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Please share your Spring Summit feedback while your thoughts and experience are fresh. We truly appreciate you taking the time to help us improve.
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

1D-Supporting Network Leaders: Unpacking the Work and Challenges of Hub Leadership Filling
Monday March 31, 2025 9:00am - 10:30am PDT
High Tech High Room 146
Improvement networks seek to solve complex problems in education, but little is known about how hub leaders build and manage these temporary learning organizations. In this workshop, hub leaders will use The Network Health Study’s Hub Leadership Framework to reflect on their own leadership practice, engage in collaborative problem solving around hub team design and common challenges leaders face, and engage in a reflective routine to strengthen hub leadership practice. We explicate the complexities of hub leadership practice while supporting leaders’ professional learning, providing tools, routines, and collaborative space to learn from each other.

Celebrate and push on the work: Give feedback on this session
Speakers
avatar for Kelly McMahon

Kelly McMahon

Director, Center for Public Research and Leadership
JS

Jennifer Sherer

Project Lead, Partners for Network Improvement
DP
Monday March 31, 2025 9:00am - 10:30am PDT
High Tech High Room 146
  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

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

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

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

2F-Growing Habits into Mindsets: Building Improvement Capability in an Urban School District Full
Monday March 31, 2025 11:00am - 12:30pm PDT
High Tech High Room 109
As Baltimore City Public Schools started its continuous improvement journey, improvement leaders adopted a “mindsets first” orientation, prioritizing building improvement dispositions to fundamentally change the way work was done within the organization. We hypothesized that, by designing tools to apply and reinforce improvement mindsets, people’s improvement habits would grow. Some of the district’s most successful tools include training on improvement dispositions, a tool to develop a theory and measures, and PDSA lab notebooks. Initial qualitative data gathered from district staff supports the district’s hypothesis – specifically, consistent application of the improvement tools by teachers led to growth in their improvement mindsets.

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

Natasha Japanwala

Manager, Continuous Improvement, Baltimore City Public Schools (Cohort 3)
avatar for Amiee Winchester

Amiee Winchester

Director, Continuous Improvement, Baltimore City Public Schools
Amiee is a Lifelong learner and educator with over 15 years of experience navigating and leading change in complex organizations. She began her career as a fourth-grade teacher, where she continually confronted a system that reliably failed to produce transformative outcomes for all... Read More →
avatar for Zachary Jaffe

Zachary Jaffe

Manager, Continuous Improvement (Cohort 1 Network Co-lead), Baltimore City Public Schools (Cohort 1)
Monday March 31, 2025 11:00am - 12:30pm PDT
High Tech High Room 109
  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

2M-Embedding CI Practices: Lessons Learned & Sustainability Wins Filling
Monday March 31, 2025 11:00am - 12:30pm PDT
High Tech High Room 146
Bank Street Education Center (Bank Street) will highlight how to embed sustainability practices into CI work. Bank Street will share examples from their 5 + year partnership with Yonkers Public Schools (YPS). This session will share examples of how Bank Street  navigated the local context and leadership transitions, cultivated a coalition of the willing among a network of schools, and supported district leaders in embedding CI practices into district-wide structures including their five-year strategic plan, math vision, PLCs, job descriptions, and data collection systems. Participants will hear examples from the field including course corrections in implementation, lessons learned, and sustainability wins.  

Improvers 💜 data: Complete the Session Survey.
Speakers
TF

Tracy Fray-Oliver

Vice President of Bank Street Education Center, Bank Street (Cohort 3 - Brooklyn)
TL

Tarima Levine

Managing Director of Content & Design, Bank Street (Cohort 3 - Brooklyn)
avatar for Michael McDonald

Michael McDonald

Executive Director of Math, Yonkers Public Schools
avatar for Shannon Craig

Shannon Craig

Math & Continuous Improvement Coach, Bank Street Education Center
Monday March 31, 2025 11:00am - 12:30pm PDT
High Tech High Room 146
  Sessions

11:00am PDT

2N-The Core 4 (and Beyond): Monitoring Progress to Graduation in a Post COVID World
Monday March 31, 2025 11:00am - 12:30pm PDT
High Tech High International Room 205
In a post-COVID world, there are a new set of challenges facing educators and students, all while pre-COVID expectations and policies are shifting back into place. In this session, we will share how continuous improvement has helped us evolve our strategy over the last 10 years to be responsive to the ever changing environment to ensure all NYC students succeed academically, mentally, socially, and professionally. Join us for a hands-on session of diving into multi-agency data around the “core 4” obstacles to graduation, and walk away with new ideas for using data to define holistic supports for students. 

