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EL Education 2022 National Conference

In-Person Event, Conference

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Add to Calendar 2022-12-072022-12-09EL Education 2022 National Conference Chicago, IL

After too many years apart, educators, experts, and innovators came together in person in Chicago, IL at The 2022 EL Education National Conference to strengthen support for the whole child and celebrate remarkable student achievement across three dimensions. Review the catalog of more than 80 Learning Lab sessions

Relive the Magic of ELNC22

Check out these videos from ELNC22 or view our entire video collection. 

Video Collection

ELNC22 Student Remarks 

Emcees Kayla Mitchell, Junior at Harborside Academy and Jasper Cox, 8th grade student at the Springfield Renaissance School at ELNC22!

Clark Pittman and Cayden Olson, students from Explore PK-8 in Thornton, Colorado at ELNC22

Saniya Cunningham and Bishop Whitehead, students from Kuumba Academy in Wilmington, Delaware at ELNC22

2022 ELNC22 Keynote Speaker

“I always ask, 'Where are the children? Where are the children?' And here they are, at ELNC22”

Dr. Gholdy Muhammad

Dr. Muhammad is an Associate Professor of Literacy, Language, and Culture at the University of Illinois at Chicago.  She studies Black historical excellence within educational communities with the goal of reframing curriculum and instruction today. Dr. Muhammad’s scholarship has appeared in leading academic journals and books. She has also received numerous national awards and is the author of the best-selling book, Cultivating Genius: An Equity Model for Culturally and Historically Responsive Literacy.

Dr. Muhammad’s keynote address, Cultivating Genius: An Equity Model for Culturally & Historically Responsive Education, will provide event attendees with interactive and foundational experiences of culturally and historically responsive education. The session will blend history, theory, and practical/engaging approaches for understanding and implementing CHRE instructional practices. Dr. Muhammad will demonstrate research-based equity practices and offer pedagogical examples of lesson and unit plans.

2022 Student Keynotes 

EL Education’s National Conference is student-centered, student-informed, and student-led. We are proud to welcome six students from EL Education schools across the country as keynote speakers:

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Wyatt Neill

Wyatt is a 6th-grader at Old Sturbridge Academy in Massachusetts. He enjoys sports like baseball and snowboarding and is also a musician who plays the guitar and piano. Wyatt loves to read and recently helped his school to write a book about untold stories from the past. The book was featured in his school’s Better World Day 2022 project, Lifting Every Voice.

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Saniya Cunningham

Saniya is an 7th-grader at Kuumba Academy Charter School in Delaware. She is a student-athlete, a musician, an active member of My Sister’s Keeper, a mentoring group that inspires girls and women to reach their highest potential through community service and personal growth mentoring, and an aspiring actress and author who creates and tells stories that inspire all children to find power in their own unique stories and experiences.

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Elijah Ofori

Elijah is an 8th-grader at Old Sturbridge Academy in Massachusetts. He is a member of his school’s Leadership Crew, which is focused on elevating student voice during major events and decisions that impact the school.

Cayden

Cayden Olson

Cayden Olson is a 5th-grader at Explore PreK-8 in Colorado. He is a Colorado native and enjoys the climate and mountain activities, such as camping. Cayden is passionate about science and competes yearly at the school’s science fair. He is especially interested in biology and zoology. He is considering running for Student Council this year to share his ideas on how his school can better support the students’ creativity and academic growth.

Clark Pittman

Clark Pittman

Clark Pittman is a 6th-grader at Explore PK-8 in Colorado. Clark loves spending time with her family, crafting stories and bracelets, and entertaining others with trivia, saxophone, and sass. Clark is a member of and advocate for the LGBTQ+ community. She plans to start a GSA at her school this coming year and run for Student Council this year to uplift others’ voices and ideas to create a more inclusive and safe school.

Review the #ELNC22 Conversation Online


Featured Learning Labs 

Brand Hinnant Crawford

Improving for and With Equity

Dr. Brandi Hinnant-Crawford, Ph.D., Clemson University

Continuous improvement is an expectation of educational leaders. However, not all improvement leads to more equitable learning opportunities, particularly for minoritized students. When we improve unjust systems, we often only become more efficient at marginalization. In this session, we will think critically about what it means to improve and how we go about the business of leading improvement. To improve with equity, leaders must constantly assess who is involved and who will be impacted by improvement initiatives. This session will give you a tool to improve for and with equity by using improvement science as a methodology.

