This presentation will highlight how schools can design strong simulated work-based learning experiences that prepare students for life beyond high school. Participants will explore practical strategies for creating authentic career-connected opportunities that build durable skills through resume workshops, mock interviews, and other structured learning experiences. The session will focus on how simulated work-based learning can increase student engagement, strengthen career readiness, and expand access to meaningful preparation for all students.
Digital Hustle is an interactive workshop that helps schools, districts, community organizations, and corporate partners understand how to prepare students, especially student athletes, for future careers. Participants explore how athletic strengths translate into workforce competencies and engage in two hands-on activities using Adobe Express. Creating student digital portfolios and mapping athlete transferable skills to high-demand job requirements. The session focuses on digital fluency, STEM, AI literacy, and project‑based learning to promote Access for all.
This workshop explores practical strategies for supporting children with autism through the use of visual supports and Positive Behavior Supports (PBS). Participants will learn how to create structured, predictable learning environments that reduce anxiety, increase engagement, and promote positive behaviors. The session will focus on understanding behavior as communication, using visuals to support comprehension and transitions, and implementing proactive strategies that help children succeed across classroom and community settings. Educators and practitioners will leave with practical tools they can immediately apply to support autistic learners.
Classroom management is often perceived as an innate “gift” that some teachers possess and others struggle to develop. To the untrained eye, highly effective classrooms appear almost magical, students are engaged, disruptions are minimal, and learning flows naturally. However, what appears to be “magic” is the result of intentional professional practice. The magic is not a mystery; it is the educator. This session challenges educators to examine how their own actions, reactions, tone, expectations, and instructional structures directly influence student behavior and engagement. Drawing on research in trauma-informed practices, conscious discipline, and culturally responsive classroom management, participants will explore how educators can unintentionally escalate student behaviors or intentionally de-escalate them through reflective practice and strategic instructional moves. Participants will engage in practical exercises that help them identify the subtle but powerful ways educator behaviors shape classroom climate. Through real classroom scenarios, reflective frameworks, and replicable instructional strategies, attendees will learn how to create learning environments where students feel safe, respected, and motivated to participate. The session will highlight how conscious educator practices improve classroom management, increase student engagement, and support equitable learning environments, particularly for students historically marginalized in traditional disciplinary systems. By the end of the session, educators will leave with immediately implementable strategies to strengthen their instructional presence, build positive classroom culture, and transform their classrooms into spaces where both teachers and students thrive.
This 45-minute presentation examines disparities in special education programming between rural and urban school districts. Drawing from 30 years of professional practice across elementary, middle, and high school settings in North Carolina, the session highlights key differences in funding, academic interventions, vocational opportunities, and support structures for teachers and parents. Participants will explore how access to resources, particularly within the Occupational Course of Study (OCS) pathway for students with significant disabilities, directly impacts student outcomes. The session concludes with practical, implementation-ready strategies to promote equity regardless of geographic location.