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

Nikki Giunta

Chief of Staff / Project Manager, New Visions for Public Schools (Cohort 1)
MD

Mark Dunetz

President, New Visions for Public Schools (Cohort 1)
Monday March 31, 2025 11:00am - 12:30pm PDT
High Tech High International Room 205
  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

3C-Data That Moves: Designing Actionable Displays for Improvement Leaders Filling
Monday March 31, 2025 1:45pm - 3:15pm PDT
High Tech High International Room 123
Educators are regularly given data that highlight problematic outcomes without providing clues for how to improve. Seeking a different approach, CORE’s 9th grade on-track network has learned to display grade and attendance data in new ways that support improvers to act. We will share emergent insights from our work with urban districts across California and improvement-focused data displays we’ve used with schools, including control charts and pareto charts. Session activities will surface participants’ collective wisdom about how to display familiar data in novel ways that catalyze action. Attendees will leave with insights to apply to data in their own context.

Improvers 💜 data: Complete the Session Survey.
Speakers
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 1:45pm - 3:15pm PDT
High Tech High International Room 123
  Sessions

1:45pm PDT

3D-Racing to Scale: Accelerating Development of Education’s Breakthroughs Together Full
Monday March 31, 2025 1:45pm - 3:15pm PDT
High Tech High Room 146
Breakthrough Collaboratives are increasingly seen as promising strategies for advancing and spreading evidence-based interventions and transforming practice at scale. Most of the common professional knowledge about breakthroughs draws from IHI’s Breakthrough Collaborative model, but through this interactive session, participants will engage with design dilemmas related to launching and leading education-focused collaboratives. Participants will leave with practical insights about our shared opportunity to build requisite professional knowledge and supports for using this model to scale effective practices.

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

Jennifer Sherer

Project Lead, Partners for Network Improvement
avatar for Kelly McMahon

Kelly McMahon

Director, Center for Public Research and Leadership
Monday March 31, 2025 1:45pm - 3:15pm PDT
High Tech High Room 146
  Sessions

1:45pm PDT

3E-Equity-focused Improvement: Making the Implicit Explicit
Monday March 31, 2025 1:45pm - 3:15pm PDT
High Tech High International Room 218
When the world of education races through initiatives at a breakneck pace, how can we slow down to do the personal and interpersonal work necessary to keep equity at the core of our continuous improvement work? We believe that we can create more equitable systems that drive improvement work in a more grounded, values-driven, and authentically collaborative way.  In this session, we will do this by asking participants to 1) engage in the reflective work of drafting a personal equity stance; 2) practice building a collective theory of equity-focused improvement; and 3) apply these tools and processes to their own practice.  

Celebrate and push on the work: Give feedback on this session.
Speakers
avatar for Eliza Moeller

Eliza Moeller

Transformation Coach, NCS
Eliza Moeller is the Director of Research and Continuous Improvement with the Network for College Success as well as a Research Analyst at the UChicago Consortium. In an ongoing effort to make research live in schools, Eliza works with NCS data strategists and Consortium researchers... Read More →
avatar for Amiee Winchester

Amiee Winchester

Director, Continuous Improvement, Baltimore City Public Schools
Amiee is a Lifelong learner and educator with over 15 years of experience navigating and leading change in complex organizations. She began her career as a fourth-grade teacher, where she continually confronted a system that reliably failed to produce transformative outcomes for all... Read More →
avatar for Zachary Jaffe

