youth, families, and communities of Tulsa. In service to all children and adults, Aubrey is also proud to be an innovator, reimagining the... Read More →
Monday March 31, 2025 9:00am - 10:30am PDT
High Tech High International Room 205
  Sessions

9:00am PDT

1J-From Spark to Flame: Cultivating Improvement Practices That Ignite a Culture of CI Full
Monday March 31, 2025 9:00am - 10:30am PDT
High Tech High Room 105
Educators often hear, “Improvement can’t be done in isolation” but what does it truly take to shift from individual improvement efforts to sustainable, collective, and equitable improvement cultures? How do leaders create conditions for improvement to thrive in everyday collaboration? In this workshop, participants will explore innovative strategies for fostering a culture of continuous improvement that extends beyond individual team leads to impact entire educational organizations. Drawing from the impactful Freshman Success Improvement Community (FSIC) model developed by the University of Chicago’s Network for College Success, participants will engage in experiential learning and discussions that demonstrate how to build the necessary conditions, dispositions, and cultures for improvement work to thrive beyond an individual improver. 

Celebrate and push on the work: Give feedback on this session.
Speakers
avatar for Joyce Randall
avatar for Lauren Perez Pietruszka

Lauren Perez Pietruszka

Transformation Coach, UChicago Network for College Success
Monday March 31, 2025 9:00am - 10:30am PDT
High Tech High Room 105
  Sessions

9:00am PDT

1K-Enhancing Voice and Equity in Strategic Planning: An Improvement Science Approach Filling
Monday March 31, 2025 9:00am - 10:30am PDT
High Tech High International Room 127
Discover how improvement science can transform strategic planning in education by amplifying stakeholder voices and promoting equity. Participants will learn to align strategic goals with stakeholder input, utilize data-driven decision-making, and foster a culture of continuous improvement. This session offers practical strategies for effective planning and implementation, empowering educators, administrators, and policymakers to drive meaningful progress and equitable outcomes. Join us to enhance stakeholder engagement and ensure equity in your strategic planning and implementation efforts.

Improvers 💜 data: Complete the Session Survey.
Speakers
avatar for Darcie Jamieson

Darcie Jamieson

Assistant Director of Teaching and Learning, Educational Service District 105
avatar for Emily Nelson

Emily Nelson

Executive Director of Student Support, ESD 105
Emily Nelson is the Executive Director of Student Support at Educational Service District 105 (ESD 105) in Yakima, WA. Emily has over 16 years of experience with school based behavioral health integration and co-launched Together 105, ESD 105’s Licensed Behavioral Health Agency... Read More →
avatar for Shane Backlund

Shane Backlund

Superintendent, Educational Service District 105
avatar for Brandon Riddle

Brandon Riddle

Assistant Director of Student Support, Educational Service District 105
Brandon is committed to advancing educational equity by coaching and training evidence-based strategies and frameworks. With a solid background in Multi-Tiered System of Support (MTSS), Interconnected Systems Framework (ISF), Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS... Read More →
Monday March 31, 2025 9:00am - 10:30am PDT
High Tech High International Room 127
  Sessions

9:00am PDT

1M-From Compliance to Connection: Cultivating Relational Trust to Drive Improvement
Monday March 31, 2025 9:00am - 10:30am PDT
High Tech High International Room 219
Explore the role of relational trust in transforming leadership and fostering system-wide improvement. In this session, led by New Tech Network and Hardin County District leaders, learn how district leaders utilized improvement science tools to help foster relational trust and shift from directive leadership approaches to fostering vulnerability, inquiry, and collaboration in their system. Participants will  explore research around relational trust, engage in relationship-building activities and practice feedback protocols that supported trust-building within the district. Reflect and share  your own experiences, then consider how to apply these strategies to strengthen relationships and support continuous improvement in your own work.

