LEAD conference program
Join us at McNamara Alumni Center for two days of actionable insights, tools, and strategies to help you create more equitable education systems.
Schedule of events
A full schedule of events is available. Note: All speakers and times are subject to change.
Day 1 program details: July 28
8 - 9 a.m.
Registration and networking breakfast | Minnesota Room area
9 - 9:15 a.m.
Welcome and introduction to keynote | Memorial Hall
9:15 - 10:15 a.m.
Keynote | Memorial Hall
Title: Reclaiming Teaching, Learning, and Human Possibility in the Age of Artificial Intelligence
Christopher Emdin, PhD, is an internationally recognized scholar, author, speaker, creative strategist, and educator whose work has transformed the global conversation around teaching, learning, culture, creativity, and innovation. He is the Maxine Greene Chair for Distinguished Contributions to Education and Professor of Science Education at Teachers College, Columbia University, where he also serves as Program Director for Science Education.
Dr. Emdin also serves as Director of Creativity, Innovation, and Entrepreneurship for the STEAM Dream IdeaLab, where he leads initiatives that bring together science, technology, engineering, the arts, design thinking, entrepreneurship, and radical imagination. Through this work, he has become a leading voice in helping schools, organizations, and institutions rethink creativity not as an accessory to learning, but as essential to human flourishing, innovation, and transformation.
Known for bridging the worlds of hip hop, science, spirituality, pedagogy, design, and social justice, Dr. Emdin challenges audiences to reimagine what education, leadership, and creativity can look like in the modern world. His groundbreaking work on reality pedagogy, culturally sustaining education, and creative engagement has influenced classrooms, school systems, universities, and organizations internationally.
Dr. Emdin is the author of numerous influential books, including the New York Times bestselling For White Folks Who Teach in the Hood…and the Rest of Y’all Too, Ratchetdemic, STEM, STEAM, Make, Dream, and most recently, The Sacred Art of Teaching, coauthored with legendary educator Lisa Delpit.
His leadership extends far beyond the University. Dr. Emdin serves on the board of the Fund for Public Schools and is a founding board member of the Bronx High School of Hip Hop, helping to shape educational spaces grounded in culture, creativity, artistry, community, and youth brilliance.
Whether speaking to educators, artists, business leaders, students, policymakers, or community organizations, Dr. Emdin brings a rare combination of scholarship, storytelling, cultural insight, humor, and visionary thinking that leaves audiences challenged, inspired, and transformed.
10:30 - 11:15 a.m.
Breakout session 1
Location: Johnson Great Room
Description: This session provides an approach for sustaining thoughtful AI use across a K-12 systems. Leaders will explore how Bloomington Public Schools moved beyond tool implementation to build a foundation of clarity, capacity, and culture.
Presenters:
- Alexandra Holter | Computer Science & CTE Coordinator | Bloomington Public Schools
- Holly Skadsem | Digital Learning Coordinator - Elementary | Bloomington Public Schools
- Andrew Rummel | Digital Learning Coordinator - Secondary | Bloomington Public Schools
Location: Thomas Swain Room
Description: Explore how strong implementation and fidelity within a structured literacy framework create levers for responsive instruction. Learn to use student responses to guide decisions, while maintaining fidelity and supporting equitable access and outcomes for all learners.
Presenters:
- Nancy Boyd | Assistant Director of Implementation, CAREI | University of Minnesota
- Maggie Rowan | Literacy Specialist, CAREI | University of Minnesota
Location: Ski-U-Mah
Description: The University of Minnesota has partnered with the Minnesota Teacher Joint Apprenticeship and Training Committee (MNTJATC) and school districts statewide to pioneer innovative Registered Teacher Apprenticeship pathways in special education. This "earn-as-you-learn" model allows school staff to complete their degrees and full licensure while maintaining paid employment in their local communities. Attendees will explore how this scalable framework leverages system-wide higher education collaboration to solve critical workforce shortages.
Presenters:
- Danaya Franke | Director - NXT GEN Teach | University of Minnesota
- Gina Boots | Apprenticeship & Teacher Pipeline Program Liaison | MNTJATC
- Duccio Mondanelli | Success Navigator - NXT GEN Teach | University of Minnesota
- Eddie Rodriguez | Recruiter - NXT GEN Teach | University of Minnesota
- Cassandra Welk | Special Education Teacher / Journeyworker | Paladin Career and Technical High School
- Jaclyn Fagen | Special Education Paraprofessional / Apprentice | Paladin Career and Technical High School
Location: Heritage Gallery
Description: Preliminary statewide data show that schools offering three or more arts areas have lower chronic absenteeism. Attendees will learn no-cost ways Perpich Center for Arts Education supports schools and educators to expand arts opportunities.