Zachary Jaffe

Manager, Continuous Improvement (Cohort 1 Network Co-lead), Baltimore City Public Schools (Cohort 1)
avatar for Beth Brown

Beth Brown

Transformation Manager, NCS
Monday March 31, 2025 1:45pm - 3:15pm PDT
High Tech High International Room 218
  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

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

3N-Using Intermediaries to Increase Access to Student Support Systems in Rural Schools
Monday March 31, 2025 1:45pm - 3:15pm PDT
High Tech High International Room 205
Join us to explore how the GRAD Partnership leverages intermediaries—ranging from district offices to higher education regional networks—to address unique educational and community contexts to support implementation of student success systems. This session will focus on building the network and leadership of improvers specifically in rural schools. Participants will: (1) Gain insight into intermediary role and its impact; (2) Engage in an interactive activity to identify their connection to intermediary supports; and (3) Hear real-world success stories from two rural intermediary partners (North State Together in Northern California and district level attendance team leadership in New Mexico).

Celebrate and push on the work: Give feedback on this session.
Speakers
EC
JS
SU
avatar for Susan Schroth

Susan Schroth

Program Director of The GRAD Partnership, North State Together/Rural Schools Collaborative
Monday March 31, 2025 1:45pm - 3:15pm PDT
High Tech High International Room 205
  Sessions
 
Tuesday, April 1
 

9:00am PDT

4A-Chronic Absenteeism Improvement Review with New Visions for Public Schools Filling
Tuesday April 1, 2025 9:00am - 10:30am PDT
High Tech High Room 148
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.

New Visions works with 71 school teams across New York to identify different types of chronic absenteeism, and provide targeted and differentiated support. A subset of these schools are piloting regular 1:1 “check-ins” as the core intervention for “butterfly” students – students who want to be at school, but consistently miss a day or two each week. 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 Sola Takahashi
SP
ER

Edgar Rodriguez

VP of School Support, New Visions for Public Schools, New Visions for Public Schools (Cohort 3)
avatar for Jonathan Green

Jonathan Green

Lead Continuous Improvement Coach, New Visions for Public Schools
Tuesday April 1, 2025 9:00am - 10:30am PDT
High Tech High Room 148
  Sessions

9:00am PDT

4B-Improvement as a Field: Where have we been? Where are we going?
Tuesday April 1, 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 Manuelito Biag

Manuelito Biag

Improvement Advisor, National Center for School-University Partnerships
avatar for Louis Gomez

Louis Gomez

Senior Partner, Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching
Louis Gomez holds the MacArthur Chair in Digital Media and Learning in the Graduate School of Education and Information Studies at the University of California Los Angeles. Gomez has served since 2008 as a senior partner at the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching... Read More →
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 →
Tuesday April 1, 2025 9:00am - 10:30am PDT
High Tech High International Commons
  Sessions

9:00am PDT

4D-System Mapping: Making Work Visible Full
Tuesday April 1, 2025 9:00am - 10:30am PDT
High Tech High International Room 123
Improving outcomes requires changing the systems that produce them, but systems can be hard to see. This session introduces systems mapping as a method to visualize work as interdependent processes, uncovering key connections, dependencies, and leverage points for improvement. Through real-world case examples, we’ll show how system mapping can reveal how work happens and guide more strategic decisions. Participants will practice creating system maps and leave with practical insights for applying this tool to drive school improvements.

Celebrate and push on the work: Give feedback on this session.
Speakers
avatar for Amanda Meyer

Amanda Meyer

Senior Director of Improvement, CORE Districts
avatar for David M. Williams, PhD

David M. Williams, PhD

Senior Improvement Advisor, DMW / Austin
Senior Improvement Advisor I Author, Quality as an Organizational Strategy I Former Senior Lead of Leadership and Improvement Science and Methods at the Institute for Healthcare Improvement | Former Paramedic and Ambulance System Expert I Creator, Mr. Potato Head and Coin Spin PDSA... Read More →
Tuesday April 1, 2025 9:00am - 10:30am PDT
High Tech High International Room 123
  Sessions

9:00am PDT

4E-Transforming a Large Urban High School to a Culture of Improvement: Lincoln High School
Tuesday April 1, 2025 9:00am - 10:30am PDT
High Tech High Room 109
Discover how Lincoln High School transformed its culture and dramatically improved student success through evidence-based changes and the power of continuous improvement. Once facing a reality where 60% of 9th graders were off-track and credit recovery was commonplace, Lincoln embarked on a bold journey to reimagine its approach. By shifting from a culture of blame to one of collective ownership, the school empowered teachers to unleash their problem-solving potential and tackle systemic challenges.