Celebrate and push on the work: Give feedback on this session.
Speakers
avatar for Kim Frankel Marsh

Kim Frankel Marsh

District Community and Network Design Specialist, New Tech Network
Kim Frankel Marsh serves as a District Community and Network Design Specialist for the New Tech Network where she uses tools and habits from improvement science to support district-level leadership development and systems change .  Prior to joining NTN, she spent 20 years on school... Read More →
avatar for Tanya Jury

Tanya Jury

Director of High School Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment, Hardin County Schools
Dr. Tanya Jury graduated with a broadcasting degree from Western Kentucky University. After graduating with a Bachelors in Broadcasting and Political Science, Tanya worked in the media at various Louisville TV stations and local radio stations for five years before changing careers... Read More →
avatar for Brandy New

Brandy New

Director of Innovation, Hardin County Schools, KY
Brandy started education as an elementary classroom teacher, then Instructional Technology Coordinator and high school Computer Science teacher, before taking on the role of Director of Innovation in 2020. She has spent her entire career in Hardin County Schools in Ky, which she also... Read More →
Monday March 31, 2025 9:00am - 10:30am PDT
High Tech High International Room 219
  Sessions

9:00am PDT

1N-Values, Data and Relationships: Insights on Scaling CI Practices in Chicago
Monday March 31, 2025 9:00am - 10:30am PDT
High Tech High Room 108
Scaling continuous improvement work is not easy. Doing this work well requires clarity on your non-negotiables in alignment with your values, scalable data tools, and strategic relationship management. In this session, the UChicago To&Through Middle Grades Network (MGN) will share insights about their efforts, as a small organization, to scale their continuous improvement model for middle grades success in partnership with Chicago Public Schools. 

Improvers 💜 data: Complete the Session Survey.
Speakers
avatar for Ashley N. Leonard

Ashley N. Leonard

Director, To & Through Middle Grades Network, University of Chicago
Ashley N. Leonard is the Founding Director of the UChicago To&Through Middle Grades Network (MGN), an initiative focused on helping Chicago Public Schools educators create equitable and supportive learning environments for middle school students. Through her leadership, MGN has worked... Read More →
NW
avatar for Jen Ciok

Jen Ciok

Manager of Coaching and Improvement, To&Through Middle Grades Network
Monday March 31, 2025 9:00am - 10:30am PDT
High Tech High Room 108
  Sessions

9:00am PDT

1O-Increasing Engagement, Growth, and Achievement through Student-Centered Teaching Practices
Monday March 31, 2025 9:00am - 10:30am PDT
High Tech High International Room 124
Join us to learn about our network’s six-year journey to put student thinking at the center of instruction and the growth in student literacy achievement that resulted. Our work is grounded in a core set of student-centered instructional practices that are generalizable across content areas and have been central to the improvement. Network leaders will share examples of how educators adapted the practices to their specific contexts, how they tracked student metrics alongside implementation to understand the impact of the practices on student learning, and the surprises they encountered along the way. Experience one of the practices and reflect on opportunities to learn from the process of adaptive integration. 

We cannot improve what we can’t measure: Share your feedback on this session.
Speakers
avatar for Anthony Petrosky

Anthony Petrosky

Director, Institute for Learning
GN
Monday March 31, 2025 9:00am - 10:30am PDT
High Tech High International Room 124
  Sessions

9:00am PDT

1P-How 12 Systems of Public Higher Education Improved their way to Transfer Student Success
Monday March 31, 2025 9:00am - 10:30am PDT
High Tech High International Room 222
80% of community college students enroll intending to transfer and earn a bachelor’s degree–unfortunately, only 33% of these students will enroll in a 4–year institution, and only 16% will attain a bachelor’s degree within six years. The National Association of Higher Education Systems brought together 12 public higher education systems into a structured improvement community and has seen breakthrough results at campuses all across the country–84% of participating institutions saw year-over-year improvement in transfer student enrollment. By using rigorous improvement methods, networked learning, and building local improvement capacity, this collaborative has moved the dial for this often-overlooked population of students.

Celebrate and push on the work: Give feedback on this session.
Speakers
avatar for Juliette Price

Juliette Price

Senior Improvement Coach, National Association of Higher Education Systems (NASH)
avatar for Tracy Schoolcraft

Tracy Schoolcraft

Associate Provost and Interim Dean of Exploratory Studies
Monday March 31, 2025 9:00am - 10:30am PDT
High Tech High International Room 222
  Sessions

11:00am PDT

2A-9th Grade On-Track Improvement Review with CORE Districts
Monday March 31, 2025 11:00am - 12:30pm PDT
High Tech High International Room 120
A powerful routine where improvement teams reflect on their data and learning, share a dilemma, and receive feedback from experts who can provide a fresh perspective and push. Join this fishbowl type session to experience this routine, learn more about a team’s work, and glean insights to inform your own improvement efforts.

