Good teaching is universal, but great teaching looks different in the active and creative spaces of health/pe/drivers ed, music, visual art, or world languages. In this interactive tabletop session, leaders can connect with coordinators and specialists and walk away with observation tools, instructional “look-fors”, and coaching frameworks to build the capacity of these specialty teachers. Grab, go, and amplify your impact!
Every school improvement effort eventually reaches the same challenge: educators respond differently to the same initiative. Whether the focus is instructional clarity, active student engagement, PLCs, AI integration, attendance, or belonging, effective leaders anticipate these responses and plan accordingly. In this interactive workshop, we will use Rogers’ Adoption Curve as a practical planning tool to map a current school initiative, anticipate likely staff behaviors, and design differentiated leadership supports. Participants should come prepared with a school-based initiative and will leave with an implementation plan, peer feedback, and strategies they can immediately apply within their schools.
Administrators will dive deeper into co-teaching models and identify ways to support staff in effectively embedding these models when coteaching. Learning intentions include strengthening understanding of co-teaching structures that promote collaboration, access, and rigorous instruction for all students. Additionally, participants will identify key look-fors during learning walks, including evidence of shared instructional responsibility, purposeful grouping, student engagement, differentiation, and alignment to standards-based instruction. Administrators will also explore ways to support the planning process, including facilitating collaborative planning time, guiding the use of co-teaching models, supporting alignment of roles and responsibilities, and providing feedback that strengthens instructional coherence and effectiveness.
Administrators will engage in a deep dive into the IEP review process. Learning intentions include understanding how to effectively review an IEP and ensure alignment between the Present Levels of Academic Achievement and Functional Performance (PLAAFP), goals, accommodations, and services. Participants will also learn strategies for providing constructive feedback to teachers to support strong alignment and compliance within the IEP process.
Participants will engage in conversation and activities focused on the unique needs of career switcher teachers. They will contemplate green and red flags when considering career switchers for vacancies, understand the importance of supporting them differently than teachers in traditional teacher preparatory programs, expand their tool kit to employ unique strategies to grow the instructional capacity of career switchers, and prepare for instances when the supports in place are not working and or properly aligned to meet their unique needs. Participants will leave the session better prepared to support the career switcher teachers in the classrooms they supervise.
This session examines artificial intelligence through the eyes of a student and principal, exploring how they currently use AI tools, what ethical frameworks they're operating with (or without), and what school leaders can do to guide that experience intentionally. Focus will be on AI tools that cause thinking and not "just doing the work" for the student. Participants will hear directly from a student regarding the problems with AI and solutions that will lead to higher level thinking and questioning. Topics will cover academic integrity, data privacy, algorithmic bias, attribution, and critical evaluation. Participants will practice facilitating student-centered conversations that build AI literacy rather than simply enforce compliance.
In this session, new elementary assistant principals, administrative assistants, deans, and academic coordinators will explore the elements of high quality observational feedback.
What if the most powerful leadership team in your building isn't sitting in the front office? Most schools have PLC Leads, but few intentionally develop them as leaders. Too often, PLC Leads are expected to facilitate meetings without the training, coaching, or support needed to lead adults and influence instructional practice. The result? PLCs that function as meetings instead of engines for student achievement. In this session, administrators will explore a practical framework for developing PLC Leads into instructional leaders who foster collaboration, build collective efficacy, and drive meaningful change. Discover how investing in teacher leadership can strengthen PLCs, multiply leadership capacity, and improve outcomes for all students.
Effective instructional leadership requires intentional collaboration to ensure equitable student outcomes. This session highlights how an Assistant Principal and instructional coaches partnered to amplify learning for students receiving special education services. Through the Special Education PCI process, coaching cycles, and professional learning, special education teachers deepened their understanding of Specially Designed Instruction (SDI) and strengthened the alignment between IEP goals and the core curriculum. Participants will explore practical structures, including collaborative planning , observations, and data-driven reflection, to build teacher capacity, increase instructional coherence, and ensure SDI is purposeful, measurable, and seamlessly embedded within high-quality Tier I instruction.