Through the use of data-driven strategies and PDSA cycles, Lincoln reduced its off-track rate by over 20 percentage points, with even greater gains among Black students. This session will provide a deep dive into their inspiring story—how they moved from a narrative of underperformance to one of collaboration and sustained improvement. Join us to explore actionable insights and tools you can use to create meaningful change in your own context.

Improvers 💜 data: Complete the Session Survey.
Speakers
avatar for Stephanie Brown

Stephanie Brown

Principal, Lincoln High School
I am deeply passionate about creating educational environments where all students, especially those from historically marginalized communities, can thrive. With over 20 years of experience in high-needs public schools, I’ve dedicated my career to leading transformative school initiatives... Read More →
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 →
Tuesday April 1, 2025 9:00am - 10:30am PDT
High Tech High Room 109
  Sessions

9:00am PDT

4F-Beyond Change Packages: Strategies for Creating Dynamic, Silo-busting Resource Hubs Full
Tuesday April 1, 2025 9:00am - 10:30am PDT
High Tech High Room 105
Join HTH GSE’s CARE Network team and their design partner, Friday, as they challenge us to acknowledge the drawbacks of PDF change packages and the benefits of a digital approach. Together, you’ll dive into the principles of atomic design, explore the benefits of consistent messaging structures, and consider how filtering and tagging strategies can break down silos between district, school, and classroom teams. Lessons will be grounded in their own work to build a more dynamic resource hub, efforts you’ll be invited to join as we work together to spread and scale improvement routines and change ideas.

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

Daisy Sharrock

Director, CARE Network, HTH GSE
avatar for Elizabeth Cameron

Elizabeth Cameron

Co-founder & Partner, Friday
Elizabeth has over 10 years of experience partnering with mission-driven organizations to develop brands and communications that match the magic of what they do. She excels at seeing the big picture, defining the steps and strategy needed to get there, and bringing others along to... Read More →
Tuesday April 1, 2025 9:00am - 10:30am PDT
High Tech High Room 105
  Sessions

9:00am PDT

4G-Interrogating Improvement: Reimagining Improvement Science for Equity and Justice Filling
Tuesday April 1, 2025 9:00am - 10:30am PDT
High Tech High Room 137
In this session, participants will explore the crucial role of equity and justice in the field of improvement science (IS). Participants will learn from a group of equity and justice-centered improvers about how they designed learning experiences for their team to critically evaluate and refine IS methods. The session will 1) equip participants with approaches, skills, and lenses for interrogating IS tools and methods; 2) provide a space to delve into vital connections between IS work and educational equity; and 3) help participants apply a justice-oriented framework to the design and execution of improvement projects.

Celebrate and push on the work: Give feedback on this session.
Speakers
II
CS
RN
Tuesday April 1, 2025 9:00am - 10:30am PDT
High Tech High Room 137
  Sessions

9:00am PDT

4H-Designing for High Engagement: Balancing Structure & Agency in Improvement Networks
Tuesday April 1, 2025 9:00am - 10:30am PDT
High Tech High International Room 219
Building a meaningful experience for network members is a pressing challenge for leaders who support networked improvement. Whether or not educators are told to participate in an improvement network, they voluntarily engage at variable levels. This session provides an overview of lessons learned from the Network Health Study about strategies leaders used to design participation structures that support member engagement. Leaders will grapple with how to balance structure and agency in their work and learn about a tool to measure how individuals value network participation.

