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Reinventing the Educator Experience
A MiCSS26 Breakout Theme
December 9–10, 2026 · Detroit Marriott Troy
Sessions in This Theme
The Missing Link in Educator Retention: Instructional Leadership Systems
Dr. Vernon-James Riley | VJR Consulting Firm
Schools across the country continue to invest in professional development, coaching, and collaborative planning, yet many leaders struggle to translate those investments into lasting improvements in teaching and learning. The challenge is rarely a lack of effort—it is the absence of a coherent instructional leadership system.
In this interactive session, VJR Consulting Firm introduces its Principal as Instructional Leader™ Framework, a practical model that helps school leaders strengthen the three core components of effective instructional leadership: Vision for Cultural and Instructional Equity and Excellence, the Teacher Development Engine, and Instructional Leadership Architecture. Participants will use a structured diagnostic to assess their current systems, identify strengths and gaps, and determine the highest-leverage opportunities for improvement.
Rather than leaving with another initiative to implement, attendees will leave with a clearer understanding of how aligned instructional leadership systems create better conditions for teacher growth, improve educator retention, and ultimately accelerate student achievement.
Session Outcomes
At the end of my session, participants will be able to evaluate their instructional leadership systems using the Principal as Instructional Leader™ Framework, identify high-leverage opportunities for improvement, and prioritize next steps to strengthen teacher development, educator retention, and student learning.
Debrief Like a Fighter Pilot: The Secret to Elite Team Performance
Shawn Wortham | Charter Connect
What if your leadership team improved after every decision, meeting, or challenge? Inspired by fighter pilot debriefing practices, this session introduces a high-impact framework for continuous improvement, accountability, and alignment within charter schools. Fighter pilots do not wait for annual reviews; they debrief after every mission.
In this session, charter school leaders will learn how to implement structured, blameless debriefs that turn everyday experiences into meaningful growth opportunities. Participants will explore three common sources of error, including perception, execution, and knowledge gaps in order to better understand why challenges occur, not just what happened. They will also learn how to create clear, forward focused “Next Time I Will” statements that drive accountability and real change.
Attendees will leave with a practical debrief framework they can immediately apply, along with strategies to build trust, strengthen team communication, and consistently turn reflection into action.
Session Outcomes:
implement a repeatable debrief framework, facilitate blameless and accountable conversations, identify root causes through perception, execution, and knowledge errors, apply “Next Time I Will” action steps, and use debriefs to strengthen enrollment, staff performance, operations, and a culture of continuous learning and growth.
More sessions announcing soon.