CORE's Breakthrough Success Community connects 45 schools across California dedicated to transforming the 9th grade experience so that all students are on track towards the widest array of post-secondary opportunities. Come learn more about this work, grapple with a dilemma together, and glean insights to inform your own improvement efforts.  

Improvers 💜 data: Complete the Session Survey.
Speakers
avatar for Ryan Gallagher
avatar for Jarrod Bolte

Jarrod Bolte

CEO, Improving Education
BH
avatar for Dr. Doug Kriedeman

Dr. Doug Kriedeman

Senior Improvement Coach, Core Districts
avatar for Juli Coleman

Juli Coleman

Chief of Improvement, School Networks, CORE Districts
Juli Coleman is the Chief of Improvement, School Networks, for The CORE Districts. She leads a multi-district network of 45 high schools across eight large urban districts focused on improving 9th grade on-track rates.With over 25 years of experience in education, Juli has served... Read More →
avatar for Amanda Meyer

Amanda Meyer

Senior Director of Improvement, CORE Districts
Monday March 31, 2025 11:00am - 12:30pm PDT
High Tech High International Room 120
  Sessions

11:00am PDT

2B-Transforming Systems by Embedding CI into Existing Systems and Districts
Monday March 31, 2025 11:00am - 12:30pm PDT
High Tech High International Commons
Let’s have deep conversations on issues that matter to improvers. No slide decks, just real talk. Fireside chats are places for attendees to connect with luminaries, hear transformative stories, and ask questions. This is not a panel, but a free-flowing conversation where a pair of educational leaders interview one another and pursue their wonderings together.
We cannot improve what we can’t measure: Share your feedback on this session.
Speakers
avatar for Nora Guerra

Nora Guerra

Educational Consultant
Nora Guerra is a highly experienced educational leader in all areas of TK-12 instructional services with a proven, collaborative track-record of school improvement at 100% of schools in a historically low-performing district. Nora is also skilled in communication, collaboration, facilitation... Read More →
avatar for Derek Mitchell

Derek Mitchell

CEO, Partners in School Innovation - 1
avatar for Kim Carter
Monday March 31, 2025 11:00am - 12:30pm PDT
High Tech High International Commons
  Sessions

11:00am PDT

2C-Navigating Uncertainty: Learning and Leading Through Mistakes in Networked Improvement Filling
Monday March 31, 2025 11:00am - 12:30pm PDT
High Tech High Room 108
In this session, we invite you to explore the story of an innovative improvement network that embraced the motto “Fail Forward” to make substantial strides in educational outcomes.  This session will explore how network teams—from diverse contexts—collaborated to measure outcomes, scale effective practices, and create structures for sustained growth. We’ll discuss lessons learned from early missteps, like overlooking user perspectives, and how these experiences shaped our approach. Discover the struggle of refining change ideas, the challenges of sustaining efforts at scale, and strategies for keeping teams energized. Engage with examples, key learnings, and practical applications to inspire your own improvement journey.

Celebrate and push on the work: Give feedback on this session.
Speakers
avatar for Beverley Jenkins

Beverley Jenkins

Coordinator, System Improvement Leads (SIL) Project
avatar for Teresa Patel

Teresa Patel

Improvement Facilitator, System Improvement Leads Project
avatar for Brandon Bennett

Brandon Bennett

Improvement Advisor, Teacher and Author
Brandon Bennett is an advisor, teacher and author who helps organizations in health care, education and social welfare improve outcomes for the communities and individuals they serve. As the founder of ISC LLC, Brandon Bennett teaches advanced improvement methods and partners on a... Read More →
Monday March 31, 2025 11:00am - 12:30pm PDT
High Tech High Room 108
  Sessions

11:00am PDT

2D-Prioritizing for Impact: Using Pareto Analysis to Select a High Leverage Focus Filling
Monday March 31, 2025 11:00am - 12:30pm PDT
High Tech High Room 105
Not all problems are created equal—some have a far greater impact than others. In this hands-on session, participants will learn how to apply Pareto analysis, a simple yet powerful tool for identifying the most frequently occurring causes of the problems we seek to address and focusing efforts where they matter most. Using real-world education data, attendees will practice creating Pareto charts, uncovering root causes, and making data-driven decisions that maximize improvement. Walk away with practical skills to streamline your efforts, reduce inefficiencies, and drive meaningful change in your school or district.

