Empowering Leaders' Symposium 2026: Full Schedule

Welcome to the Henrico County Public Schools 2026 Empowering Leaders Symposium

You will be able to validate your attendance (Check-In to sessions) using your personal schedule.

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8:15am EDT

Specially Designed Instruction for Administrators

Wednesday June 3, 2026 8:15am - 9:15am EDT

PRESENTATION LINK

School leaders will understand what specially designed instruction (SDI) is and understand the role of special and general educators in delivering specialized instruction

Speakers

Tiffany Young

Wednesday June 3, 2026 8:15am - 9:15am EDT
Auditorium

Academic Achievement, Required

10:15am EDT

Alternative Pathways for SWD to earn a Standard Diploma

Wednesday June 3, 2026 10:15am - 11:30am EDT

1103

Speakers

Laura Tully

Wednesday June 3, 2026 10:15am - 11:30am EDT
1103

Academic Achievement, Choice for all leaders

10:15am EDT

Coaching is for EVERYONE!: Setting Expectations for Authentic Engagement

Wednesday June 3, 2026 10:15am - 11:30am EDT

2203

Discover how to position coaching as a core part of professional practice that supports every educator. In this session, school leaders will gain strategies to align coaching with School Support Plan goals, implement ongoing coaching cycles, and build a culture of trust, collaboration, and continuous improvement. Leave with actionable tools to elevate the visibility and impact of coaching in your school.

Speakers

Denise Clary

Specialist, School Quality

Sarah Combs

Coaching Support Specialist, Federal Programs & Foundational Learning

Coaching Support Specialist

Nicole Sanchez-Coe

School Quality Specialist, School Quality

Nicole Sanchez-Coe is a dedicated educator with over 18 years of experience in the classroom. Her career began in New York City, where she was selected as a Teaching Fellow and launched her work in education at a middle school in the Bronx. During this time, she earned her Master’s... Read More →

Wednesday June 3, 2026 10:15am - 11:30am EDT
2203

Academic Achievement, Choice for all leaders

10:15am EDT

ELEMENTARY- REQUIRED Session-Choose your OWN Adventure

Wednesday June 3, 2026 10:15am - 11:30am EDT

Commons 2

LINK for Huddle Groups

Speakers

Mike Dussault

Wednesday June 3, 2026 10:15am - 11:30am EDT
Commons 2

Academic Achievement, Required

10:15am EDT

Leading for LifeReady: Practical Strategies to Embed Durable Skills School-wide

Wednesday June 3, 2026 10:15am - 11:30am EDT

1110

Please join the Department of Innovation for “Leading for LifeReady,” a session designed to support school leaders in identifying key innovation priorities for the year ahead. Through this session, participants will explore actionable strategies for integrating the Henrico Learner Profile's (HLP) durable skills into the heart of their school culture to empower students through voice, choice, and leadership opportunities. In addition, we will explore how durable skills equip students to thrive in a world shaped by artificial intelligence. Participants will learn to use an AI-powered tool to crosswalk their school's goals with the HLP, creating deeper connections between strategic planning and student success.
Leave with actionable ideas and a toolkit of strategies to bring back to your building, and a clearer understanding of how to maximize the role of your Innovation Learning Coach (ILC) to drive meaningful change and support staff throughout the year.

Speakers

Kourtney Bostain

Director of Innovation

Kourtney is in her 23rd year in education and currently serves as the Director of Innovation for Henrico County Public Schools. She started her career as a middle school social studies teacher at Brookland Middle, then moved into instructional technology as an ITRT at Moody and Quioccasin... Read More →

Laura van Bylandt

Central Innovative Learning Coach, Henrico County Public Schools

National Board Certified Educator and former Middle and High School Art teacher with 20 years of experience in Henrico County Public Schools. Laura previously taught Art at Godwin HS, Wilder MS, Hungary Creek MS, and Glen Allen High School. She was the ILC at Short Pump Middle School... Read More →

Doug Saunders

Innovative Learning Specialist, Henrico County Public Schools

I work in the Department of Innovation for Henrico County Public Schools, where I enjoy supporting school leaders and educators in designing forward-thinking learning experiences. I'm passionate about creativity, collaboration, and exploring emergent technologies that can transform... Read More →

Wednesday June 3, 2026 10:15am - 11:30am EDT
1110

Academic Achievement, Choice for all leaders

10:15am EDT

School Quality 2025-2026 (Secondary)- REQUIRED

Wednesday June 3, 2026 10:15am - 11:30am EDT

1106/1107

This is a required session for all Principals and Associate Principals to review the 2025-2026 School Quality Process

Speakers

Ann Marie Seely

Director of Teaching, Learning, and School Quality, Henrico County Schools

Wednesday June 3, 2026 10:15am - 11:30am EDT
1106/1107

Academic Achievement, Required

10:15am EDT

Specialty Center Expectations and Appeals

Wednesday June 3, 2026 10:15am - 11:30am EDT

2102

This session will highlight the specialty center expectations handbook, with revisions from its first year of implementation. Administrators will have the opportunity to learn and discuss alignment for expectations, withdrawal procedures, and appeals for withdrawals and the application process. Participants will learn and explore how standard aliignment across the district can proactively mitigate common issues that arise across specialty centers.