Improvers 💜 data: Complete the Session Survey.
Speakers
JS

Jennifer Sherer

Project Lead, Partners for Network Improvement
JR

Jennifer Russell

Project Lead, Partners for Network Improvement
avatar for Angel Li

Angel Li

Associate, Impact Lab, Carnegie Foundation
I am an associate on the Impact Lab team at the Carnegie Foundation, supporting teams and networks in leveraging data and analytics for continuous improvement and system transformation. Prior to joining the Foundation, I worked for Denver Public Schools as an innovation and improvement... Read More →
Tuesday April 1, 2025 9:00am - 10:30am PDT
High Tech High International Room 219
  Sessions

9:00am PDT

4K-Beyond Firefighting: Solving Problems to Root Using Real-Time Problem Solving (RTPS)
Tuesday April 1, 2025 9:00am - 10:30am PDT
High Tech High International Room 218
Education leaders often find themselves firefighting — addressing immediate issues only to see them resurface. Real-Time Problem Solving (RTPS) offers a method that tackles problems at their root, focusing on individual incidents, rather than problem generalizations,  to uncover and address their underlying causes, then sharing these solutions across the system. Guided by the principles “systems, not people” and “solve, don’t fix,” RTPS fosters sustainable solutions that reduce inequitable outcomes. In this session, participants will engage in hands-on RTPS activities, developing practical skills and mindsets to implement meaningful, lasting improvements in their own work.

Improvers 💜 data: Complete the Session Survey.
Speakers
avatar for Tomás Molfino

Tomás Molfino

Improvement Specialist, WestEd
JD
JS
Tuesday April 1, 2025 9:00am - 10:30am PDT
High Tech High International Room 218
  Sessions

9:00am PDT

4L-Hardwiring Improvement for the Student and System Results Filling
Tuesday April 1, 2025 9:00am - 10:30am PDT
High Tech High Room 146
Improvement cycles are the engine to realize improved results. Learn alongside executive leaders building the capacity to scale student learning and system results based on a decade of evidence within the field.  These leaders are scaling what was learned within the School District of Menomonee Falls and leading the way to improved outcomes in highly diverse communities.  They will share how they are reducing the impact of fragmented system processes and spreading improvement capability across every classroom.  These executive leaders are demonstrating their ability to remove systemic barriers, ensure student access, and demonstrate improved results, system wide. 

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

Jennifer Marroquin

Assistant Superintendent (Educational Services), Tulare City School District
avatar for Adam Leckie

Adam Leckie

Superintendent, CGESD
avatar for Casey Blochowiak, Ph.D.

Casey Blochowiak, Ph.D.

Senior Director, Huron|Studer Education
Casey helps educational leaders create people-first organizations where individuals want to be, thrive, contribute, and grow — all while achieving results. She draws upon decades of K-12 experience as a teacher, literacy specialist, and leader in school administration. Prior to... Read More →
avatar for Whitney Holton
Tuesday April 1, 2025 9:00am - 10:30am PDT
High Tech High Room 146
  Sessions

9:00am PDT

4N-From Innovation to Impact: Designing for Sustainable Scaling in a Networked Community
Tuesday April 1, 2025 9:00am - 10:30am PDT
High Tech High International Room 215
Our session shares the journey of evolving from an innovation-focused network to a scaling initiative, driven by a commitment to expand effective practices reliably across diverse schools and regions. We’ll discuss how we built and refined infrastructure to support routines for data collection, fostered cross-regional collaboration, and developed onboarding systems to welcome new teams while honoring the work of founding partners. Join us to explore strategies and tools that not only spread proven methods but also create a pipeline of skilled practitioners to sustain field growth and impact.

Improvers 💜 data: Complete the Session Survey.
Speakers
avatar for Stephanie Lassalle

Stephanie Lassalle

Director of Improvement Programs, Marshall Street
avatar for Kim Burdi

Kim Burdi

Director of Continuous Improvement, Marshall Street
Tuesday April 1, 2025 9:00am - 10:30am PDT
High Tech High International Room 215
  Sessions
 
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