Education Week's 2025 Leadership Symposium Full Program

Speaker:

• Beth Frerking, Education Week Editor in Chief

Meet 8 outstanding and innovative school district leaders whose strategies, track records of success, and deep insights provide lessons and inspiration for other education leaders.

Speakers:

• Daniela Franco Brown, Assistant Managing Editor, Education Week
• Alyson Klein, Assistant Editor, Education Week

Is teacher morale shaped by where teachers work? See exclusive data from EdWeek's annual State of Teaching survey—this time with state-by-state data. States and school districts drive how teachers are prepared, paid, and promoted, and the findings will raise new questions about what leaders and policymakers should consider as they work to support an essential profession.

Speaker:

• Holly Kurtz, Director, EdWeek Research Center

The EdWeek Research Center has found in its research that principals tend to feel their teachers’ morale is much higher than teachers themselves report. Why is that? And could fostering and priortizing more direct conversations about morale between principals and teachers make a difference? In this session, hear from a principal and teachers who've worked to deepen trust by having constructive--and candid--conversations.

Speaker:

• Olina Banjeri, Staff Writer, Education Week (moderator)

See how much AI is already changing the daily lives of teachers in this interactive session when the audience answers questions about how teachers in your schools and districts are using AI for lesson planning, grading, and other job duties. See how those responses compare to an EdWeek survey on this topic in late 2024.

Speaker:

• Lauraine Langreo, Staff Writer, Education Week

Did you know only 52% of teachers are very satisfied with school administrators? Educators want more. How can you deliver? Learn to personalize the way you mentor and support educators, just as they do for students! In this session, you'll gain actionable strategies to differentiate your approach to coaching from a former teacher, principal and school administrator. By elevating relationships with your educators, you’ll elevate the entire school community, inspiring engagement and growth.

Speaker:

• Marie Unger, CEO, Emergenetics International

Two Illinois leaders envisioned--and achieved--big mindset and programming changes to make the high schools in their districts academically rigorous and career relevant for students.

Speakers:

• Jennifer Norrell, Superintendent, East Aurora, Ill. | 2025 Leader to Learn From
• Lazaro Lopez, Associate Superintendent for Teaching & Learning, High School District 214 | 2025 Leader to Learn From
• Sarah Schwartz, Staff Writer, Education Week (moderator)

Raising teacher salaries is often difficult given the typically constrained budgets of public schools. Learn how one district leader's strategy—which relied heavily on centering teachers' voices and experiences—led to success in increasing pay.

Speakers:

• Bill Briggman, Chief Human Resources Officer, Charleston County Schools, Charleston , S.C. | 2025 Leader to Learn From
• Mark Lieberman, Reporter, Education Week (moderator)

Beyond pay raises, what are other ways that school and district leaders can move the needle on teacher morale? Hear ideas and advice from teachers who were featured in EdWeek's annual project The State of Teaching.

Speaker:

• Sarah D. Sparks, Assistant Editor, Education Week (moderator)

Answer questions about your teachers' morale and see how the results compare to our nationally representative survey of teachers.

Speaker:

• Sterling Lloyd, Assistant Director, EdWeek Research Center

More details coming soon.

In this presentation, Peter DeWitt and Michael Nelson will invite school and district leaders into the world of renowned chef Ina Garten’s signature warmth and connection! Join us as we unpack five tasteful lessons from her memoir, revealing how to build trust, foster relationships, deepen impact, and create a school culture where everyone feels at home.

Speakers:

• Peter DeWitt, Founder and CEO, Instructional Leadership Collective
• Mike Nelson, Leadership Coach and Thought Partner, Instructional Leadership Collective

At the heart of the Kansas City, Kansas school district's campaign to drive down chronic absenteeism is research that shows strong relationships with teachers and students can improve attendance—and it's yielding measurable results. In this interview with the district's coordinator of student support programs, learn how building systemwide practices that strengthen interpersonal connections and help attendance teams in every building flag early-warning signs before they snowball into problems.