David Adams

Voices from the Field: Social-Emotional Learning Integrations into Academics and Beyond

David Adams, The Urban Assembly

This highly interactive workshop will demonstrate how schools across the country teach and activate social-emotional skill-building in instructional formats, behavior supports, extracurricular activities, and social-emotional supports. You will discover how these practices ultimately enable students to access and deploy these skills and dispositions to support adaptive problem-solving in school, life, and the community.

Marsh Ave Els

Putting the A in STEAM

Jessica Cimini-Samuels & Michelle Ng, Marsh Avenue Expeditionary Learning School

From the sketches of Charles Darwin and Leonardo da Vinci to the physical models built by structural engineers, art plays an integral part in scientific exploration, discovery, and communication. From paper circuits to rock haikus, open your students’ minds to new and exciting possibilities in art and science by allowing them the opportunity to incorporate creativity into their scientific pursuits. This session will focus on creating science and engineering curricula that empower students to grapple with content while creatively expressing themselves.

Cvsr1

Different, Not Less: Bolstering Community in the Inclusion Setting with Stories of Neurodiversity

Cathleen Leahy & Allison Friedman, Channel View School for Research

Is there such a thing as being neurotypical, or are we all neurodiverse? In a session jam-packed with student voice, you will discover how a diverse school community ensures that all students’ needs are met in their Integrated Collaborative classrooms while cultivating understanding and compassion for one another in school and life.

Clifton Hills Elem

Transforming School Through Shared Leadership

Dr. Lindsay Starnes & Kerry Moore, Clifton Hills Elementary School

This leadership session will focus on effective practices for promoting shared leadership within a school to develop a plan for professional learning to support educators and students in continuous improvement. You will dive deeply into the Plan, Do, Study, Act cycle, and discover how to drive positive change in your schools through shared leadership.

Conway

From Becoming Trauma-Informed to Cultivating Post-Traumatic Growth

Lori Cisterna & Kailee Ennis, Conway Elementary

As we reflect upon the collective trauma caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, we find ourselves in a unique opportunity to leverage Crew in both healing trauma and in fostering post-traumatic growth. By looking at the term "learning loss" through an equity lens, we can reframe it as "opportunity loss" and truly capitalize on the strength, genius, and funds of knowledge our students bring to our learning spaces.

Conway Elementary School2

We Get Smart to Do Good in the World: Building Student Achievement through Learning Expeditions

Brooke Brumback & Lana Brady, Conway Elementary

Engaging in work that matters equips students with the skills needed to become effective learners and ethical people who act as vehicles of change in their communities. Powerful, engaging learning expeditions enable students to explore relevant topics and become leaders of their own learning. Through this session, you will learn to create an outline of a learning expedition that deepens student thinking via close examination and discussion of text, design thinking, and public presentation to authentic audiences.

Lodestar

Localizing the EL Education ELA Modules: One Step at a Time

Dave Philhower, Lodestar, a Lighthouse Community Charter School

For many of us, localizing the EL ELA modules is essential to our DEI work–a tangible way in which our students see themselves and their communities reflected in their school and classrooms. In this workshop, you will grapple with localizing one unit–whether it be a case study, fieldwork, or expert group text–and dive deeply into that unit's assessment and tasks to maintain grade-level rigor and focus on specific standards. Prepare to review related Core Practices, go on a Gallery Walk of models, and support one another on your journeys toward localizing the content-rich, culturally-affirming curriculum your students deserve.

Glenwood Springs

Building Traditions in Crew to Create a Culture of Belonging

Autumn Rivera (CO Teacher of the Year) & Joel Hathaway, Glenwood Springs Middle School

Crew is a powerful tool to provide character and academic support for students while creating and nurturing strong interpersonal connections in school communities. In this session, you will discover how Glenwood Springs Middle School uses various Crew traditions throughout the school year to strengthen students’ sense of belonging. You’ll have opportunities to share and learn from one another while generating ideas to take back to your own schools and classrooms.

  • City Chicago, IL
  • Dates

  • Grade Level

    K-2, 3-5, 6-8, 9-12

  • Audience

    All Educators

  • Eligibility

    Public, EL Education Partners