edLeader Panel

Parent-teacher conference

From Engagement to Academic Impact: Turning Family Partnerships Into Action

Presented by Dr. Cristina Melendez, Former Deputy Chancellor of Family, Community, and Student Empowerment, New York City Department of Education; Windy Lopez-Aflitto, Senior Vice President of Professional Learning, Learning Heroes; and Samantha Fils-Aimé, Assistant Vice President, Curriculum and Instruction, Springboard Collaborative
Moderated by Keo Chea-Young, Ed.D., Academic Success Partner, Springboard Collaborative

Current Education Technology Hurdles, Accelerators, and Enablers: CoSN’s 2026 Driving K-12 Innovation Report

Current Education Technology Hurdles, Accelerators, and Enablers: CoSN’s 2026 Driving K-12 Innovation Report

Presented by Dr. Doug Brubaker, Superintendent, Chesapeake Public Schools (VA); Dr. Karen Cheser, Superintendent, Durango School District (CO); Glenn Robbins, Superintendent, Brigantine Public School District (NJ); and Laura Geringer, Project Director, Driving K-12 Innovation, CoSN (Consortium for School Networking)
Moderated by Ann McMullan, Project Director, CoSN/AASA EmpowerED Superintendents Initiative, CoSN (Consortium for School Networking)

Building Literacy Success for Multilingual Learners: Lessons From Two Districts

Building Literacy Success for Multilingual Learners: Lessons From Two Districts

Presented by Dr. Antonio A. Fierro, Literacy Expert, Science of Reading Center at SUNY New Paltz; Sarah Walters, Literacy Instructional Support Specialist and IMSE Level 4 Orton-Gillingham (OG) Master Instructor, Troy City Schools (OH); and Dr. Nicole Florez, Former Educator, Current Curriculum Designer, Institute for Multi-Sensory Education (IMSE)

Smiling students reading

The Literacy Crisis: If It’s a Right, Why Is It Still a Privilege?

Presented by Octavia Gray-Essex, Ed.D., Former Educator, Current Senior Education Advisor, Lexia; Caresa Dodson, Ph.D., LETRS Professional Learning Customer Success Manager, Lexia; Carly Waters, Ph.D., LETRS Dedicated District Success Manager, Lexia; and Jessica Stroven, LETRS Professional Learning Customer Success Manager, Lexia

Building Workforce-Ready Cybersecurity Skills in the Classroom

Building Workforce-Ready Cybersecurity Skills in the Classroom

Presented by Ronald Adams, Experienced Educator, Instructional Leader, Cyber Intelligence Academy at Park Crossing High School, Montgomery Public Schools (AL); Rashad Robinson, Experienced Educator, Tech Coordinator and Cyber Teacher, Cyber Intelligence Academy at Park Crossing High School, Montgomery Public Schools (AL); and Jessica S. Tickle, Experienced Educator, Instructor, PLTW Engineering and Cybersecurity, Center for Academic Achievement, Shawnee Mission School District (KS)
Moderated by Derek Babb, Experienced Educator, Cyber Security Lecturer, University of Nebraska at Omaha

AI in Action: What’s Working in the Field

AI in Action: What’s Working in the Field

Presented by Dr. Jared Bloom, Superintendent, Franklin Square Union Free School District (NY); Shaylia McRae, Deputy Superintendent, Academics and Transformation, Hillsborough County Public Schools (FL); Dr. Debbie Durrence, Interim Chief Accountability Officer, Gwinnett County Public Schools (GA); and Dan Bridges, Superintendent, Naperville Community Unit School District 203 (IL)
Moderated by Dr. Jennifer Ferrari, Chief Executive Officer, ERDI; and Jeff McCoy, Chief Education Officer, ERDI