Diversity & Equity

Shawn W. McCusker has 25 years of experience as a teacher and leader and is currently the director of professional learning at Digital Promise, a nonprofit dedicated to closing the digital learning gap.

In this one-hour session, K-12 educators will consider the impact of social-emotional learning (SEL) on students when making instructional decisions. Using the highly effective, research-informed Equity and SEL Integration Framework, you will learn to incorporate impactful, creative strategies to craft experiences focused on preparing students for learning.

Kathy Vergara, EdD, is an experienced educator dedicated to serving and improving educational outcomes for multilingual learners and their families. She focuses on designing and implementing curriculum for bilingual, dual language, and ESL programs in grades preK–12.

Yetunde Reeves, EdD, is principal of Paul Laurence Dunbar High School in Baltimore. She is committed to social justice education, and her passion is working with students of color and supporting first-generation college students.

Deborah Ricker is principal at Cedar Trails Exploration Center: Early Childhood in Kansas. She previously led Glenwood Ridge Elementary and has 19 years of experience as a school psychologist, serving early childhood through high school in both public and private school settings.

Join author Hedreich Nichols to examine the cognitive processes we use to draw a circle around our “in groups,” and learn to mitigate any negative fallout that may impact our practice as educators. While learning about the brain science behind belonging, you will explore a few of more than 180 cognitive biases. This webinar will equip you to use this knowledge to look closely at personal connections and trends that impact student and staff relationships.

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.

Dr. Daman Harris is an award-winning education leader focused on equity, instructional leadership, student advancement, and educator development.

Dr. Rivers Murphy, EdD, is a seasoned presenter and educational leader. A change agent for over two decades, she has helped transform some of the highest-needs neighborhoods and districts by improving student active engagement, teacher self-care, school culture, and academic success.

Barbara K. Watterston, EdD, has held a number of school and executive leadership positions across Australia. Her national and international research, design of school and system leadership programs, coaching and speaking engagements emphasize the impact of high-quality leadership on student learning.