Diversity & Equity

Jackie Palmquist is a national presenter and educational consultant with over 30 years of high school classroom mathematics teaching and leading experience. Her leadership emphasizes and supports collaborative planning and current research-informed best instructional practices.

In this intimate 30-minute town-hall style webinar, nationally renowned educator Dr. Sharroky Hollie will answer your questions around student engagement, school development, strong educational leadership, and culturally responsive teaching. Learn culturally responsive strategies for connecting with underserved communities and populations in your school.

Use this powerful event as a springboard for teachers, administrators, and community members to enter into respectful dialogue that creates a call to action and a plan to do better.

Jillayne Flanders the executive director of the Center for Educational Improvement, a nonprofit organization focused on supporting mindful and compassionate schools with heart-centered, trauma-informed practices. She has taught graduate classes at Westfield State University, supervised student teachers at Mount Holyoke College, and lectured at Boston University, Springfield College, Boston College, and Harvard Graduate School of Education.

Jason D. Cummins (Awachíikaate) is an Indigenous scholar with over 20 years of experience in education, having served in various roles including teacher, instructional coach, and administrator. He is a contributing author of The School Wellness Wheel, coauthor of Humanized Education, and a professor of educational leadership at Montana State University. Jason has worked with schools on a range of initiatives, from implementing traditional school improvement efforts to culturally sustaining, trauma-informed, and restorative approaches.

Inspired by the book A Blueprint for Belonging, this session offers a transformative approach to leadership and team building for educators, leaders, and paraprofessionals. Explore strategies to prevent burnout, build resilience, and foster cultures of belonging using the BUILD framework (Boundaries, Understanding, Integrity, Listening, Dependability), while tackling leadership challenges in high-impact roles.

JoEllen McCarthy is a literacy expert, speaker, and author dedicated to integrating academic and affective learning through inclusive mentor texts. She supports educators and students by promoting joyful, student-centered literacy practices that connect reading, writing, and life skills.

Dr. Kapono Ciotti has worked internationally in educational change organizations and has trained teachers in over 100 schools and districts across four continents, impacting hundreds of thousands of students.

Kimberly Cullen is an education professional who has held a variety of teaching and leadership positions in an international school based in Madrid, Spain. She has also served international and independent K–12 schools as a coach.

Students do not put up walls to avoid relationships, but to see who cares enough to break the walls down. Research shows that building relationships with students increases engagement, motivation, test scores, and grade point averages while decreasing absenteeism, dropout rates, and discipline issues.