Thursday, June 26, 2025 10:45am
1. Become What’s Next-an Invitation and an Expectation
Mark Hansen, Superintendent, Elmbrook School District
The School District of Elmbrook has some of the highest performing and largest enrollment schools in the state, and we attribute our success to core processes and practices that demand focus on individual students and their learning needs. This session will explore how districts can sustain a forward lean and achieve your desired results by relentlessly pursuing academic excellence for all students. Impactful practices shared will include: A summer leadership planning workshop; Celebrating wins through data storytelling; Consistent use of data tools; A focus on target groups; Sharing best practices across schools; Leadership development leading to internal promotions.
Spotlight Stat: The Elmbrook School District has been among the state’s most successful school districts for both attainment and growth over the last three years.
2. Building a High-Performing School through the PLC at Work Process and Intentional Coaching
Brandon Krause, Principal & Katelyn Dwyer, Associate Principal, Prairie View Elementary School, Beaver Dam School District
In this session, participants will learn how one school invested their efforts in the PLC at Work Process to enhance teaching and learning. Session leaders will share the systems utilized to maximize student growth and achievement. In addition, participants will learn how administrators use an ongoing coaching structure to provide teachers with in-the-moment feedback aligned to best practices in instruction and school/district goals. Practical strategies and templates will be shared for participants to utilize in their buildings.
Spotlight Stat: Prairie View is in the 97th percentile of elementary schools on the State Report Card.
3. When They Build It, They Own It: Transforming Staff Culture Through Shared Leadership
Tricia Rodey, Principal & Kyle Blechner, Associate Principal, Sauk Prairie Middle School, Sauk Prairie School District
People don’t tear down fences they help build, but how do you ensure all voices are included in building the fence? We used to wonder, “But how will we get buy-in?” during our continuous improvement process, but we’ve transformed this common challenge into measurable success through a unique approach: applying the principles of excellent classroom instruction to adult professional collaboration. In this session, we'll share our journey of creating a culture of excellence powered by systematic staff collaboration and ownership. In this session, participants will access and practice, our protocols, tools, and strategies for creating the conditions that drive sustainable improvement.
Spotlight Stat: Continuous improvement efforts are fueling growth demonstrated by a 10-point jump in the school report card, 40% reduction in suspensions and flipping student growth from below to above the state average.
4. Heart Centered Leadership: Building An Inclusive and High Achieving High School
Kelly Carpenter, Assistant Principal, Reagan High School, Milwaukee Public Schools
In this session, educators will explore how to foster a culture of excellence that balances academic achievement with student well-being, empowering both staff and students through distributive leadership, data-driven decision-making, and a focus on mental health. Participants will learn how to implement school-wide systems that use ACT scores, progress monitoring, and targeted academic interventions to drive achievement for all students, while also addressing their social-emotional needs through holistic support structures. By integrating whole-student approaches, this session will explore how schools can cultivate both academic and emotional growth.
Spotlight Stat: Reagan High School has been among the state’s most successful high school’s for both attainment and growth over the last three years.
Thursday, June 26, 2025 12:45pm
1. Keep it Simple: Systems, People, and Planning
Jennifer Thayer, Superintendent, Jeff Eichelkraut, Principal & Laura Eicher, Principal, New Glarus School District
In the New Glarus School District we believe in slow, incremental, collaborative change with a focus on all students. We stay focused on continuous improvement of systems, which includes Professional Learning Communities, Multi-Tiered Systems of Support, and PBIS. In this session we will walk through what this process has looked like over the past 10 years and how it’s led to positive outcomes. We will also discuss how this fits with our focus on high quality grade-level curriculum for all students, recruiting and retaining quality staff, taking rocks out of staff’s buckets, and not getting buried in new initiatives.
Spotlight Stat: The district had the 12th highest 4K-12 report card score in the state and has high scores from parents, students, and staff on school perceptions surveys.