Speakers

Stephanie Lambrecht

District Leader, Central Office, Department of Teaching and Learning, Specialty Centers

Educational Specialist

Wednesday June 3, 2026 10:15am - 11:30am EDT
2102

Academic Achievement, Recommended

12:30pm EDT

Bridges Math Intervention for Leaders

Wednesday June 3, 2026 12:30pm - 1:45pm EDT

1106/1107

Speakers

Kelly Parker

Elementary Math Specialist, Elementary Teaching and Learning

Wednesday June 3, 2026 12:30pm - 1:45pm EDT
1106/1107

Academic Achievement, Choice for all leaders

12:30pm EDT

Coaching is for EVERYONE!: Setting Expectations for Authentic Engagement

Wednesday June 3, 2026 12:30pm - 1:45pm EDT

2203

Speakers

Denise Clary

Specialist, School Quality

Sarah Combs

Coaching Support Specialist, Federal Programs & Foundational Learning

Coaching Support Specialist

Nicole Sanchez-Coe

School Quality Specialist, School Quality

Wednesday June 3, 2026 12:30pm - 1:45pm EDT
2203

Academic Achievement, Choice for all leaders

12:30pm EDT

From Data to Decisions: Uncovering Patterns & Tracking Progress with Unified Insights

Wednesday June 3, 2026 12:30pm - 1:45pm EDT

2109/2110

This collaborative workshop, co-presented by the Teaching & Learning and School Quality departments, will support participants in using Unified Insights to better understand and interpret elementary ELA intervention data. Together, we will explore how the platform brings multiple data sources into focus—revealing patterns, highlighting student progress, and helping schools tell a cohesive story that drives instructional and strategic decisions.
Outcomes:
* Understand how to interpret elementary ELA intervention data within Unified Insights
* Learn how to identify and monitor student progress over time
* Strengthen collaboration between instructional and school quality efforts"

Speakers

Jen Perry

School Quality Manager, Henrico County Public Schools

Christina Saunders

Education Specialist - Elementary ELA, Henrico County Public Schools

Wednesday June 3, 2026 12:30pm - 1:45pm EDT
2109/2110

Academic Achievement, Choice for all leaders

12:30pm EDT

Specialty Center Expectations and Appeals

Wednesday June 3, 2026 12:30pm - 1:45pm EDT

2102

Speakers

Stephanie Lambrecht

District Leader, Central Office, Department of Teaching and Learning, Specialty Centers

Educational Specialist

Wednesday June 3, 2026 12:30pm - 1:45pm EDT
2102

Academic Achievement, Recommended

1:55pm EDT

Best Practice For Attendance Team Support and Engagement

Wednesday June 3, 2026 1:55pm - 3:10pm EDT

2107

Wondering how an attendance team can make a difference with supporting attendance? Curious about how attendance interventions and strategies can be applied using a tiered system approach? Then this session is for you! Join this session for an active and engaging learning session that will:
Review the current protocol for addressing and supporting attendance,
Highlight the design of effective attendance teams, including roles and responsibilities of team members, and
Introduce participants to various attendance strategies and interventions using a tiered system of support approach.

Speakers

Jan Parrish

Shenita Williams

Wednesday June 3, 2026 1:55pm - 3:10pm EDT
2107

Academic Achievement, Recommended

1:55pm EDT

Elevating Student Learning: Observing What Matters Most in Science Instruction

Wednesday June 3, 2026 1:55pm - 3:10pm EDT

1104

Deepen your understanding of what high-quality science instruction looks like in the elementary & secondary classroom. Explore key indicators of student engagement, scientific discourse, hands-on investigations, and reflective practice. Together, we’ll unpack observable practices that support inquiry-based learning, discuss how to recognize effective questioning and discourse strategies, and examine tools to guide meaningful feedback and teacher reflection. Leave with a clear vision and actionable look-fors to support powerful science teaching in every classroom.
Presentation Link

Speakers

Karen Hues

Elementary Science Specialist, Henrico County Public Schools

Rachael L. Toy

Education Specialist - Secondary Science, Secondary Teaching and Learning

Educational Specialist - Secondary Science

Wednesday June 3, 2026 1:55pm - 3:10pm EDT
1104

Academic Achievement, Recommended

1:55pm EDT

Integrating Capstones and Work-Based Learning Across Specialty Centers

Wednesday June 3, 2026 1:55pm - 3:10pm EDT

2104

Four specialty center coordinators will discuss how they embed capstone experiences and work-based learning opportunities into their curriculum. The center's theme-based focuses are: Information Technology, Education and Human Development, Spanish Language and Global Citizenship, and The Arts (visual arts, theater, musical theater, and dance). This panel discussion will allow the directors to describe the student experiences in detail. These details will include: 1. Curriculum alignment and embeddedness 2. Logistics for planning for the experience 3. Communicating expectations to students and families 4. Rubric for evaluating 5. Community partnerships to facilitate a successful experience 6. Collaboration across the school division 7. How their specialty center capstones and work-based learning experiences help to reinforce division teaching and learning objectives to create life ready students with durable skills. Coordinators will share their lessons learned, and the value these experiences add to the curriculum. There will be interactive portions throughout the panel discussion to provide follow-up commentary or additional questions for the panel.

Speakers

Stephanie Lambrecht

District Leader, Central Office, Department of Teaching and Learning, Specialty Centers

Educational Specialist

Wednesday June 3, 2026 1:55pm - 3:10pm EDT
2104

Academic Achievement, Choice for all leaders

1:55pm EDT

Leading with Language: Strengthening ESL Instruction and Compliance in Your Schools

Wednesday June 3, 2026 1:55pm - 3:10pm EDT

2109/2110

Empower yourself to lead and support multilingual learners more effectively! This session will guide administrators in examining ESL curriculum through a side-by-side look at general education content lessons and ESL language-focused lessons. Learn what to look for during ESL teacher observations, how to differentiate between content and language objectives, and how to ensure your school remains in compliance with ESL regulations. Walk away with clear strategies to champion strong language instruction across all classrooms.

Presentation Link: https://tinyurl.com/LIEPELS2025

Speakers