Presenters:
- Allegra Smisek | Executive Director | Perpich Center for Arts Education
- Wendy Barden | Professional Development and Resources Program Director | Perpich Center for Arts Education
11:30 - 12:15 p.m.
Breakout session 2
Location: Johnson Great Room
Description: AI is not neutral. This session explores how bias is built into the tools educators use daily, from image generation to writing assistants. Participants will be equipped to recognize, question, and respond to AI bias in their practice.
Presenter:
- Tiffany Harris | Director of Student Service | St. Louis Park
Location: Thomas Swain Room
Description: Teacher candidates share insights from Literacy Labs, a SOR-aligned tutoring program. Explore how this experience strengthens EPP-school partnerships, provides measurable outcomes, and ensures future educators gain proven teaching competence.
Presenters:
- Lucy Payne | Faculty | University of St. Thomas
- Anna McNulty-Taylor | Lecturer, Elementary Education | University of Minnesota
Location: Ski-U-Mah
Description: Traditional student teaching places one candidate with one teacher. The cooperating school model argues that preservice teachers need many educators, many disciplines, and structured positionality work to become genuinely practice-ready.
Presenters:
- Julia Poplin | Associate Professor, Education Foundations | Minnesota State University, Moorhead
- Keri DeSutter | Professor, Special Education | Minnesota State University, Moorhead
Location: Heritage Gallery
Description: Engaged students have better educational outcomes, including attendance, behavior, and knowledge attainment. Discover how Check & Connect strengthens student engagement through a proven, evidence- based mentoring model trusted for over 35 years.
Presenter:
- Jana Ferguson | Program Manager | Check & Connect
12:15 - 1:30 p.m.
Lunch | Memorial Hall
1:30 - 2:30 p.m.
Keynote | Memorial Hall
Title: It Takes All of Us: The Collective Power to Address Chronic Absenteeism
Sharon Bradley
Bio: Sharon Bradley is a national educational consultant, podcast host, speaker, and author who served in the Dallas area, where she helped shape the district’s approach to truancy prevention and character development for all students. Throughout her 25 years in education, she served as student services director, alternative high school principal, assistant principal, dropout prevention program coordinator, general education teacher, and special education teacher. She was named a 2024 "Leader to Learn From" by EducationWeek Magazine. In 2023, she was named “Person of the Year” by the International Truancy and Dropout Prevention Association and a D CEO Innovation in Education finalist. Sharon Bradley is a graduate of Mississippi State University where she earned her bachelor's degree in Special Education, and her master's degree in Educational Administration from Prairie View A & M University.
2:45 - 3:30 p.m.
Breakout session 3
Location: Johnson Great Room
Description: AI is already reshaping education. This session helps school and district leaders move beyond uncertainty toward a practical approach for responsible implementation, clear communication, and sustainable support for educators.
Presenters:
- Jennifer Rosato | Director, Northern Lights Collaborative for Computing Education | University of Minnesota
- Tia Clasen | Education and Outreach Coordinator, DSAI Hub and Research Computing | University of Minnesota
- Madeline Burton | Instructional Designer, Northern Lights Collaborative for Computing Education | University of Minnesota
Location: Thomas Swain Room
Description: Discover how oral language and syntax work together to strengthen word study. Learn practical ways to leverage student talk, home languages, and sentence‑level understanding to build equitable word recognition and academic language.
- Understand oral language and syntax as critical components of effective word recognition instruction
- Identify opportunities to incorporate syntactic instruction within typical word study lessons
- Analyze how student responses can be leveraged to extend oral language and syntactic awareness
- Explore how students’ home languages can be used as assets to support word recognition, engagement, and academic language development.
Presenters:
- Maggie Rowan | Literacy Specialist, CAREI | University of Minnesota
- Nancy Boyd | Assistant Director of Implementation, CAREI | University of Minnesota
Location: Ski-U-Mah
Description: Join the Elevate Teaching movement to uplift teaching as a revered profession in Minnesota through support for and strengthening of teacher preparation pathways.
Presenters:
- Rose Chu | Founder | Elevate Teaching
- Marci Levy-Maguire | Education Content Specialist | Elevate Teaching
- Melissa Andersen | Education Content Specialist | Elevate Teaching
Location: Heritage Gallery
Description: MDE will present upcoming dynamic dashboards and reports exploring the prevalence, pathways, and associated factors of chronic absenteeism using large scale K-12 data from MDE and the Statewide Longitudinal Education Data System (SLEDS).