Improvers 💜 data: Complete the Session Survey.
Speakers
avatar for Curtis Taylor

Curtis Taylor

Director, Meta Network, HTH GSE
avatar for Kelly McMahon

Kelly McMahon

Director, Center for Public Research and Leadership
Monday March 31, 2025 11:00am - 12:30pm PDT
High Tech High Room 105
  Sessions

11:00am PDT

2E-Cooking Up a Measurement System for a School Network
Monday March 31, 2025 11:00am - 12:30pm PDT
High Tech High International Room 218
How do you build a shared set of measures that truly supports learning and improvement across a network? In this interactive session, participants will explore key principles for selecting meaningful measures and apply them to a real-world challenge from a math improvement network. Through discussion and insights from improvement advisors, attendees will leave with practical strategies to design a measurement system that drives continuous learning and impact.

We cannot improve what we can’t measure: Share your feedback on this session.
Speakers
avatar for Kiran Purohit

Kiran Purohit

VP of Curriculum & Instruction, New Visions for Public Schools, New Visions for Public Schools
Project-Based LearningScience curriculum designUrban high schools
avatar for Jennifer Kim

Jennifer Kim

Lead Instructional Continuous Improvement Coach, New Visions for Public Schools (Cohort 3)
avatar for Russell West

Russell West

Director of Curriculum & Instruction and Counsel, New Visions for Public Schools (Cohort 3)
avatar for Alicia Grunow

Alicia Grunow

Co-Founder; Improvement Specialist, Improvement Collective
Alicia Grunow is an educational improvement expert, specializing in how to apply the science of improvement to help teams, organizations and networks reach their improvement goals. Alicia started her career as a bilingual teacher in Denver Public School and then in New York City... Read More →
avatar for Marc Stein

Marc Stein

Executive Director, Improvement Colaboratory, Improving Education
DH
LP
Monday March 31, 2025 11:00am - 12:30pm PDT
High Tech High International Room 218
  Sessions

11:00am PDT

2G-Going Far by Going Together: Collective Efficacy in Improvement Systems Full
Monday March 31, 2025 11:00am - 12:30pm PDT
High Tech High Room 137
Continuous improvement can produce more equitable student outcomes across a school and across multiple schools within a system. Tension can exist, however, between the convergence towards shared practice and consistent implementation, and the divergence of educators taking ownership and innovating in ways that lead to variation. Through building the collective efficacy of teams, leaders can balance convergence and divergence to increase impact. This session uses texts, cases, participant reflection, and discussion to investigate the balance of convergence and divergence in building teams that believe in the power of their collaboration to achieve more within and across schools.

Improvers 💜 data: Complete the Session Survey.
Speakers
avatar for Aurora Kushner

Aurora Kushner

VP, School Programming and Impact, NYC Outward Bound Schools
Always looking for the joyful convergence between equity-centered deeper learning and improvement.
avatar for Tom Rochowicz

Tom Rochowicz

NYC Public Schools
Monday March 31, 2025 11:00am - 12:30pm PDT
High Tech High Room 137
  Sessions

11:00am PDT

2H-Habits of Excellence: Systems Change through Simplicity Full
Monday March 31, 2025 11:00am - 12:30pm PDT
High Tech High International Room 215
When the KIPP national network shifted to a united strategy around standard work (“One KIPP”) in its 28 regions, we needed an expanded toolkit for building improvement capability outside of programmatic NICs. This has included building our ability to “see, solve, spread” with a focus on distilling the core habits we need to encourage at every level of our system. In this session, we will share KIPP’s early learnings from Year 1 of this approach, and participants will practice with a suite of artifacts to walk through this journey themselves. 

We cannot improve what we can’t measure: Share your feedback on this session.
Speakers
avatar for Jen Stocklin

Jen Stocklin

Senior Director, Continuous Improvement, KIPP
Monday March 31, 2025 11:00am - 12:30pm PDT
High Tech High International Room 215
  Sessions

11:00am PDT

2I-Improvement Doesn't Happen By Accident
Monday March 31, 2025 11:00am - 12:30pm PDT
High Tech High Room 148
Improvement doesn’t happen by chance—it requires intentional effort. Since 2018, the City Year Network for School Improvement (NSI) has collaborated with educators to transform schools with trust, respect, and humanity. Our Milwaukee network, rated “achieving” across all Network Health Survey domains, highlights how investing in culture and mindset early fosters lasting improvement for educators and students.

