Deeper Learning 2026

In this session geared toward school leaders and teachers, you will experience an innovative peer-coaching practice that has proven to connect educators, address burnout, and turbo-charge communities in schools across the U.S.

In this 90-minute session, educators will experience Forum — a peer-to-peer coaching practice that supports well-being, deepens trust, and empowers educators to proactively address their own needs. Come learn how this coaching practice has transformed an East Coast school’s community, and leave with practical resources to bring back to your own staff.

What does it take for every student to feel they truly matter? In this interactive session, inspired by the Odyssey Leadership Academy model, participants will engage in hands-on activities, reflective dialogue, and collaborative design to explore how belonging drives deeper learning. Together we’ll practice strategies for centering student voice, amplifying agency, and embedding equity into everyday learning. Through playful community-building and guided reflection, participants will experience the practices that foster mattering—connection, visibility, and care. By the end, you’ll leave with practical tools to cultivate classrooms and schools where belonging is not a byproduct, but the foundation of flourishing.

This session is for teachers, school leaders, and district teams seeking concrete, equity-centered strategies to create joyful, inclusive ecosystems of learning where every student is seen, valued, and essential.

Note: This DL session also invites attendees from the National Summit on Improvement in Education to participate. Summit is a gathering and rallying point for a vibrant and diverse community of improvers who are working to create educational systems where all young people learn and thrive. In 2026, we're bringing together the powerful Deeper Learning and Improvement communities through select crossover sessions, culminating in a joint closing keynote. You are invited to dive deeper and make new connections at DL26. Check out our Summit and DL26 comparison to learn more.

Learning environments are often designed without the voices of our most important stakeholders: the people we are meant to serve. Imagine instead working together with families to identify needs, co-create solutions, and celebrate growth. If you’re a school leader seeking to foster these genuine connections, join us to experience community rap sessions, a culturally responsive practice that creates space for every voice to be heard. This session begins engaging educators as learners in an immersive experience, then shifts to the structures and planning needed to implement community rap sessions in your own school. Together, we will examine how these practices can become a routine way to engage families and community members meaningfully. As a Deeper Learning by Doing® experience, leave with concrete tools and strategies, personal action steps, contacts for follow-up coaching, and greater confidence to authentically partner with families and communities.

In today’s world, what you plan for now may be upended by new forces tomorrow. Educational policies shift quickly, AI is transforming how learning happens, and geopolitical and environmental pressures are adding new layers of complexity. Your school community looks to you to lead through uncertainty with clarity and confidence.
In this interactive workshop, you will have dedicated time, tools, and opportunities for peer collaboration to help you navigate competing challenges with agility and purpose. Through case studies, real-time scenarios, and focused problem-solving conversations, you’ll explore practical frameworks for making high-stakes decisions, communicating clearly with your community, and keeping your school aligned with its mission—even when the road ahead is uncertain.
This highly relevant, active session designed to help future-ready leaders build resilient, responsive, and mission-driven schools in an era of uncertainty.

Note: This DL session also invites attendees from the National Summit on Improvement in Education to participate. Summit is a gathering and rallying point for a vibrant and diverse community of improvers who are working to create educational systems where all young people learn and thrive. In 2026, we're bringing together the powerful Deeper Learning and Improvement communities through select crossover sessions, culminating in a joint closing keynote. You are invited to dive deeper and make new connections at DL26. Check out our Summit and DL26 comparison to learn more.

What does it mean to meet the human needs of students and educators? What choices can we make—as leaders, teachers, and people—to create deeper learning environments that meet this moment in history with respect for the humanity and intellect of our communities? In 2024, Libby Woodfin and Jal Mehta embarked on a research project to discover, describe, and share the qualities of human schools. Through stories and examples from schools across the U.S. involved in this research, participants will explore the impact that more (or less) human choices have on the experiences of students and adults in schools. Participants will leave with an understanding of the 10 Principles of Human Schools and practical steps they can take to bring these principles to life in their own settings. Note: Jal Mehta will attend and contribute to the session but is not a presenter.

In this session, participants will learn about the student experience through the coping process. Whether you're a school leader, classroom teacher, parent/caregiver, or student this session will offer fresh insights and strategies to help navigate stress, foster well-being, and enhance engagement. Participants will leave with concrete ways to support adaptive coping at home and at school. Come learn from what students are saying in our national data and how coping impacts their ability to thrive in our schools!

Note: This DL session also invites attendees from the National Summit on Improvement in Education to participate. Summit is a gathering and rallying point for a vibrant and diverse community of improvers who are working to create educational systems where all young people learn and thrive. In 2026, we're bringing together the powerful Deeper Learning and Improvement communities through select crossover sessions, culminating in a joint closing keynote. You are invited to dive deeper and make new connections at DL26. Check out our Summit and DL26 comparison to learn more.

What if school systems were engines of continuous research and design, learning alongside students and educators to create equitable futures? In this hands-on session, Dr. Devin Vodicka and Dr. Katie Martin—co-founders and co-CEOs of Learner-Centered Collaborative—will invite participants to explore what an embedded R&D strategy looks like at scale. Through interactive dialogue, case studies of learner-centered innovations, and collaborative design activities, participants will identify conditions that allow change to spread: shared vision, leadership, and a culture grounded in learner voice. Together, we’ll surface bright spots, co-create strategies for scaling innovation, and leave with renewed joy and practical tools to drive sustainable, equitable change.

Note: This DL session also invites attendees from the National Summit on Improvement in Education to participate. Summit is a gathering and rallying point for a vibrant and diverse community of improvers who are working to create educational systems where all young people learn and thrive. In 2026, we're bringing together the powerful Deeper Learning and Improvement communities through select crossover sessions, culminating in a joint closing keynote. You are invited to dive deeper and make new connections at DL26. Check out our Summit and DL26 comparison to learn more.