Presenters:
- Marco Berriodi | Research Analysis Specialist | Minnesota Department of Education
- Shandell Pahlen | Student Pathways Analyst | Minnesota Department of Education
3:30 - 5:30 p.m.
Reception | The Commons, Thomas Swain, University Hall, and cafe/patio
Day 2 program details: July 29
8 - 9 a.m.
Registration and networking breakfast | Minnesota Room and Memorial Hall
9 - 9:15 a.m.
Welcome and introduction to keynote | Memorial Hall
9:15 - 10:15 a.m.
Keynote | Memorial Hall
Title: Pivoting from Perils, Positioning towards Possibilities: Critical AI in K-12 Classrooms
Marie K. Heath, PhD, (she/her) is not a robot, but she refuses to prove it to Google’s CAPTCHA. She currently works as Department Chair for Education Specialties and as an Associate Professor of Learning Design and Technology at Loyola University Maryland. Prior to her work in higher education, Marie taught high school social studies in Baltimore County Public Schools. Her internationally recognized scholarship interrogates schools and technologies as current sites of encoded oppression, and labors to advance more just technological and educational futures. She is co-editor of the CITE Social Studies Journal, co-founder of the Civics of Technology project, and a faculty fellow at the Center for Research and Evaluation at Loyola University Maryland, and co-author of the book Critical AI in K-12 Classrooms: A Practical Guide for Cultivating Justice and Joy. If you ask generative AI a question about Marie, it replies with the Mariah Carey “I don’t know her” meme.
Stephanie Smith Budhai, PhD, is an Associate Professor in the Educational Technology program at University of Delaware and an award-winning author and teacher educator whose interdisciplinary work bridges technology, equity, and civic engagement. She is the Council Chair for the Society for Information Technology and Teacher Education (SITE), serves on the Advisory Council of the Emmy-awarding PBS Kids series, Cyberchase, and as an advisory board member for the Association for Educational Communications and Technology (AECT) Center of Excellence for Publishing. Dr. Budhai has published over eighty practitioner articles and ten books to support teaching, criticality, leadership and technology in education. Her work has been internationally recognized and two of her books have been translated into Arabic. Dr. Budhai is the recipient of an Excellence in Teacher Education Award from the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) and two Outstanding Book Honorable Mention Awards from the Society of Professors of Education. She holds K–12 teaching certifications in technology education, instructional technology, elementary education, and special education.
10:30 - 11:15 a.m.
Breakout session 4
Location: Johnson Great Room
Description: What foundational computing skills and concepts do students need to understand in order to develop AI literacy? This session introduces the Raspberry Pi Foundation's Experience CS program - which supports educators in teaching foundational computer science - and Experience AI program - which supports educators in teaching artificial intelligence and machine learning. Both resources are free, classroom-ready, and require no prior knowledge.
Presenters:
- Andrea Wilson-Vazquez | Senior Learning Manager | Raspberry Pi Foundation
- Liz Walsh | Learning Manager | Raspberry Pi Foundation
- Mahmoud Aliamer | Learning Manager | Raspberry Pi Foundation
Location: Thomas Swain Room
Description: In this session, we explore how language shapes identity, access, and belonging- and what it means to design systems that truly reflect the students we serve. We center language as an asset through a district-level World Language Initiative.
Presenter:
- Rose-Martine Haglund | Principal, Rochester Public Schools
Location: Ski-U-Mah
Description: This interactive session will guide local education agencies and partner organizations in designing pathways that help secondary students explore careers in teaching. We will examine programs, activities, and strategies that reduce barriers to entering teacher preparation, and highlight practical tools that support cultivating the next generation of K–12 educators.
Presenters:
- Kristie Anderson | Educator Workforce Consultant | Minnesota Department of Education
- Emily Busta | Educator Workforce Consultant | Minnesota Department of Education
Location: Heritage Gallery
Description: Beyond Attendance: Reframing Family Engagement, Cultural Trust, and Academic Support in a Community-Rooted Charter School.
Presenter:
- Kadija Mussa | Research Scientist | Bultum Academy
11:30 a.m. - 12:15 p.m.
Breakout session 5
Location: Johnson Great Room
Description: Experience a model from a Twin Cities intergenerational AI forum where youth, educators, and workforce partners examine how AI is reshaping opportunity and explore what schools must change now to ensure all students can thrive and access future pathways.
