Presented by Dr. Julie A. Evans, Chief Executive Officer, Project Tomorrow; Christina Fleming, Chief Marketing Officer, Blackboard; Dr. Daniel A. Domenech, Executive Director, AASA, The School Superintendents Association; and a panel of K-12 students

Sponsored by Project Tomorrow

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Closed captioning will be added to the recording within 2 weeks of the live presentation. Get a CE Certificate for this edLeader Panel Learn more

American education has been forever changed by the events of the past two years. Beyond the obvious changes in school formats, there is also a new awareness in our schools and communities about the critical need to address inequities in education. This awareness is driving discussions about the quality of students’ learning experiences, their engagement in school, and how well we are preparing all students for future success beyond the classroom.

In this year’s annual Speak Up Congressional Briefing, we share the latest research findings on student engagement and self-empowerment in learning today, and where opportunities exist to create more equitable learning experiences for all students. Of special note will be the focus on how the changes over the past two years have impacted our students and what that means for their future success.

The 2021 Speak Up Congressional Briefing is a virtual event again this year enabling participation by a wider audience of K-12 education stakeholders. The research data comes to life with a panel of students from around the country. The student panel includes a 7th grader from Albemarle County Public Schools, VA; an 11th grader from Arrowhead Union High School District, WI; an 11th grader from Buffalo Public Schools, NY; and a 12th grader from San Marcos Unified School District, CA. They will respond to the findings and provide their own recommendations for improving American education.

This recorded edLeader Panel will be of interest to school and district leaders, teachers, librarians, policymakers, and all who are interested in the potential of student ideas to improve education.

About the Presenters

Dr. Julie A. Evans is the CEO of Project Tomorrow and the founder of the heralded Speak Up Research Project. She serves as the chief researcher on the Speak Up Project as well as leading research efforts on the impact of innovative learning models and interventions in both K-12 and higher education. As a national thought leader and influencer, Dr. Evans leverages her career experiences as a tech entrepreneur and nonprofit leader to stimulate new discussions within the education ecosystem. She is a graduate of Brown University and earned her doctorate in educational leadership from the University of California, San Diego. Dr. Evans serves on several boards and advisory councils and is a frequent speaker and writer on digital learning. She was named in 2020 as the winner of EdTech Digest’s National Leader award. Dr. Evans is the longest-serving woman executive in the education technology nonprofit sector.

Christina Fleming is the Chief Marketing Officer at Blackboard. In her role as CMO, Christina is focused on communicating and representing Blackboard’s mission to advance learning. Her team oversees all aspects of product marketing, brand, communications, and go-to-market strategies on behalf of Blackboard.

Prior to becoming CMO, Christina was responsible for the management of Blackboard’s education technology portfolio designed for K-12. In this role, she was responsible for managing the product roadmap, the overall K-12 P&L, as well as the K-12 marketing strategy and client communications. Prior to joining the K-12 team, Christina was responsible for building and leading the Marketing and Enrollment Services division within Blackboard Success Services. In this capacity, Christina led consulting initiatives offering strategic marketing and enrollment planning services to Higher Education clients. She also previously served as the Sr. Director of Brand Strategy and Creative at Blackboard.

Prior to Blackboard, Christina spent 12 years in various marketing roles working in telecommunications. Christina has a bachelor’s in business with a concentration in marketing from The University of Notre Dame. She lives in Maryland.

Dr. Daniel A. Domenech has served as Executive Director of AASA, The School Superintendents Association since July 2008. Dr. Domenech has more than 36 years of experience in public education, 27 of those years served as a school superintendent.

Prior to joining AASA, Dr. Domenech served as Senior Vice President for National Urban Markets with McGraw-Hill Education. In this role, he was responsible for building strong relationships with large school districts nationwide.

Prior to his position at McGraw-Hill, Dr. Domenech served for seven years as Superintendent of the Fairfax County Public Schools (VA), the 12th largest school system in the nation with 168,000 students.

Dr. Domenech, an AASA member since 1979, served as President of AASA from July 1998 to June 1999. He is also a past president of the New York State Council of School Superintendents, the Suffolk County Superintendents Association, and the Suffolk County Organization for Promotion of Education. He was the first president and co-founder of the New York State Association for Bilingual Education.

In addition, Dr. Domenech has served on the U.S. Department of Education’s National Assessment Governing Board, the advisory board for the Department of Defense Schools, the board of directors of the Association for the Advancement of International Education, the Board of Overseers for the Baldrige Award and the boards of the Institute for Educational Leadership, National Board for Professional Teaching Standards, Sea Research Foundation, and Education Policy Institute. Currently, he serves on the boards of the Learning First Alliance, National Student Clearinghouse, Center for Naval Analyses, Horace Mann Educators Corporation, ACT, and USAC, and as Board Chair for Communities in Schools of Virginia.

Closed captioning will be added to the recording within 2 weeks of the live presentation.

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Project Tomorrow is a national nonprofit organization with a mission to ensure that today’s students are well-prepared to become tomorrow’s leaders, innovators and engaged citizens of the world. We support that mission with programs and research that focus on innovation and new learning models in the K-12 classroom, including through the effective use of technology.