Life Skills

This impactful webinar, led by education coach Jorge Valenzuela, empowers participants with diverse high-yielding strategies to guide students in discovering and pursuing their passions and interests for academic and life success. In addition to exploring methods for increasing student engagement and developing life skills throughout the curriculum, the webinar goes further by uplifting tools to improve empathy towards others, enhance decision-making abilities, and effectively regulate difficult emotions. Moreover, the session will address valuable techniques for teachers to bolster their own life skills. Join us to unlock a comprehensive toolkit for fostering holistic growth in students and educators alike.

Embrace challenging conversations, confront biases, and shape learning from an early age with Little Learners, Big Hearts. This book equips early childhood educators with the necessary tools to become kind, caring forces, fostering meaningful connections with young children and families.

Orinthia Harris, PhD, has extensive experience in classroom and extracurricular settings. She is the founder of STEMearly LLC, an organization dedicated to reigniting teaching passions so educators and students can thrive.

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.

Randy Ross has over 50 years of experience as a writer, teacher, administrator, coach, and facilitator of dialogue and professional learning. She has worked with community, school, district, and state education leaders for nearly 30 years.

Explore how school leaders can cultivate compassion and equity in their school communities. By leveraging antiracist and culturally competent professional development, program planning, and curriculum, leaders can improve their school climate, addressing the numerous inequities their students, staff, and families face, paving the way for lasting change.

Mark Anthony Gooden, PhD, is a Christian Johnson Endeavor professor of education leadership at Teachers College, Columbia University. Dr. Gooden has spent over two decades in higher education developing and teaching courses in culturally responsive leadership, race, law, and research methods.

Dr. Dawn Brooks DeCosta, EdD, is a distinguished educator and leader, currently serving as the deputy superintendent for Harlem Community School District 5. She is a renowned advocate for culturally responsive teaching and social-emotional learning.

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.

Author Hedreich Nichols infuses this book with a direct yet conversational style to help you identify biases that adversely affect your practice and learn how to move beyond those biases to ensure a more equitable, inclusive campus culture.