Central to this success is the CLEAR protocol, a framework for advancing collective work. In this session, participants will explore our improvement journey, engage hands-on with CLEAR, and leave with actionable strategies to strengthen collaboration and apply these insights in their own contexts.

Celebrate and push on the work: Give feedback on this session.
Speakers
avatar for Paola Deliz Felix Encarnacion

Paola Deliz Felix Encarnacion

Vice President, Network for School Improvement, City Year - 1
avatar for E Her Vang

E Her Vang

Managing Director, Milwaukee, City Year - 1
avatar for Mary Halling

Mary Halling

External Affairs, Learning & Engagement Director, City Year
MK
Monday March 31, 2025 11:00am - 12:30pm PDT
High Tech High Room 148
  Sessions

11:00am PDT

2J-Data that Works: Effective Data Systems for School Improvement
Monday March 31, 2025 11:00am - 12:30pm PDT
High Tech High International Room 219
Are you confident that every improver on your team has access to the data systems they need and uses them as effectively as they can? Neither were we, which is why we’ve spent the past eight years building data tools for school improvement and sharing them with our partners. Come to our session to practice using a Data for Improvement Maturity Framework to assess your own data systems and identify a way to strengthen them. You’ll hear stories directly from our partner districts. You’ll also see our flagship tool, the Data Hub, and hear where we’re taking it next.

Improvers 💜 data: Complete the Session Survey.
Speakers
avatar for Blake Garfinkle

Blake Garfinkle

Growth Product Manager, CT RISE Network
I'd love to chat about all things data for school improvement.I'm dedicated to bringing powerful, actionable data tools to educators and schools to drive student success. For 7 years I have worked with educators and RISE to hone our data tools and processes. In our session, we will... Read More →
KS

Kristin Schmitz

Director of School Improvement, Norwalk Public Schools
avatar for Chris Lewine

Chris Lewine

Chief of Data Strategy and Product Innovation, CT RISE Network
avatar for Alan Thorne

Alan Thorne

Product Manager, CT RISE Network
Alan is the Product Manager at the RISE Network where he leads the development of the RISE Data Hub, a data platform that helps educators collaborate and support student success. A long-time data and IT leader, Alan has worked in- and with dozens of schools across the Northeast to... Read More →
Monday March 31, 2025 11:00am - 12:30pm PDT
High Tech High International Room 219
  Sessions

11:00am PDT

2L-Leveraging Improvement Science for IMPACT: A Collaborative Model for K-12 and Higher Ed
Monday March 31, 2025 11:00am - 12:30pm PDT
High Tech High International Room 123
The Center of Excellence for Educator Preparation and Innovation (EPI), in collaboration with Voorhees University, has pioneered Improvement Science practices to achieve equitable outcomes in K-12 education throughout South Carolina. This session will highlight the work of specific K-12 educators across South Carolina whose active engagement in classroom-based improvement initiatives has directly informed school improvement and transformed learning. Attendees will see firsthand the IMPACT of this collaborative partnership on student learning outcomes, classroom instructional strategies, and the broader educational system. Participants will engage in individual and small group activities, fostering collaboration and the exchange of ideas. They will leave empowered with a framework to pursue inquiry, leverage evidence, and embrace change, embodying the role of lifelong improvers dedicated to transforming educational outcomes for all students.

