Deeper Learning 2026

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.

This workshop explores how to create clear, standards-based learning targets that strengthen project-based learning and reflect a school’s mission. As a new administrator in a PBL-focused school, I quickly recognized the need to strengthen how learning connects meaningfully to both academic standards and the school’s mission. By intentionally aligning learning targets with the mission, we move beyond a statement posted on the wall to a living guide for instruction, assessment, and student growth. Participants will see how this approach deepens the impact of project-based learning, strengthens coherence across school practices, and solidifies the school’s identity as a mission-driven, PBL-centered community. In addition, I will co-present with a consultant who has been working with me to make this change at our school.  She will share an external perspective on how this process supports instructional alignment, as well as the challenges and opportunities it presents for schools and educators.

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.

Research shows that trust is initiated in a cascade of internal chemical reactions that open the doorway to unsurpassed teamwork, strong relationships, and a boost in mental health.
This session is ideal for leaders committed to cultivating more joy, generosity, and connection in their schools and classrooms.
Participants will be treated to activities, games, and reflective prompts that practice developing trust .
Attendees will leave with 3 simple activities, and endless iterations, to bring back to your schools to foster fun and connection, resulting in trust and transformation.