Building Bridges: Fostering & Cultivating Inclusive Learning Environments

Shaunwell Posley

Create more inclusive classrooms by exploring the significance of positive relationships, learning to identify and challenge biases, and discovering effective strategies for promoting diversity, equity, and respect. Learn about the tools needed to foster a safe and supportive atmosphere that values all perspectives, enhancing the overall learning experience for every student.

Understanding by Divine Design: Acquisition, Meaning Making & Transfer

Dr. Acacia J. Ford

Learn to design courses and content units by starting with the desired learning outcomes and working backward. The divine design framework is based on the idea that students of color (specifically) should be able to transfer their knowledge to real-world situations.

Transformation Through Confrontation: Mastering Discipline for Student Success Raymond Smith

Focus on how thoughtful and intentional confrontation can transform the educational experience for students and educators. Learn strategies to approach students often, but with care and purpose, creating a culture that supports learning, growth, and character building for students and educators.

Breaking Barriers, Healing Hearts, Changing Lives: Elevating Girls of Color with (Sister)Hood of Hope, Inc.

Briana Morales

Girls of color face unique challenges due to intersecting identities, and they also exhibit incredible resilience. Explore how ​(Sister​)hood of Hope Inc. creates spaces for girls to confront and overcome challenges together​ through the organization’s dynamic model of mentorship and adapted positive youth development. Learn how to build programs that equip young people with coping strategies and reinforce the power of collective healing​ through sisterhood.

Trauma & Black Educators-Administrators Experience: Rising Beyond Through Community Building & Psychological Safety

Regina Johnson

Address the current climate and experiences impacting Black and Brown Educators/Admins. Discuss support, radical self-care, in addition to advocating for Psychologically Safe school communities.

The Search for the People’s King 

Tony Bradburn

Elevate our collective understanding of the true MLK; his thoughts, words, and actions have been sanitized and obscured. Let's come together to educate ourselves on why and how MLK's compelling vision turned into a collective memory that transforms the activist into a teddy bear. Let’s develop growth steps that will inspire you and your learning community.

From Trauma to Transformation: Healing & Liberation Practices 

Sofia Gonzalez

Learna about best practices ("flows") for inner healing and sustaining their work in equity and education. Through research, lived experiences, interactive activities, and brain science on neurogenesis, participants will gain tools to prioritize self-care, recognize somatic trauma responses, and navigate systemic challenges like racism and language injustice. This session creates space for those impacted by secondary trauma and burnout, ensuring they leave refueled, inspired, and empowered to transform personal healing into collective change.

From Disparity to Opportunity: Tackling Data, Digital, and AI Literacy Gaps 

Karen Jenkins

Experience an interactive session exploring Inquiry-Based and Experiential Learning frameworks to empower students with data literacy, digital literacy, and ethical AI tool use. Engage in hands-on strategies for integrating data and AI tools into education, promoting critical thinking, ethical analysis, and diverse learner support. Discover how these approaches foster student-centered learning where all stakeholders question, analyze, and innovate with data and AI technologies.

The Impact of the Model Minority Myth on Educational Experiences of Asian American Students 

Rakhi Mistry

This session will define the Model Minority Myth and delve into educational experiences of Asian Americans in the context of the model minority. The workshop will highlight personal stories, address the potential harms of the stigma in the Asian community, and the impact on mental health. It will also deepen educators' knowledge about the Model Minority Myth to disrupt the myth that has harmed not only Asian Americans, but all BIPOC individuals.

Belonging: Making an Impact During Challenging Times 

Monet Webster

This presentation will discuss the DEI journey in our district. Provide actionable steps to take and apply in any school district. Finally, this presentation will empower and encourage people to continue to work in DEI no matter the challenging times.