Speakers:

• Naomi Tolentino, Coordinator of Student Support Programs, Kansas City, Kansas School District | 2025 Leader to Learn From
• Evie Blad, Senior Staff Writer, Education Week (moderator)

Education Week journalists break down the flood of policy changes and directives and what they mean for district and school leaders.

Speaker:

• Matthew Stone, Assistant Managing Editor, Education Week (moderator)

More details coming soon.

Creating a sense of belonging is essential for student success, yet many schools struggle to make all students feel seen, heard, and valued. This session explores practical strategies for fostering inclusive environments through meaningful family engagement, and relationship-building. Learn how schools can use data and proactive outreach to ensure every student feels connected and supported.

Speakers:

• Ty Harris, Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, Virginia Beach, Va. | 2025 Leader to Learn From
• Miranda Scully, Director of Family and Community Engagement, Fayette County Public Schools | 2025 Leader to Learn From
• Ileana Najarro, Staff Writer, Education Week (moderator)

More details coming soon.

More details coming soon.

From esports to computer science, technology is transforming how students learn, connect, and prepare for the future. This session explores how innovative tech programs can engage diverse learners, including students with disabilities, and open doors to new opportunities. Discover how schools are integrating gaming, coding, and real-world applications to foster collaboration, problem-solving, and career readiness.

Speakers:

• Evan Abramson, Director of Innovation and Technology, Morris-Union Jointure Commission in New Providence, N.J. | 2025 Leader to Learn From
• Anna Otto, Computer Science & Online Learning Coordinator, Adams 12 Five Star Schools in Thornton, Colo. | 2025 Leader to Learn From
• Arianna Prothero, Assistant Editor, Education Week (moderator)

Boys are relational learners—they learn best when they have a positive relationship with their teachers. Studies strongly suggest it; male students eagerly confirm it. But teachers sometimes fail to see it. Despite the well-established body of research on the importance of student-teacher relationships, there has been less focus on how boys, specifically, relate to their teachers, who are predominately female. Hear from one expert on what schools and teachers can do to intentionally build stronger relationships with male students.


Speakers:

• Michael Reichert, Executive Director, Center for the Study of Boys’ and Girls’ Lives at the University of Pennsylvania
• Elizabeth Heubeck, Staff Writer, Education Week (moderator)

In Spokane, Wash., elementary and middle schools became no-phone zones and in high schools, the devices are strictly limited. Hear what results the district is seeing and what advice the superintendent has for other leaders weighing their own cellphone policy changes.

Speakers:

• Adam Swinyard, Superintendent, Spokane Public Schools, WA
• Alyson Klein, Assistant Editor, Education Week (moderator)

Metabolizing what you've learned is an essential component of effective professional development. In this interactive session, we will put that advice into practice by highlighting audience ideas and resolutions for leading stronger in the new school year.

Speaker:

• Mary Hendrie, Deputy Opinion Editor, Education Week

More details coming soon.

Schools across the country continue to develop cellphone policies to limit students’ use of the devices in classrooms and on school property. While it’s clear that cellphones are a big distraction for students at a time when their brains are still developing, there’s still so much we don’t know. The research is slim on providing any link between cellphone use and mental health problems for students, even as many have noted that the time students spend staring at their phones can’t be good. What we do know is that research tends to run behind technological advances—and cellphones are no exception.

Educators know there are common-sense approaches to limit cellphone distractions in school, but to get full buy-in on policy changes, they need more evidence. There may be some positive outcomes that schools are seeing from limited or banned use of cellphones, but can we find a middle ground now, especially given the importance parents place on staying in touch with their kids and on the potential of cellphones as learning tools?

Join psychologist Angela Duckworth, author of Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance, in conversation with Education Week’s deputy managing editor Kevin Bushweller to discuss what to consider when managing healthy cellphone use by young people.

Speakers:

• Angela Duckworth, Rosa Lee and Egbert Chang Professor, University of Pennsylvania
• Kevin Bushweller, Deputy Managing Editor, Education Week (moderator)

Speaker:

• Beth Frerking, Education Week Editor in Chief