2. Intent vs. Impact: Leveraging Predictable Systems for Systematic School Improvement and a Culture of Innovation
Michelle Miner, Principal, Lincoln Elementary School, Wauwatosa School District
In education, our intentions are often aligned with creating meaningful, impactful change, yet the outcomes don't always match our goals. This session will explore the concept of intent vs. impact and how schools can bridge the gap between what we intend to do and what actually happens in practice. We’ll discuss how predictable, well-designed systems can support a culture where vulnerability is embraced, failure is viewed as an opportunity to learn, and innovation is celebrated as a driver of continuous improvement.
Spotlight Stat: Lincoln scored a 97.5 on the 2022-23 state report card and has been among the higest elementary schools in attainment and growth over the last three years.
3. Cultivating a High Expectation Culture through Collective Efficacy
Rachel Rydzewski, Principal, Brittany Hendrix, 8th Grade Math Teacher, Allie Tome, 8th Grade Literacy & Science Teacher, Cassie Vogler, Teaching & Learning Coach, Muskego Lakes Middle School, Muskego Norway School District
The degree to which teachers work interdependently to help all students learn at high levels is the single most important factor in any school's success. And while most of us understand the power of collective efficacy, actualizing that shared belief can prove to be both complex and elusive. Fundamental to our school’s story is our shared commitment to ensure all students learn at high levels. Come learn more about how we’ve invested in a distributed leadership model, shifted mindsets about data, launched a school wide instructional framework, systematized our use of formative assessments, fostered consensus on tier one interventions, and remain relentless about continuous improvement.
Spotlight Stat: School data (93.1 state report card) demonstrates that our continuous improvement efforts are working.
4. Beliefs to Action: Aligning Leadership Decisions to Organizational Values for Equity and Excellence
Amy Levek, Principal, Whitefish Bay High School
Maintaining a culture of Excellence at WFBHS has been a deliberate process over the last 10 years to make decisions that align to our belief that equity and excellence are possible at our school. This has included detracking courses at the 9th and 10th grade levels to allow for a robust co-serve model and increase efficacy for all kids, eliminating prerequisites to double the participation in AP courses, adding AVID as our framework for instruction and developing an MTSS system to support students such that we've seen 100% growth on our School Report Cards. Keeping a 3-5 year lens as been critical in aligning staff and resources to actions steps.
Spotlight Stat: The High School scored 96 on the state report card (100% growth indicator) and have doubled student participation in AP courses while being among the best high schools in attainment and growth over the last three years.
2:00 General Session Fearless Instruction: Unpacking Research on Effective Instructional Strategies
Allyson Apsey, Creative Leadership Solutions
In this engaging session, participants will explore current research on effective instructional strategies. In a relaxed, collaborative setting, attendees will discuss key findings and practical applications with colleagues around the table. Through open conversation, they will discover how these strategies can enhance student learning and engagement. This session provides a unique opportunity for educators to share experiences, gain new insights, and leave with actionable ideas to improve their leadership practices.
Friday, June 27, 2025 8:00am
1. Evidence of Impact: The Best Gift We Can Give
Kevin Bruggink, Superintendent & Terry Hendrikse, Principal, Oostburg School District
Public schools are committed to serving all students, yet the growing and diverse needs of our student populations can shift focus away from our core mission - student learning. Many organizations acknowledge the need for clarity and coherence around their purpose, yet struggle in a culture where vulnerability is rare and negotiating of expectations shields insecurities. In this session, we will explore the transformative power of external validation in enhancing teacher efficacy and growing the collective learning impact across a school district. Evidence of impact is one of the greatest gifts we can provide to our students, staff and community. Join us to learn how a rural school district has built a culture committed to success for all.
Spotlight Stat: The district has raised its ACT scores from the 44th percentile (2008-2015) to the 95th percentile (2016-2025) while being among the highest districts in both attainment and growth over the last three years.
2. Kennedy Elementary School: Always Striving for Improvement
Jennifer Fanning, Principal & Kate Womack, 3rd & 4th Looping Teacher, Kennedy Elementary School, Janesville School District
As a result of the district’s continuous improvement efforts, Janesville’s twelve elementary schools have seen rising student outcomes in reading and math. This session will discuss how Kennedy Elementary School improves adult practice by executing its school improvement planning through short-term cycles of intentional action.
