Empowering Leaders' Symposium 2026

To be determined

In this session, leaders will learn ways to support teachers in using quality questioning and academic conversations to ensure cognitive engagement and critical thinking.

slide deck: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1qBsjn80bNykpSI8gpGvR_0FYP_ERGf0YugJcSeEu0Uo/edit?slide=id.g35f391192_00#slide=id.g35f391192_00

Move beyond surface-level engagement to identify what truly matters in mathematics instruction. This session focuses on the evidenced-based practices from the VDOE along how to recognize evidence of strong teaching and learning during classroom visits. Participants will leave with clear, actionable look-fors to guide feedback, calibrate expectations, and support consistent, high-quality mathematics instruction across classrooms.

This session shifts the focus from simplifying content to engineering it for Multilingual Learner (ML) success. Leaders will identify high-leverage instructional moves and evidence-based techniques that bridge the gap between language proficiency and grade-level rigor. Explore how amplified texts maintain linguistic complexity, ensuring MLs can both access and master the curriculum. Gain a coaching framework to analyze ML literacy profiles, guide PLCs to maintain rigor, and know exactly what to look for when observing teachers using engineered or amplified text.

When ESL and content teachers collaborate effectively, the classroom transforms into a powerhouse for student achievement. School leaders must move beyond simply scheduling collaboration; they must strategically lead co-planning pairs for maximum impact. This session will help you examine effective structures for collaboration between general education and LIEP teachers and introduce observation tools for co-teaching. We will clarify the distinct roles at the planning table: the content teacher provides the rigor of the standards, and the ESL teacher provides the linguistic pathways to achieve them. Learn how to ensure your teams seamlessly merge WIDA Language Expectations with Core Content Standards to create a single, cohesive lesson. Finally, we will discuss creative administrative solutions for the greatest challenge—securing and protecting shared planning time as a non-negotiable for multilingual learner success.