Empower EDU

This session will challenge leaders to shift their mindset and actively examine the environment for innovation. We'll engage in a focused, critical analysis of the current conditions and assumptions that either foster or impede progress, both at the district level and within the individual leader. We'll dive deep into key structural and cultural resources, asking: Does our district's tolerance for risk promote experimentation, or is the fear of failure paralyzing? This session will empower leaders to not only identify existing constraints but to strategically cultivate an environment where innovative practices flourish, ultimately leading to demonstrably improved student outcomes.

In this session, participants will explore how self-directed learning and student agency can be leveraged to support Tier 2 and Tier 3 students with behavioral needs. Grounded in practical strategies and real-world application, this workshop will highlight ways to shift students from compliance-based models to ownership-driven growth, increasing engagement, accountability, and long-term behavioral success.Participants will also examine how to embed self-directed learning practices into instructional coaching cycles. Emphasis will be placed on aligning these practices with professional development plans, school improvement goals, and MTSS frameworks to ensure consistency and sustainability across classrooms and teams.Attendees will leave with actionable tools, reflection protocols, and implementation strategies that can be immediately applied to support both student behavior outcomes and teacher growth.

Schools are under pressure to address concerns about screen time, but minutes alone do not tell the whole story. This session helps educators and leaders move beyond outdated binaries and toward a more useful question: what kinds of digital experiences develop agency, critical thinking, belonging, and well-being? Participants will explore how to evaluate digital media use in terms of instructional purpose, cognitive engagement, and student ownership. Grounded in the OECD Learning Compass, NC Portrait of a Graduate, and classroom practice, this session offers a future-ready framework for making better decisions about technology use in learning.

Link to Presentation - https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1RSc28TqY9yIFKSopRwoq2BUfHxsZyHyN4VHMjDlLrN8/edit 

Are you looking for standards alignment, inquiry-based design, and student agency all built into units?  Curriculum Genie can grant that wish by harnessing AI to help educators build brand-new lesson plans and full units, or revise existing ones, in minutes, with built-in support for North Carolina learning standards and Portrait of a Graduate competencies. Come explore how smart prompting can generate and refine differentiated, self-directed learning experiences that meet students where they are and move them forward.

Slide Deck:  https://canva.link/wish-gerb