Great schools don’t happen by accident; they are intentionally designed. As an Assistant Principal, you are uniquely positioned to bridge the gap between big-picture school goals and daily classroom reality. But how do you build a cohesive instructional vision that actually shifts teacher practice—and how do you scale it from a single department to an entire campus? You will discover how to diagnose current instructional habits, build buy-in with department heads, and establish a clear, non-negotiable standard for what high-quality teaching looks like in your building. Whether you are aiming to transform a struggling department or unify your ILT, you will leave with practical guide to creating a lasting instructional culture.
Administrators will dive deeper into co-teaching models and identify ways to support staff in effectively embedding these models when coteaching. Learning intentions include strengthening understanding of co-teaching structures that promote collaboration, access, and rigorous instruction for all students. Additionally, participants will identify key look-fors during learning walks, including evidence of shared instructional responsibility, purposeful grouping, student engagement, differentiation, and alignment to standards-based instruction. Administrators will also explore ways to support the planning process, including facilitating collaborative planning time, guiding the use of co-teaching models, supporting alignment of roles and responsibilities, and providing feedback that strengthens instructional coherence and effectiveness.
Great observations don't change instruction—great coaching does. Join this interactive session to discover how assistant principals can transform routine observations into powerful opportunities for teacher growth. Learn how to provide focused, evidence-based feedback, set small measurable goals aligned to instructional priorities, leverage the PLC to strengthen team practice, engage instructional specialists as coaching partners, and create meaningful follow-up that drives continuous improvement. Participants will walk away with practical tools for immediate implementation.
Assistant principals strive to be in classrooms every day, gathering valuable insight into teaching and learning. In this interactive session, participants will explore how to transform classroom observations, learning walks, data discussions, and other instructional evidence into meaningful action. Attendees will learn practical strategies for identifying trends, fostering collaborative analysis, and building collective ownership around schoolwide instructional goals. Participants will leave with tools and protocols that can be adapted to support instructional growth, strengthen leadership through connection, and improve student outcomes in any school setting.
Every administrator has encountered a teacher whose performance is not meeting expectations. While some situations ultimately require difficult personnel decisions, many struggling teachers possess the capacity for growth when provided with targeted support, clear expectations, meaningful feedback, and consistent coaching. This interactive session focuses on identifying, developing, and supporting the "saveable" teacher—the educator who demonstrates potential but requires intentional leadership intervention to improve instructional effectiveness. Through role-playing, coaching simulations, and collaborative problem-solving, participants will develop practical tools to move teachers from underperforming to effective while maintaining accountability and high expectations.
To grow your teachers' instructional capacity, you need the right navigational tools. This session sharpens your instructional leadership lens by diving deep into specific "look-for" tools and curriculum updates for secondary English and literacy intervention classrooms. Participants will learn to identify high-quality Tier 1 instruction and intervention aligned with DTAL focuses and expectations, grounded in observation data to coach teacher practice forward. Leave with actionable insights and practical tools to amplify literacy growth and lead effective coaching conversations in your building.
Great schools don’t happen by accident; they are intentionally designed. As an Assistant Principal, you are uniquely positioned to bridge the gap between big-picture school goals and daily classroom reality. But how do you build a cohesive instructional vision that actually shifts teacher practice—and how do you scale it from a single department to an entire campus? You will discover how to diagnose current instructional habits, build buy-in with department heads, and establish a clear, non-negotiable standard for what high-quality teaching looks like in your building. Whether you are aiming to transform a struggling department or unify your ILT, you will leave with practical guide to creating a lasting instructional culture.
Great observations don't change instruction—great coaching does. Join this interactive session to discover how assistant principals can transform routine observations into powerful opportunities for teacher growth. Learn how to provide focused, evidence-based feedback, set small measurable goals aligned to instructional priorities, leverage the PLC to strengthen team practice, engage instructional specialists as coaching partners, and create meaningful follow-up that drives continuous improvement. Participants will walk away with practical tools for immediate implementation.
Participants will equip themselves with practical communication frameworks and data-driven talking points to confidently navigate IEP meetings. Through collaborative case studies, school leaders will learn how to shift the conversation away from isolated, direct therapy requests and toward a consultative model. Attendees will gain knowledge on how to address parent and staff misconceptions, clearly articulating how embedded, classroom-based therapeutic strategies build long-term teacher capacity and maximize continuous student progress.