Celebrate and push on the work: Give feedback on this session.
Speakers
avatar for Tondaleya G. Jackson

Tondaleya G. Jackson

Chief Operating Officer, Center of Excellence for Educator Preparation and Innovation
avatar for Damara Hightower Mitchell

Damara Hightower Mitchell

Founder and CEO, Center of Excellence for Educator Preparation and Innovation
avatar for Stacey Wilson

Stacey Wilson

Project Manager, (IMPACT) Improvement Science Propels Achievement and Critical Teaching, Center of Excellence for Education Innovation & Preparation
avatar for Javion Simpson
Monday March 31, 2025 11:00am - 12:30pm PDT
High Tech High International Room 123
  Sessions

11:00am PDT

2O-Elevating Student Voice: Co-Designing for Well-Being, Engagement, and Belonging Filling
Monday March 31, 2025 11:00am - 12:30pm PDT
High Tech High International Room 127
This session explores the transformative power of student voice and co-design in creating more inclusive and equitable learning environments. We will begin by exploring a case study from a California district that successfully used student-centered, community-driven improvement efforts to enhance well-being and belonging. Participants will then dive into national data from the Challenge Success survey and consider trends with their school or community in mind. Participants will leave with practical strategies for engaging students as active participants in the improvement process, empowering them to co-create solutions that drive meaningful and lasting school improvements.

Celebrate and push on the work: Give feedback on this session.
Speakers
JN

John Nickerson

Superintendent, Acalanes UHSD
avatar for Megan Pacheco

Megan Pacheco

Executive Director, Challenge Success
Megan Pacheco, M.A., is the Executive Director for Challenge Success. She has more than 20 years of experience helping to transform schools. She has served in a variety of roles, including teacher, school coach, and organizational leader. Prior to joining Challenge Success, she was... Read More →
avatar for Matthew Swenson

Matthew Swenson

Director of Educational Partnerships, Challenge Success
Matthew Swenson is the Director of Educational Partnerships at Challenge Success, where he leads national outreach to help K-12 schools foster student well-being, engagement, and belonging. With experience as an English teacher, assistant principal, and principal, he has a background... Read More →
Monday March 31, 2025 11:00am - 12:30pm PDT
High Tech High International Room 127
  Sessions

11:00am PDT

2P-Student-Led Improvement: Stories from the NWRESD Student Network
Monday March 31, 2025 11:00am - 12:30pm PDT
High Tech High International Room 222
Join us for stories of bright spots and hurdles gathered over four years with Oregon’s NWRESD Student Network. In partnership with adults in the NWRESD 9th Grade Success Network, Student Interns investigate their own systems, design and implement plan-do-study-act cycles, and advocate for more caring, connected, and inclusive school cultures. Interns receive stipends for participating in convenings, workshops, and coaching to develop the skills and mindsets to become agents of change. Session participants will develop their own pilot proposal for partnering with students using key lessons learned from the NWRESD Student Network and resources from Student-Powered Improvement.

Improvers 💜 data: Complete the Session Survey.
Speakers
avatar for Annie Tronco

Annie Tronco

9GS Professional Learning Co-Lead, Northwest
avatar for Hilary Clark-Hassinger

Hilary Clark-Hassinger

9th Grade Success Network Professional Learning Co-Lead, Northwest Regional ESD
Monday March 31, 2025 11:00am - 12:30pm PDT
High Tech High International Room 222
  Sessions

1:45pm PDT

3A-College Access Improvement Review with KIPP Public Schools
Monday March 31, 2025 1:45pm - 3:15pm PDT
High Tech High International Room 120
A powerful routine where improvement teams reflect on their data and learning, share a dilemma, and receive feedback from experts who can provide a fresh perspective and push. Join this fishbowl type session to experience this routine, learn more about a team’s work, and glean insights to inform your own improvement efforts.

KIPP is a national network of public charter schools that includes 49 high schools. Our Match and Counseling community aims to increase the number of KIPP graduates enrolling in well-matched postsecondary options. After several years of running an improvement community with a subset of schools, the Match and Counseling playbook is now being scaled as standard work for all high schools. Improvements are supported through 1:1 coaching of all high schools' Directors of College and Career Counseling (DCCCs) and a continued community of practice. Come learn more about this work, grapple with a dilemma together, and glean insights to inform your own improvement efforts.  