Presenters:
- Tia Clasen | Education and Outreach Coordinator, AI Hub | University of Minnesota
- Mikisha Nation | Executive Director | Teach For America, Twin Cities
- Anne Soto | Executive Director, Midwest | World Savvy
Location: Thomas Swain Room
Description: When multilingual learners struggle with literacy, is it language or disability? This session uses MTSS framework specific to Els guide decisions while exploring how access, instruction, and past system shape identification and family trust.
Presenter:
- Amany Elaraby | District Multilingual Specialist | Burnsville-Eagan-Savage School District
Location: Ski-U-Mah
Description: Discover how Minnesota is strengthening the Career and Technical Education teacher workforce through Grow Your Own initiatives, flexible licensure pathways, and comprehensive teacher induction. Explore strategies that recruit future educators, reduce barriers to licensure, and provide the mentoring and support needed to improve retention and long-term success.
Participants will:
- Examine student and adult Grow Your Own models and licensure pathways that expand access to CTE teaching
- Explore how structured induction, mentoring, and coaching support new teachers and improve retention
- Learn how Minnesota's Agriculture, Food, and Natural Resources (AFNR) Teacher Induction Program served as the foundation for broader CTE and Special Education teacher induction efforts
- Leave with practical strategies, resources, and implementation ideas to strengthen the entire educator pipeline, from recruitment through retention, in their own organizations’ strategies that recruit future educators, reduce barriers to licensure, and provide the mentoring and support needed to improve retention and long-term success.
Presenters:
- Lavyne Rada | Associate Director of Teacher Recruitment & Retention | Lakes Country Service Cooperative
- Amy Smith | Associate Professor & Program Leader, Agricultural Education; Director, Minnesota AFNR Teacher Induction Program | University of Minnesota
Location: Heritage Gallery
Description: This session will share how Robbinsdale Armstrong High School uses the ABCs to proactively decrease chronic absenteeism and increase student belonging and credits earned in 9th grade.
Presenters:
- Stacy Olstadt | Assistant Principal | Robbinsdale Armstrong High School
- Caroline Doenberg | Social Worker | Robbinsdale Armstrong High School
- Arianna Crosby | School Counselor | Robbinsdale Armstrong High School
- Courtney Smith | Student Dean | Robbinsdale Area Schools
12:15 - 1:30 p.m.
Lunch | Memorial Hall
1:30 - 2:30 p.m.
Policy Panel | Memorial Hall
2:45 - 3:30 p.m.
Breakout session 6
Location: Johnson Great Room
Description: This session explores potential ways to incorporate critical AI literacy into K–8 STEM learning environments. It invites dialogue with Minnesota schools to better understand their needs and collaboratively support meaningful, context-responsive AI learning in classrooms.
Presenter:
- Selin Akgun | Assistant Professor of Science Education | University of Minnesota
Location: Thomas Swain Room
Description: Join education partners who prioritize youth brilliance in a racially conscious learning environment, with engaged pedagogy and adolescent literacy practices through research partnerships towards school improvement.
Presenters:
- Abigail Rombalski | Senior Lecturer, Curriculum & Instruction | University of Minnesota
- Silvy Lafayette | Executive Director of Assessment, Research and Evaluation (ARE) | St. Louis Park Public Schools
- Carlondrea Hines | Superintendent | St. Louis Park Public Schools
- Mo Gumani and Eli Tatalovich, Youth Research Interns | St. Louis Park Schools
Location: Ski-U-Mah
Description: This session examines how the Special Education Teacher Pathway Grant addresses teacher shortages through innovative locally responsive programs. Grantee panelists share how funding, collaboration, and candidate supports strengthen regional pathways.
Presenters:
- Elizabeth Deen | Senior Director of Teaching and Learning | SWWC Service Cooperative
- Gricel Escobedo-Kingwell | Educational Workforce Specialist | Minnesota Department of Education
- Saido Abdirashid | Director of Special Education | New Century School
- Carolyn Cherry | Special Education Supervisor | St. Paul Public Schools
- Christine Grams | School Workforce Specialist | Sourcewell
Location: Heritage Gallery
Description: This session will give concrete strategies on removing barriers and expanding pathways to recruit and retain educators of color. Recruitment and retention with supports will be describe with specific information on how to provide supports.
Presenters:
- Brenda Lewis | Superintendent | Fridley Public Schools
- Rochelle Cox | Assistant Superintendent | Fridley Public Schools
3:30 - 5:30 p.m.
Reception | The Commons, Thomas Swain, University Hall, and cafe/patio