PRE-CONFERENCE SESSIONS 

Add a full day of learning to your NPC27 experience. Pre-conference sessions run all day, giving you room to go deeper than the regular conference schedule allows. Featuring hands-on work, real scenarios, and tools you can use right away, sessions can be purchased as you register for the conference.

Cornelious Minor
Doing What Matters for Educators AND the Young People We Serve 

Leaders are under pressure to support learning, well-being, belonging, and safety all at once. The expectation to do it all isn’t realistic, and it isn’t sustainable. This session looks at how leaders decide what matters most, say no in cultures that expect yes, and build practices that protect their own humanity. Together we’ll consider what leadership can look like in 2027. 

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Kristan Rodriguez
The Power of 4: Transforming MTSS From Wait-to-Fail to Smart Systems 

This hands-on session gives PreK–12 leaders a research-aligned approach to strengthening MTSS for today’s academic, social-emotional, and mental health needs. Using the MTSS² Framework, participants explore the 4 Domains of student support, 4 Levers of system design, 4 Data types, and 4 Stages that prevent overidentification. Case studies and scenario work cover Tier 1 instruction, pre-referral systems, and Tier 2 and 3 supports. All attendees receive a starter toolkit. 

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Rick Wormeli
Shifting Culture and Practices for Grading Reform, Including Grading in a Generative AI World 

Built for PreK–12 leaders, this session covers the concrete moves needed to update grading for accuracy, equity, and modern learning. Participants will work through redesigning gradebooks, separating academic evidence from behavior, aligning assessment to proficiency, and handling late work and redos. The session also provides implementation timelines, first-year PD plans, coaching questions, and family communication strategies, including how grading holds up in a generative AI world.