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Browse our session offerings below and find the learning experiences that best match your needs and passions. Whether you're seeking new strategies, deeper connections, or fresh inspiration, there's a place for you here.
"Empowering every educator. Walking further together."
Find Your Sessions - March 17, 2026
Technology Integration
Differentiation & Instruction
Coaching and Leadership
Technology Integration
Technology Integration
AI for Go-Getters: Advanced Tools for Efficiency
Presenter: Eric Santos, LTC
Date: March 17, 2026
Time: 8:30 - 10:00 AM
Format: In Person at West40
Audience: All Educators
Description: Discover how today’s most advanced AI tools—featuring capabilities like image analysis, voice input, and document insights—can simplify complex tasks and boost efficiency. If you've used AI tools like Chat GPT and are wondering how to be even more productive with them, join us for this fast-paced session to supercharge your productivity with live examples of the latest AI tools and features.
REGISTER HERE by adding your name to the roster. You will receive communication from your presenters with information including Zoom links if virtual and directions if in person. We look forward to learning with you!
Cultivating AI Leadership Capacity
Presenter: Jane Kim, KindEd.org
Date: March 17, 2026
Time: 10:00 - 11:00 AM
Format: Virtual (Zoom)
Audience: All Educators
Description: As artificial intelligence rapidly enters classrooms, schools face pressure to adopt AI tools faster than they can understand their impact. This session takes a balanced, research-informed approach grounded in child development and lessons from technology adoption accelerated by COVID. Examine national AI trends, school spending, and evidence of inequities and unintended harms. Leave with strategies to guide AI use thoughtfully, align decisions with student well-being and learning goals, and lead with clarity amid uncertainty.
REGISTER HERE by adding your name to the roster. You will receive communication from your presenters with information including Zoom links if virtual and directions if in person. We look forward to learning with you!
Leading through Social Media and the Youth Mental Health Crisis
Presenter: Jane Kim, KindEd.org
Date: March 17, 2026
Time: 1:00 - 2:00 PM
Format: Virtual (Zoom)
Audience: All Educators
Description: Social media has reshaped school culture in ways far beyond phones in classrooms. From group chats and gaming platforms to video sharing and messaging apps, online interactions now drive peer relationships, conflict, mistrust, and administrative burden that spill into schools every day. In response, many systems have defaulted to safety-driven, restrictive measures such as phone bans and compliance-based media literacy mandates, often without the resources, research, or capacity to support meaningful change. I share a root cause analysis, relevant research, and strategies to help students, educators, and families build healthy device habits and critical thinking online.
REGISTER HERE by adding your name to the roster. You will receive communication from your presenters with information including Zoom links if virtual and directions if in person. We look forward to learning with you!
Differentiation & Instruction
Differentiation & Instruction
Models of Co-Teaching
Presenter: Dr. Kennedi Stickland-Dixon
Date: March 17, 2026
Time: 8:30 - 10:30 AM
Format: In Person at West40
Audience: K-5 Classroom Teachers, Co-Teachers
Description: Explore the six models of co-teaching and discover how each can be applied to maximize student learning and teacher collaboration. Participants will analyze real classroom examples, discuss the benefits and challenges of each model, and identify strategies for effective implementation.
REGISTER HERE by adding your name to the roster. You will receive communication from your presenters with information including Zoom links if virtual and directions if in person. We look forward to learning with you!
Cultivating Respectful and Affirming Environments: Aligning Classroom Practice with Daniels Domain 2A
Presenter: Diane Schoenheider
Date: March 17, 2026
Time: 12:00 - 2:30 PM
Format: In Person at West40
Audience: Teachers and Coaches
Description: Respectful classrooms are intentionally built through daily interactions, clear expectations, and consistent adult practices that communicate belonging and high expectations for all students. This professional learning session invites educators to examine what respectful and affirming environments look and sound like in real classrooms through the lens of Danielson Domain 2A. Participants will reflect on relationships, routines, language, and student agency, with a focus on practical strategies that can be applied immediately.
REGISTER HERE by adding your name to the roster. You will receive communication from your presenters with information including Zoom links if virtual and directions if in person. We look forward to learning with you!
Literacy in Content Area Classrooms
Presenter: Dr. Erika Lukasik
Date: March 17, 2026
Time: 1:00 - 2:30 PM
Format: Virtual
Audience: Content Area Teachers 3-12
Description: In this 1.5-hour session, educators will explore strategies from the Illinois Comprehensive Literacy Plan to strengthen literacy across all content areas. Participants will learn practical ways to build vocabulary, scaffold complex texts, and engage students in meaningful reading, writing, and discussion that supports learning in every discipline.
REGISTER HERE by adding your name to the roster. You will receive communication from your presenters with information including Zoom links if virtual and directions if in person. We look forward to learning with you!
Different Path, Same Destination: Differentiation Practices for All Learners
Presenter: Mallory Lawler
Date: March 17, 2026
Time: 1:00 - 3:00 PM
Format: In Person at West40
Audience: K-5 Classroom Teachers, Interventionists, Co-Teachers
Description: This engaging, hands-on session explores how to design instruction that meets the needs of every learner without lowering rigor. Discover practical strategies to differentiate content, process, and product for Tier 1 and Tier 2 instruction. Through modeling, collaboration, and reflection, participants will refine lessons using a Differentiation Checklist and leave with ready-to-use tools and a clear plan for implementation in their classrooms.
REGISTER HERE by adding your name to the roster. You will receive communication from your presenters with information including Zoom links if virtual and directions if in person. We look forward to learning with you!
Coaching & Leadership
Coaching & Leadership
The Power of Language: Coaching Moves that Build Trust and Drive Growth
Presenters: Mallory Lawler & Anna Mae Grams-Pullappally
Date: March 17, 2026
Time: 8:30 - 11:30 AM
Format: In Person at West40
Audience: Coaches, Teacher Leaders, Mentors, Administrators
Description: Learn a powerful coaching framework that emphasizes trust-building and reflective questioning. Engage in practice scenarios and gain language tools for high-impact growth conversations.
REGISTER HERE by adding your name to the roster. You will receive communication from your presenters with information including Zoom links if virtual and directions if in person. We look forward to learning with you!
Belonging Matters: Fostering School Cultures that Respect All Learners
Presenters: Dr. Julie Morris & Dr. Kennedi Strickland-Dixon
Date: March 17, 2026
Time: 12:00 - 3:00PM
Format: In Person at West40
Audience: All Educators
Description: Explore strategies to build school environments where all students feel valued, connected, and empowered to thrive. This session provides practical tools to support student belonging and strengthen relationships across all school communities.
REGISTER HERE by adding your name to the roster. You will receive communication from your presenters with information including Zoom links if virtual and directions if in person. We look forward to learning with you!
EmpowerED is our commitment to you:
Free, high-impact professional development tailored for your unique role
Format: Sessions are offered in person at West40 or virtually via Zoom. All sessions are free of charge.
Credit: Participants will receive a request for evidence of completion following each session, whether they are seeking Professional Development Hours (PDHs) or Continuing Education Units (CEUs).
We are proud to walk further with you — starting in August and continuing throughout the school year — because when we invest in every educator, we lift every student.
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