edWebinars
«Back to all edWebinars- This event has passed.
School Improvement: From Plans to Performance Across K-12 Districts
Monday, October 5, 2026 @ 3:00 pm - 4:00 pm EDT
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
Sponsored by Edmentum
Learn more about earning a CE certificate and our accessibility features.
Leaders whose schools were designated for improvement this year likely have access to critical funding they haven’t yet tapped—and a shrinking window to use it. Every fall, states designate a new cohort of schools as low-performing, opening eligibility for federal Title dollars, including Title I School Improvement funds. Most leaders know the money exists, but what matters most is accessing it quickly, allocating it with a purpose, and driving meaningful local results.
School-level leaders and district administrators overseeing improvement plans, funding allocation, and instructional strategy will gain valuable insights from this edLeader Panel. Gain perspectives from experts who track funding policy, help districts translate policy into funding strategy, and have led implementation at the district level. The panelists move past a basic overview of the funds and resources available, instead delivering practical guidance for leaders. They also highlight the common places where districts get stuck and what separates a plan that stays on paper from one that changes outcomes.
Three takeaways:
- Which funding streams to target and when—A clear picture of the dollars available to designated schools and the fall timeline for securing them before they expire
- How to translate funding into instructional strategy—Practical guidance on aligning improvement dollars with initiatives like targeted intervention and personalized learning, rather than treating funding and instruction as separate tracks
- A real district's playbook—A firsthand account from Clarendon County School District on the actions that have enabled measurable academic gains
This recorded edLeader Panel will be of interest to K-12 school leaders, district leaders, and education technology leaders.
About the Presenters
Hillary Rinaldi is a Vice President for Whiteboard Advisors. Her work bridges policy and politics, focusing on strategy, advocacy, and research across the PK-12 education system. Hillary’s previous roles include Deputy Chief of Staff at the Tennessee Department of Education, where she co-authored Tennessee’s plan for the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) and oversaw the implementation of multi-million-dollar strategic initiatives connected to early literacy, high-quality instructional materials, and school improvement efforts across the state. Prior to TDOE, Hillary worked as K-12 Policy Staffer for the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee. She serves as the National Lead for the National Math Improvement Project, a community of practice with six of the country’s largest school districts focused on strengthening math curricula, instruction, and student outcomes. Hillary earned her bachelor’s degree in political science and child development from Vanderbilt University and her master’s degree in education policy and organizational leadership from Stanford Graduate School of Education.
Jill Owens is an experienced educator and Instructional Technology Coach with more than 25 years in education. She currently supports teachers and administrators through professional development, instructional technology integration, software implementation, and data-informed instruction. Throughout her career, Jill has served as a classroom teacher, reading remediation teacher, digital resource coach, and instructional technology coach, giving her a strong understanding of both classroom instruction and district-level technology support. Jill holds a Master of Education in Divergent Learning from Columbia College and a Bachelor of Science in Early Childhood Education from Winthrop University. She has been recognized as the Carolina Consortium for Enterprise Learning Digital Resource Coach of the Year and is passionate about helping educators use technology purposefully to enhance teaching and learning.
Will Krebs is Vice President of Government Relations at Edmentum, where his work focuses on strategy and advocacy across state and federal K-12 education policy. Will's expertise spans state and federal education funding, career and technical education, workforce development, and school improvement and accountability. Will began his career as a classroom teacher on the Navajo Nation in New Mexico, where he taught sixth grade through 12th grade special education, gifted education, and coached football and basketball. He has held a variety of leadership positions at state departments of education in Indiana and Florida, serving as Deputy Chief of Staff and Deputy Commissioner for the FL DOE.
Will has over a decade of experience leading policy, government relations, and community engagement work in the education sector. He is from a small farm town in Kansas and holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology from Baker University in Baldwin City, KS; a Master of Arts degree in Education Foundations, Policy, and Practice from the University of Colorado, Boulder; a certificate in education finance from Georgetown University; and is a Ph.D. candidate in educational policy studies at the University of Kansas. He lives in Overland Park, KS, with his daughter, who both enjoy native gardening, riding bikes, camping, and building with Legos.
About the Moderator
Ross Romano is a marketing, communications, and media leader who currently serves as Director of Strategic Communications for Edmentum. In this role, he oversees comprehensive strategy for all owned and earned channels, including corporate communications, web, content marketing, and social media. Prior to joining Edmentum, he was the founder of the award-winning education consultancy September Strategies and Managing Director of full-stack edtech marketing agency MindRocket Media Group. In these roles and others over the past decade-plus, he has supported communications and marketing efforts and served as a strategic advisor for more than 100 companies and non-profits in K-12, and collaborated with countless school and district leaders. Ross is also the co-founder of the Be Podcast Network, an education-centered community of 60+ series reaching more than two million educators globally.
Join the Leadership Practices for Innovative Leaders community to network with educators, participate in online discussions, receive invitations to upcoming edWebinars, and view recordings of previous programs to earn CE certificates.
Learn more about earning a CE certificate and our accessibility features.
Edmentum believes that every student deserves the opportunity to thrive everywhere learning occurs—whether they seek to catch up, stay on track, or chart their own path. When you pair Edmentum’s comprehensive, research-backed learning acceleration solutions—including digital curriculum and courses, K-12 diagnostic-driven personalized intervention, and virtual instruction—with empowered and supported educators, you can change the direction of students’ lives. We partner with K-12 educators in all 50 states and 100+ countries worldwide to design, implement, and sustain the programs that deliver on this shared promise of learning acceleration for every student.