We cannot improve what we can’t measure: Share your feedback on this session.
Speakers
avatar for Stacey Caillier

Stacey Caillier

Director, National Coalition for Improvement in Education, High Tech High Graduate School of Education
avatar for Dr. Michelle Sadrena Pledger

Dr. Michelle Sadrena Pledger

Director of Liberation/Founder, High Tech High Graduate School of Education/Living for Liberation
Dr. Michelle Sadrena Pledger is the Founder of Living for Liberation, an organization that supports the liberation of self, systems, and society. She is also the Director of Liberation at the High Tech High Graduate School of Education, an institution that brings together practitioners, researchers and youth to address complex problems of practice... Read More →
avatar for Jen Stocklin

Jen Stocklin

Senior Director, Continuous Improvement, KIPP
KS
avatar for Camille Lafayette

Camille Lafayette

Director, Data & Analytics, KIPP Foundation
avatar for Brandon Bennett

Brandon Bennett

Improvement Advisor, Teacher and Author
Brandon Bennett is an advisor, teacher and author who helps organizations in health care, education and social welfare improve outcomes for the communities and individuals they serve. As the founder of ISC LLC, Brandon Bennett teaches advanced improvement methods and partners on a... Read More →
Monday March 31, 2025 1:45pm - 3:15pm PDT
High Tech High International Room 120
  Sessions

1:45pm PDT

3B-How Do We Catalyze and Accelerate a Movement?: Lessons from Healthcare and the Social Sector
Monday March 31, 2025 1:45pm - 3:15pm PDT
High Tech High International Commons
Let’s have deep conversations on issues that matter to improvers. No slide decks, just real talk. Fireside chats are places for attendees to connect with luminaries, hear transformative stories, and ask questions. This is not a panel, but a free-flowing conversation where a pair of educational leaders interview one another and pursue their wonderings together.
Celebrate and push on the work: Give feedback on this session.
Speakers
avatar for Ben Daley

Ben Daley

President, High Tech High Graduate School of Education
What do we want? Deeper Learning!How will we get it? Improvement!
avatar for Cathy Casserly

Cathy Casserly

Casserly Consulting & Coaching
LP
Monday March 31, 2025 1:45pm - 3:15pm PDT
High Tech High International Commons
  Sessions

1:45pm PDT

3H-The Engine for Improvement: Coaching PDSA Cycles Filling
Monday March 31, 2025 1:45pm - 3:15pm PDT
High Tech High International Room 124
The Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) cycle is the engine for learning in networked improvement work, and improvement coaches play an important role in ensuring that the learning from these inquiry cycles benefits the network. In this session, participants will learn about models and approaches to improvement coaching, with a focus on how coaches can help teams build efficient and effective inquiry routines. Participants will examine and reflect upon common dilemmas in coaching PDSAs and practice identifying specific coaching moves to support the team moving forward. 

Celebrate and push on the work: Give feedback on this session.
Speakers
avatar for Beverley Jenkins

Beverley Jenkins

Coordinator, System Improvement Leads (SIL) Project
SP
Monday March 31, 2025 1:45pm - 3:15pm PDT
High Tech High International Room 124
  Sessions

1:45pm PDT

3I-Beyond the Anecdote: Strengthening Empathy Interviews for Systemic Change Filling
Monday March 31, 2025 1:45pm - 3:15pm PDT
High Tech High International Room 215
Increase your improvement team’s capacity to meaningfully plan for and use empathy interviews in this hands-on session. Participants will learn how to identify a clear and specific purpose for empathy interviews and backwards plan towards that purpose. We’ll discuss the common missteps of empathy interviews and how to avoid them. Participants will practice analysis and application of interview findings. Strategies from this session can be modified and applied to other qualitative data teams collect such as listening sessions. Previous experience with empathy interviews is not required.

Improvers 💜 data: Complete the Session Survey.
Speakers
avatar for Kari Nelsestuen

Kari Nelsestuen

Co-Founder, Community Design Partners
Kari Nelsestuen brings creativity, leadership, and curiosity to Community Design Partners, an organization she co-founded in Portland, Oregon. As a skilled facilitator and advisor, she is motivated by “light bulb moments” when teams uncover root causes of problems on their path... Read More →
Monday March 31, 2025 1:45pm - 3:15pm PDT
High Tech High International Room 215
  Sessions

1:45pm PDT

3K-Leading Instructional Improvement: Building an Infrastructure for Equity in Classrooms
Monday March 31, 2025 1:45pm - 3:15pm PDT
High Tech High International Room 219
This session addresses the infrastructure that leaders must cultivate to sustain system-wide instructional improvement. With an evergreen aim to reduce variation in the quality of instruction students experience–both within and across classrooms–we will share our approach to shifting how building and district leaders think and act within their systems. Core principles include creating a shared definition of equitable and adaptive instruction, leveling power structures, reversing the flow of feedback, lowering the stakes for engaging in real-time improvement work, providing practical support for collaborative learning through teacher teams, and changing beliefs about teachers, about students, about data, and about improvement.

