Master Classes
Learn with Experts During Master Classes
Explore AI, behavior, data-driven strategies, instructional leadership, school culture and more.
Featuring Eddie Damian, Andrew Marotta, Amy Mayer, Onica Mayers, Nathan Maynard, Rob Thornell and Betsy Weirda.
June 10, 8-10:30am. Separate fee applies.
- Conference + Master Class: Member $748
- Conference + Master Class: Nonmember $1098
- Conference + Master Class: Aspiring Member $249*
*TEPSA Aspiring Administrators receive one free registration to Summer Conference. Repeat attendees should register at the member rate.
1. Brave Talks, Strong Leaders: Coaching Your Way Through Challenging Conversations
Eddie Damian, EdD, Education Leadership Development Program Technical Lead Uzbekistan
This Master Class utilizes powerful coaching strategies for navigating difficult conversations with employees while maintaining trust and rapport. Explore conversation obstacles and successful techniques to implement immediately. Emphasis will focus on setting expectations, aligning policy with actions, and providing you with successful strategies for talking to employees, including your most challenging conversations. By the end of the course, you’ll discover how to have a difficult conversation, without it being a difficult experience.
2. Today’s Significant School Leader: Systems and Strategies to Thrive on Your Leadership Journey
Andrew Marotta, Director of Communication & Academic Services, Port Jervis Schools (NY)/CEO Andrew Marotta, LLC.
In this transformative and impactful master class, dive into systems and practical strategies to put yourself in the best position to lead including:
- The power of storytelling: telling the right story, at the right time, to the right people.
- Creating and bringing contagious energy and enthusiasm while supporting yourself and others.
- Building incredible and meaningful relationships through intentional actions, and
- Being significant in the lives of those we serve.
Sponsored by
3. AI in the Wonderland of Learning: Navigating New Horizons and Hidden Hazards in Education
Amy Mayer, Founder, CEO, friEdTech
Join Amy Mayer, author of Beyond Worksheets and a trailblazing figure in education technology, as she guides you through the transformative landscapes of AI in education. As the visionary founder and CEO of the premier ed-tech firm, friEdTech, whose collaborations with giants like Google and Adobe have set new benchmarks in educational innovation, Amy not only celebrates the creative frontiers AI opens for learning (and humanity) but also casts a critical eye on the challenges lurking for the unwary. Amy’s message is a dual beacon of inspiration and caution, urging educators to harness the magic of AI while navigating its potential pitfalls with strategic foresight. Prepare to be transported into an educational odyssey where imagination meets pragmatism, and where every step forward is taken with both wonder and wisdom.
Sponsored by friEdTech
4. Lead With Joy: Data-Driven Strategies for Empowering Principals and Educational Leaders
Onica L. Mayers, EdD, Associate Superintendent Elementary Schools, Alief ISD
In today’s data-driven educational world, the unique fusion of joy and data is a powerful tool for sustainable success and positive outcomes. This master class integrates the importance of data with the power of leading with joy, providing you with strategies to inspire and motivate your team while using data to inform decisions. Explore how data and joy intersect to improve student outcomes, enhance staff well-being, and create a vibrant school culture. Through engaging activities, discussions, and hands-on analysis, you will leave with practical tools to blend data-informed leadership with joyful, resilient practices for lasting impact in your school and community.
5. From Trauma to Trust: Leading Inclusive, Supportive Classrooms that Transform Student Behavior and Well-Being
Nathan Maynard, CEO, Highfive
Deepen your understanding of the connections between trauma, brain science, and behavior in the classroom. Explore the principles of trauma-informed education, discovering how to create safe, inclusive learning spaces that foster student engagement and well-being. Through examining research-backed insights on trauma, we’ll address the rise in mental health challenges, dysregulation, and connection-seeking behaviors impacting students and teachers alike. We will also delve into the limitations of traditional fear-based management approaches and highlight effective restorative practices that strengthen teacher-student relationships, reduce burnout, and promote a sense of belonging. Gain actionable strategies to implement trauma-informed, restorative practices that ensure belonging and meet the diverse needs of students, fostering a supportive school culture and healthy discipline ecosystem.
6. Juggling the Job: Effective Strategies for Principals
Robert Thornell, EdD, School Leadership Coach, The Center for Model Schools
Are you juggling being an instructional leader while spinning plates and answering emails? We’ll explore five distinct roles school leaders must juggle, often in the same day. Learn practical ideas and examples to make your school a better place to learn and grow. Practice and persistence are the keys to success. Explore systems that support:
- Instructional Leadership
- Servant Leadership
- Becoming a Lead Learner
- Sharing Your Story
- Celebrating and Reflecting
7. The 4 Essential Roles of Great Leaders
Betsy Wierda, PhD, Former Principal, Senior Coach and Consultant, FranklinCovey
Every day, school leaders and teachers are making countless decisions and facing problems they’ve never encountered before. Increased bureaucracy, low trust, lack of alignment, and the execution gap in the whirlwind of education can all hinder the results of great leaders! There are four roles leaders can play that are highly predictive of success. We call them essential because as leaders consciously lead themselves and their teams in alignment with these roles, they lay the foundation for effective leadership and for exemplary measurable results. You will be introduced to the Whole-Person Paradigm, assess your own strengths and areas of improvement, and learn how to use and apply powerful leadership tools to address chronic problems faced by your school.
Sponsored by
