edLeader Panel

Closing the Literacy Gap: Supporting California’s English Learners in Middle School

Closing the Literacy Gap: Supporting California’s English Learners in Middle School

Presented by Denise Macias, Principal, Fedde Middle School, ABC Unified School District (CA); Dr. Claude Goldenberg, Nomellini & Olivier Professor of Education, Emeritus, Graduate School of Education at Stanford University; Graciela García-Torres, Director, Multilingual Education Department, Sacramento County Office of Education (CA); and Caroline Davidson, Former Educator, Current Associate Manager of Learning Design, World Book

Mentorship, Leadership, and Growth: The Relationships That Help Us Become

Mentorship, Leadership, and Growth: The Relationships That Help Us Become

Presented by BethAnne Hines, Ed.D., Principal, Arp Elementary School, Arp Independent School District (TX); Schronda Burns, Texas Rising Star Mentor, Texas Workforce Commission; and Stephanie Schminkey, Chief Academic Officer, Kilgore Independent School District (TX)
Moderated by Connie Warren, M.Ed., Former Educator, Current Sr. Marketing Manager, BookNook

Building Literacy Success for English Learners: Real Results from the District Level

Building Literacy Success for English Learners: Real Results from the District Level

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); Silvia Gonzalez-Powers, District Literacy and Multilingual Learner Leader, Boston Public Schools (MA); and Dr. Nicole Florez, Former Educator, Current Curriculum Designer, Institute for Multi-Sensory Education (IMSE)

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)

School Improvement: From Plans to Performance Across K-12 Districts

School Improvement: From Plans to Performance Across K-12 Districts

Presented by Hillary Rinaldi, Vice President, Whiteboard Advisors; Jill Owens, District Instructional Technology Coach, Clarendon County School District (SC); and Will Krebs, Former Educator, Current Vice President, Government Relations, Edmentum
Moderated by Ross Romano, Director, Strategic Communications, Edmentum

A teacher, student, and parents working together

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

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