In this session, new elementary assistant principals, administrative assistants, deans, and academic coordinators will explore the elements of high quality observational feedback.
Explore ideas to build a strategic, schoolwide system to strengthen Tier 1 behavioral and social-emotional learning practices. Using real examples, planning tools, and the VBCPS Tier 1 Universal Behavior Checklist, you'll explore practical ways to enhance support for students and staff. Together we will engage in collaborative inquiry and you will leave with actionable, customizable ideas to implement in your school this year.
To grow your teachers' instructional capacity, you need the right navigational tools. This session sharpens your instructional leadership lens by diving deep into specific "look-for" tools and curriculum updates for secondary English and literacy intervention classrooms. Participants will learn to identify high-quality Tier 1 instruction and intervention aligned with DTAL focuses and expectations, grounded in observation data to coach teacher practice forward. Leave with actionable insights and practical tools to amplify literacy growth and lead effective coaching conversations in your building.
Participants will take a hands-on dive into the SchooLinks platform to learn how they can support streamlined tracking, documentation, and reporting of WBL at their sites. This session will explore best practices for implementation and customization in program management, as well as strategies for training and monitoring teacher implementation. Through familiarization with SchooLinks, our APs will also synchronize on state HQWBL requirements, as well as the larger vision for WBL at VB Schools.
Every school improvement effort eventually reaches the same challenge: educators respond differently to the same initiative. Whether the focus is instructional clarity, active student engagement, PLCs, AI integration, attendance, or belonging, effective leaders anticipate these responses and plan accordingly. In this interactive workshop, we will use Rogers’ Adoption Curve as a practical planning tool to map a current school initiative, anticipate likely staff behaviors, and design differentiated leadership supports. Participants should come prepared with a school-based initiative and will leave with an implementation plan, peer feedback, and strategies they can immediately apply within their schools.
Administrators will engage in a deep dive into the IEP review process. Learning intentions include understanding how to effectively review an IEP and ensure alignment between the Present Levels of Academic Achievement and Functional Performance (PLAAFP), goals, accommodations, and services. Participants will also learn strategies for providing constructive feedback to teachers to support strong alignment and compliance within the IEP process.
Participants will equip themselves with practical communication frameworks and data-driven talking points to confidently navigate IEP meetings. Through collaborative case studies, school leaders will learn how to shift the conversation away from isolated, direct therapy requests and toward a consultative model. Attendees will gain knowledge on how to address parent and staff misconceptions, clearly articulating how embedded, classroom-based therapeutic strategies build long-term teacher capacity and maximize continuous student progress.
The power of instructional leadership grows when leaders combine their expertise with innovative tools. In this interactive session, attendees will explore how administrators and instructional coaches are using AI platforms to strengthen collaboration, streamline workflows, and transform student data into meaningful instructional action. Participants will gain practical strategies for using AI to support observation feedback, coaching conversations, and data-driven instructional planning while maintaining a focus on high-quality teaching and learning. Through real-world examples and collaborative discussion, attendees will learn how AI can amplify leadership capacity while maintaining professional judgment and instructional expertise.
This session examines artificial intelligence through the eyes of a student and principal, exploring how they currently use AI tools, what ethical frameworks they're operating with (or without), and what school leaders can do to guide that experience intentionally. Focus will be on AI tools that cause thinking and not "just doing the work" for the student. Participants will hear directly from a student regarding the problems with AI and solutions that will lead to higher level thinking and questioning. Topics will cover academic integrity, data privacy, algorithmic bias, attribution, and critical evaluation. Participants will practice facilitating student-centered conversations that build AI literacy rather than simply enforce compliance.
Participants will take a hands-on dive into the SchooLinks platform to learn how they can support streamlined tracking, documentation, and reporting of WBL at their sites. This session will explore best practices for implementation and customization in program management, as well as strategies for training and monitoring teacher implementation. Through familiarization with SchooLinks, our APs will also synchronize on state HQWBL requirements, as well as the larger vision for WBL at VB Schools.
