What can I expect?

• One-on-one consultations with faculty on your unique challenges and situation
• The opportunity to connect with a small Home Base team for networking, collaboration, and focused discussions on key concepts
• Dozens of breakout sessions in small-group settings
• The opportunity to bring your critical ideas through unconference and open spaces, and come away with answers and ideas to improve your school or district
• Dedicated time to collaborate with educators in similar schools and roles
• Exclusive training on AMLE’s newly updated foundational position paper on middle school best practice, The Successful Middle School: This We Believe – including a complimentary copy of the text.

Who should attend?

• Current and aspiring school leaders who work with young adolescents aged 10-15
• School teams invested in transforming their culture
• Principals and assistant principals looking for exceptional ideas to build a positive, productive school culture and strengthen their leadership team
• Teachers and counselors seeking creative ideas to improve instruction, build meaningful connections with students, and help students take charge of their learning
• District/Central office staff who seek best practices and program ideas for district-wide middle school improvement

The Venue

Turn new experiences into unforgettable moments at Renaissance Orlando at SeaWorld, within steps of Orlando’s most celebrated attractions. After a full day of learning, restore balance poolside at our spa or lounge, enjoy the on-site water park with water slides, a toddler play area and more, or embrace effortless relaxation in spacious hotel accommodations with resort amenities.

Ensuring the Health and Safety of Educators

We’ve worked to ensure the health and safety of educators at the event by taking the following measures:

• Capping the event at 200 attendees
• Allowing flexible cancellation for any reason up to three days prior to the event
• Ensuring space for social distancing throughout all Institute sessions
• Verifying that our venue, the Renaissance Orlando at SeaWorld, is committed to providing a clean, healthy environment.

The Faculty

We’ve assembled a world-class faculty of award-winning expert practitioners from a diverse range of backgrounds and school settings who have tackled the same challenges you’re facing as a middle school leader.

Gail Heinemeyer, Chair
Todd Brist
Cedrick Gray
Linda Hopping
Barbara McCarty
Juan Rodriguez
Erin Scholes
Dru Tomlin

The Breakout Sessions

Full Session Descriptions

After a disrupted year, the Institute offers a setting to share, learn, and discuss some of the most pressing leadership challenges facing middle school teams, including:

• Understanding and implementing the research-based characteristics of a Successful Middle School
• Supporting tech hesitant teacher in a technology driven environment
• Conducting difficult conversations
• Motivating young adolescents in a virtual environment
• Promoting staff morale and care in any learning environment
• Designing effective integrated instruction
• Implementing trauma-informed instruction
• Providing extrinsic/intrinsic motivation
• Encouraging student self-care, stress management, and organizational skills
• Examining grading practices and policies
• Using early warning indicators to address student achievement
• Promoting the positive and addressing the toxic in school culture
• Gamifying your classroom
• Developing personalized leadership growth
• Prioritizing learning standards
• Confronting equity issues: doing it right and for all students
• Exploring tech tools for learning
• Addressing SEL during the hybrid experience
• Assessing student learning
• Creating PLC’s
• Exploring the possibilities of multi-age teaming/looping
• Designing instruction in a block schedule
• Promoting digital citizenship and literacy
• Transitioning to and from the middle school
• Addressing learning gaps after COVID
• Advisory in-person/remote
• Fostering attendance and engagement in a hybrid world
• Preparing for re-entry to a full in-person environment