Celebrate and push on the work: Give feedback on this session.
Speakers
avatar for Andrew Volkert

Andrew Volkert

Partners for Educational Leadership
IS
avatar for Rydell Harrison
TN
Monday March 31, 2025 1:45pm - 3:15pm PDT
High Tech High International Room 219
  Sessions

1:45pm PDT

3L-Building Systems Capacity for Equity-Driven ILTs: Lessons Learned, Relearned and Unlearned Filling
Monday March 31, 2025 1:45pm - 3:15pm PDT
High Tech High Room 148
In this session, participants will explore effective strategies for supporting Instructional Leadership Teams (ILTs) across diverse school districts. Facilitators will share lessons learned in building networked improvement communities for ILTs and what happened when those lessons were applied in new contexts. Attendees will reflect on these lessons and adapt them for their contexts and use practical tools including strategy banks and self-assessments aimed at ILT skills and growth areas.  Overall, the session highlights successful adaptations of ILT models across various districts, approaches that drive school improvement, and actionable insights and resources to strengthen ILTs.

Improvers 💜 data: Complete the Session Survey.
Speakers
KG
avatar for Jenay Enna

Jenay Enna

Assistant Superintendent, Educational Services Division, Oak Grove School District
JR
avatar for Paula Espinoza

Paula Espinoza

Senior Improvement Partner, Partners in School Innovation
I'm passionate about my work in schools. I love helping people find the connection between continuous improvement and social justice. I've spent a lot of the last year learning about bias and trying to disrupt my own. Ask me about the antibias, antiracist work I did with a school... Read More →
RP
Monday March 31, 2025 1:45pm - 3:15pm PDT
High Tech High Room 148
  Sessions

1:45pm PDT

3M-Raising the Bar: Improving Graduation Rates for Students with Disabilities
Monday March 31, 2025 1:45pm - 3:15pm PDT
High Tech High International Room 222
In 2023, seven California school districts joined forces to address a shared challenge: improve graduation rates for students with disabilities by at least 10%. The System Improvement Leads project brought these districts together to leverage shared learning to reach this goal. Join us to hear directly from one of the districts, Anaheim Union High School District, about how they tested new strategies to achieve meaningful system improvements.

We cannot improve what we can’t measure: Share your feedback on this session.
Speakers
avatar for Teresa Patel

Teresa Patel

Improvement Facilitator, System Improvement Leads Project
LK
avatar for Ashley MacGavin

Ashley MacGavin

Grant Coordinator, SELPA System Improvement Leads Project
Ashley MacGavin has worked in the field of special education for over 10 years and currently serves in the role of Grant Coordinator at Riverside County SELPA in Perris, CA. She holds a Master’s Degree in Education and an Administrative Services Credential, Education Specialist... Read More →
Monday March 31, 2025 1:45pm - 3:15pm PDT
High Tech High International Room 222
  Sessions

1:45pm PDT

3P-Equity in Action: Improving Relational Trust for Instructional Alignment and Coherence
Monday March 31, 2025 1:45pm - 3:15pm PDT
High Tech High International Room 127
This session emphasizes both practical math instruction improvement and building conditions for improving relational trust. Participants will reflect on ways in which they can create conditions for supporting data driven instruction, and instructional alignment and coherence that promotes equity driven results. Participants will explore ways to foster relational trust among students and staff, as well as strategies for instructional planning and authentic collaboration. The goal is to cultivate a culture of courageous conversations about equity and constructively engage in ways to develop alignment and coherence across change ideas within schools and teams. 

We cannot improve what we can’t measure: Share your feedback on this session.
Speakers
KK

Kurt Kaaekuahiwi

LAUSD Network Team Lead, Partners in School Innovation - 1
avatar for CHRISTINE ARVIZO

CHRISTINE ARVIZO

Assistant Principal, Los Angeles Unified School District
AC
EE

Elizabeth Esparza

Math Instructional Coach, Los Angles Unified School District
Monday March 31, 2025 1:45pm - 3:15pm PDT
High Tech High International Room 127
  Sessions
 
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