Spotlight Stat: Kennedy has been among the state’s best elementary schools in both attainment and growth in serving economically disadvantaged students over a three-year period.
3. Meet the Moment: Creating a Process to Realize Student Achievement
Tom Sauve, Principal, Elmwood Middle and High School
This session is designed to provide attendees with actionable strategies and hands-on approaches that have helped the School District of Elmwood attain record levels of academic achievement. Participants will gain insights into tried and true methods and best practices that can be directly applied to any school district.
Spotlight Stat: Elmwood Middle and High School are achieving record levels of academic attainment and growth.
4. Raising the Bar, Extending the Bridge: Creating Pathways to Excellence
Cody Lundquist, Principal, Mount Horeb High School
When we truly believe all students can tackle challenging work, how do we align our systems to match that belief? Join us to explore Mount Horeb's systematic approach to dismantling barriers and building comprehensive support structures that enable every student to rise to high expectations. Learn how shifting from a mindset of limitation to one of possibility—paired with strategic support systems—led to increased student growth, achievement and engagement.
Spotlight Stat: The High School has improved from the 41st percentile in growth in 2021-22 to the 92nd in 2023-24 while being among the best high schools in both attainment and growth in serving economically disadvantaged students over the last three years.
Friday, June 27, 2025 9:15am
1. Shared Leadership and Effective School Continuous Improvement
Kate Tesch, Director of Continuous Improvement and Assessment & Crystal Hintzman, Director of Curriculum and Instruction, School District of Superior
This session will explore the power of shared leadership and research-based practices that guide school teams in effective continuous school improvement. We will share our story in creating a district-wide structure that includes how to conduct a comprehensive needs assessment, identify root causes, creates school goals and complete action planning with identified monitoring measures. Participants will learn about shared leadership structures that allow for successful implementation of a continuous improvement process and leave the session with resources and tools to use in your own district.
Spotlight Stat: The district has improved its graduation rate from 84.5% in 2019 to 98% in 2024.
2. Hope Filled Students
Megan Challoner, Principal, Frederic Elementary School, Frederic School District
In this session, we will focus on nurturing hope-filled students by building a community of support around them. We will explore successful ways to inspire goal setting, where students learn to set personal and academic targets, building confidence with each milestone. Leadership is cultivated in our oldest, encouraging students to see themselves as change-makers and active members in their school community. Collective teacher efficacy plays a vital role, as our team believes in the power of our shared commitment to each child’s success. Lastly, family engagement fosters belonging, creating a unified school-family bond that celebrates and uplifts every student on their journey.
Spotlight Stat: Frederic Elementary received the 2024 Blue Ribbon Award for as an Exemplary Achievement Gap Closing School.
3. Raider Ready: Seize Every Moment
Rachel Quill, Principal & Lenora Large, ELA Teacher, Richfield Middle School, Holy Hill School District
District consolidation can be a challenging process for all stakeholders. The first three years of consolidation, our middle school also had three different principals. Rachel Quill, Richfield Middle School Principal, and Lenora Large, ELA Teacher, will share how the staff worked together to create a new identity through the implementation of the RtI at Work Framework and the School Administrators Institute for Transformational Leadership (SAIL). We will walk you through how we created an environment where ALL students achieve at high levels.
Spotlight Stat: Richfield Middle School Significantly Exceeds Expectations and has been ranked in the top ten middle schools in Wisconsin by U.S. News and World Report.
4. Student Roles in Family Communication
Brian Sniff, Principal, Pewaukee High School, Pewaukee School District
In line with the Danielson Framework, Pewaukee High School has developed a process to increase the frequency and accessibility of communication home to families. With support from teachers, students utilize resources to monitor their progress toward learning and developmental goals and regularly analyze and discuss their progress with teachers and caregivers. Each month a template is completed as a warm up in each class and then sent by the student to their parents. This provides the student and teacher an opportunity for a regular reflection point and includes families in the process.
Spotlight Stat: Pewaukee High School has been among the state’s most successful high school’s for both attainment and growth over the last three years.