Before the conference kicks off in earnest, attendees can join pre-conference workshops and school tours to get a running start.

Pre-conference workshops

Bonus deep-dive sessions for those arriving early. Tickets available starting in February.

Led by Wendy Salcedo-Fierro, Teacher-Powered Schools

Teacher-Powered 101, Jump Start Your Journey

9:00-11:30am, Thursday, Oct 23

Are you new here? Interested, but don’t know where to start? Join us for a morning and leave understanding the fundamentals of teacher-powered, ready to start the conference with a strong foundation.

Designed for those new to teacher-powered, individuals as well as teams. Attendees will leave with a plan of schools to visit, teacher-powered practitioners to connect with, and steps for the next three months to move you forward on your journey. $50 per person. This pre-conference workshop takes place at the conference hotel.

Led by Jeff Austin, Teacher-Powered Schools

Continuous Improvement Tools for Veteran Teacher-Powered Teams

9:00-11:30am, Thursday, Oct 23

Are you an experienced teacher-powered practitioner? An administrator at a teacher-powered school? Join us for a morning and leave with tools to help you assess your team’s strengths and ways to improve your team’s teacher-powered effectiveness. $50 per person. This pre-conference workshop takes place at the conference hotel.

The consortium of teacher-powered schools hosting this year’s school visits won the School District Partnership Award at the 2022 conference.

School tours

School visits are always a conference highlight. Immerse yourself in a teacher-powered school; at each visit, schools will provide an overview of how they use teacher-powered practices and structures with their teacher teams, educational programs, and innovative practices. School visits cost $100 and transportation is included.

Get tickets

Bishop Elementary, Lincoln Consolidated Schools

Afternoon of Thursday, Oct 23 | Ypsilanti, MI

Bishop Elementary has a multi-age learning environment utilizing the High/Scope model of curriculum delivery. At Bishop, different aged students are combined into the same classrooms, which are divided into grade-level houses: Lower (K-1), Middle (2-3), and Upper (4-5). Students have the opportunity to mentor younger students and be mentored by older students.

Lincoln’s Spanish Immersion program is the only program of its kind in Washtenaw County and one of the few language immersion programs in Michigan. It is housed in Bishop Elementary and utilizes the High/Scope model of curriculum delivery.

Urban, district | Grades K-5

Early College Alliance @ Eastern Michigan University

Afternoon of Thursday, Oct 23 | Ypsilanti, MI

The Early College Alliance (ECA) is a unique educational program designed to fully immerse high school students into the postsecondary learning environment. ECA is a public, early/middle college program located on the campus of Eastern Michigan University.

Suburban, district | High school grades

Washtenaw Alliance for Virtual Education (WAVE)

Afternoon of Thursday, Oct 23 | Ypsilanti, MI

The WAVE program is a free, public high school that provides an alternative to traditional high school. The program’s objective is to motivate students from various life experiences to achieve academic and personal success.

Online/urban, district | Grades 8-12, up to age 20

Washtenaw International High School & Middle Academy (WIHI/WIMA)

Afternoon of Thursday, Oct 23 | Ypsilanti, MI

These middle and high school programs provide a rigorous, student-centered, inquiry-based instructional and curricular curriculum with an emphasis on international-mindedness, interdisciplinary knowledge, leadership development, and critical thinking.

Urban, district | Grades 6-18