What’s Ahead at NIET's National Conference? Explore This Year’s Learning Strands

Behind the world-class professional learning at the NIET National Conference is a team of staff translating 25 years of experience into actionable strategies for educators. We are excited to hear from our expert facilitators about how these powerful opportunities help educators to generate excellence in their own schools, districts, and states. Wondering where to start? Hear from our lead developers in this Q&A as they share insights into this year’s most impactful sessions across five learning strands.

Q: What key strategies and tools for supporting educators to grow and improve will attendees learn? 

Dr. Jennifer Board, Lead Developer for Learning Strand 3: Generating Early Career Teacher Success:

Attendees will walk away with highly practical, intentional strategies for supporting early career teachers in the moments that matter most. Across the strand, participants will engage with concrete processes to elevate planning, along with coaching protocols and planning tools that strengthen instructional decision-making. More specifically, they will gain:

• Scaffolded coaching strategies that build teachers’ ability to make real-time instructional adjustments
• Approaches for strengthening student clarity by aligning HQIM with NIET’s Teaching and Learning Standards, especially around communicating performance expectations
• Practical ways to apply Universal Design for Learning to increase access and provide meaningful choices for all learners
• Coaching protocols and mindset strategies that foster asset-based thinking

Taken together, these tools emphasize that early career teacher success is not accidental, but instead, it is built through aligned systems of coaching, planning, and mindset development.

Tracy Hypolite, Lead Developer for Learning Strand 4: Generating School Leadership:

Attendees will walk away with effective strategies to strengthen teacher practice through clear instruction, strong standards alignment, and responsiveness to student needs. They will also gain a clear three-step approach for using data to adjust leadership actions within the long-range plan and sustain Instructional Leadership Team impact. Along the way, participants will explore collaborative strategies to support one another in building leadership capacity throughout the year in Instructional Leadership Team meetings, as well as actionable tools to strengthen ongoing teacher development, promote accountability, and support evidence-based decision-making.

Q: If someone could only attend one session in your strand, which one would it be and why?

Dr. Lydia Stevenson, Lead Developer for Learning Strand 5: Generating Teacher Leadership:

If participants could attend only one session, I would recommend Building Teacher Ownership of Cluster Learning. Clusters are structured, teacher-led collaborative meetings where educators analyze student work, practice instructional strategies, and receive feedback to improve teaching. It focuses on using real classroom evidence to strengthen instruction and drive student learning. This session really brings everything together. It focuses on helping leaders shift Cluster learning from something they lead to something teachers own; using student evidence to make decisions, set priorities, and track progress. This shift is critical for ensuring that instructional improvement is not dependent on a single leader but is shared and sustained across the team.

Tracy Hypolite, Lead Developer for Learning Strand 4: Generating School Leadership:

Participants should not miss Sustaining ILT Impact With Continuous Data-informed Decisions! In this dynamic session, they will explore what leadership excellence looks like by learning how to sustain Instructional Leadership Team impact through powerful, data-driven decisions. Participants will leave with a clear process for using mid-cycle data to evaluate the impact of actions in the leadership long-range plan and refine the ILT approach to ensure lasting results.

Carrie Pullins, Lead Developer for Learning Strand 2: Generating Coaching and Support:

I would choose to attend the session Collaborative Coaching to Bridge Content and Instructional Practice because many of us are supporting content areas outside of our own background or depth of expertise. This session offers practical, actionable strategies that empower coaches to effectively support any teacher—while building both content knowledge and instructional skill in the process.

Q: Which type of educator would benefit the most from this strand?

Dr. Jennifer Board, Lead Developer for Learning Strand 3: Generating Early Career Teacher Success:

This strand is designed for all instructional leaders who support early career teachers in any capacity. This includes District Instructional Leadership Teams, school Instructional Leadership Teams, Mentor Teachers, instructional coaches, and those in educator preparation, Grow Your Own, and induction programs. The key message is that this work is not limited to higher education or preparation programs because everyone plays a role in developing early career teachers. The content applies broadly because it focuses on aligned systems of support, including coaching that builds real-time instructional skill, planning that prioritizes student clarity and access, and mindsets that center strengths and possibilities. Leaders at every level will find ways to connect this work to their context and strengthen how they support teachers across the system.

Dr. Lydia Stevenson, Lead Developer for Learning Strand 5: Generating Teacher Leadership:

This strand is valuable for any educator responsible for developing others, including principals, instructional coaches, teacher leaders, and district leaders. While the strategies are immediately applicable to those facilitating Cluster and Instructional Leadership Team learning or coaching teachers, the core concepts of building capacity, leveraging teacher expertise, and aligning work to student outcomes apply across all levels. Whether leading a classroom, a team, or a system, participants will gain practical ways to shift from leading the work themselves to developing others to lead it effectively.

Carrie Pullins, Lead Developer for Learning Strand 2: Generating Coaching and Support:

Strand 2 is designed for anyone who coaches teachers—teacher leaders, campus administrators, and district leaders. Each session focuses on a specific coaching need and provides practical, actionable strategies to address it. Participants will strengthen their ability to build teacher agency, support instruction across content areas, and use evidence to guide the next steps. No matter your role, you will leave with clear tools and a stronger approach to coaching that drives meaningful impact on teaching and student learning.

Q: What was your favorite part about helping develop this content?

Claire Murray, Lead Developer for Learning Strand 1: Generating Instructional Success:

Developing this content has been especially meaningful because it centers on our core mission here at NIET and ensuring all students experience high-quality instruction, regardless of content area or grade level. These sessions provide educators with practical, content-specific strategies that strengthen instructional planning, deepen student understanding, and build the confidence and resilience students need for long-term success. Great classroom teaching is at the heart of what we do, and the sessions in this strand are focused on how to generate strong teaching and learning and bring a high-quality curriculum to life.

Dr. Jennifer Board, Lead Developer for Learning Strand 3: Generating Early Career Teacher Success:

My favorite part was the collaboration and thought partnership with educators that made this strand so strong. It was incredibly rewarding to design sessions that are not only innovative but also deeply practical. What stands out most is how the sessions fit together. Each one tackles a different, critical component of early career teacher success, from real-time instruction, student clarity, access, and mindset, but together they tell a cohesive story about what new teachers need to thrive. Building that alignment across sessions, while keeping the focus on actionable takeaways, was the most meaningful part of the process. I am so excited to lead the learning on this topic at our national conference next week!

Conference learning material can be found after the event on NIET's online learning portal, EE PASS. Explore the full 2026 NIET National Conference Program here.