2025 Pre-ConferenceS

February 1 & 2, 2025

AAIE Conversation 2025

AAIE 2025 Global Leadership CONVERSATION 

Leading with Agility: Changing Conversations for the Future of Education

Join us for an enriching experience at our upcoming conference in Washington DC in February 2025! Before the main event, we are excited to offer a series of pre-conference workshops designed to enhance your leadership skills and deepen your understanding of the unique challenges in international education. Engage with expert facilitators and fellow heads of school in dynamic, hands-on sessions that will inspire innovation and collaboration. Whether you're looking to strengthen your strategic planning, improve community engagement, or explore emerging educational trends, these workshops are an invaluable opportunity to connect and grow. Don't miss this chance to set the tone for a transformative conference experience!

 


 

Accelerating Innovation Through Collaboration

An Action-Oriented Approach to Building Momentum and Scale

February 1 & 2, 2025 with Richard Boerner and David Palumbo

There is power in collaboration. That power can positively lead to both momentum and scale of innovation in education. Join us and your colleagues for a dynamic two-day Think Tank where we will collaborate to design agile, impactful strategies for accelerating solutions to the most complex and relevant issues in schooling. Embrace inclusivity, action-oriented focus, and measurable outcomes to transform the future of education.

In a rapidly changing world, the field of international education must adapt with agility and innovation. This immersive two-day pre-conference Think Tank is designed for forward-thinking educators, administrators, and stakeholders who are ready to challenge the status quo and drive meaningful change.

What to Expect:

  • Agility and Flexibility: Engage in short, iterative planning cycles that allow for rapid adaptation. Respond to new insights and shifting circumstances with confidence.
  • Inclusive Participation: Collaborate with a diverse group of participants—including educators, students, community leaders, and industry experts—to ensure a rich tapestry of perspectives and ideas.
  • Action-Oriented Focus: Move beyond theory. Prioritize immediate action and develop tangible solutions through real-time problem-solving and experimentation.
  • Impact-Driven Outcomes: Focus on creating strategies with measurable impacts. Utilize continuous evaluation and feedback loops to assess progress and refine your approaches.

Who Should Attend:

  • International education leaders seeking innovative strategies.
  • Educators passionate about collaborative decision-making.
  • Stakeholders committed to transforming educational practices for immediate and lasting impact.

Deliverables: 

  • Fusion Framework: A proven method to quickly and effectively understand What is, what could be, what should be and what will be the future of education, with local actionable steps.
  • ABCQ: We are often bound by our experiences and collective mindset. This binds innovation to iterative and incremental approaches. By stretching your edges you will consider out of the box "Q solutions" to address challenges and opportunities facing education. Through the experience you will have actionable steps to take Q solutions back to your schools.
  • Collaborative Network: Enhanced connections with a diverse group of international education professionals and stakeholders for ongoing support and idea exchange. Using the wisdom of crowds and multiple sets of eyes and ears, we will provide noth a network, a standard set of tools, and a shared vocabulary to extend the engagement beyond the conference calendar dates.
  • Agile Planning Toolkit: A set of methods for short, iterative planning cycles that can be applied to future projects and initiatives.
  • Inclusive Engagement Strategies: Techniques and better practices for involving a broad range of stakeholders in decision-making and change leadership processes.

Future-Focused Education: An Action-Oriented Think Tank Experience
Join us in co-creating the future of international education. Leave equipped with the tools, connections, and actionable plans necessary to make a real difference in your community and beyond.

Registration Fee: $450 per person

Register 


 

LGBTQ+ Inclusion Policy Development

A Roadmap for International School Leaders

February 2, 2025 with Dr. Emily Meadows

School leaders are increasingly in a position to make important, impactful decisions around LGBTQ+ matters, but may feel underprepared to do so. To build your confidence and competence in this sensitive area, please join our cohort of international school leaders for a day-long pre-conference on LGBTQ+ policy development with Dr. Emily Meadows.

Emily has worked with dozens of international schools across the world to develop sound LGBTQ+ inclusion policies, and will share her tips and tricks for success. You will leave with a stronger understanding of both the why and the how of LGBTQ+ policy, as well as communication strategy to build momentum around this work at your school.

Colleagues are strongly encouraged to participate together as school partners or teams whenever possible. Participants with any level of experience in LGBTQ+ matters are welcome, and considerations will be made for those working in contexts with limited LGBTQ+ rights and protections.

Here's what you'll gain during our day together:

  • LGBTQ+ foundational concepts and terminology
  • Solid rationale for establishing LGBTQ+ policy at your school
  • Research-backed best practices to strengthen your school's commitments to LGBTQ+ child safeguarding
  • Pragmatic strategies and concrete policy language on specifics such as: bathrooms, change rooms, pronouns, sports, and travel
  • When and how to maintain privacy
  • Answers to some of the most common FAQ's around LGBTQ+ inclusion in international schools
  • Next steps to effectively take this inclusion work forward with your school communities

Registration Fee: $350 per person

Register


 

Collective Efficacy in Action

Supporting Neurodiverse and Diverse Learners

February 2, 2025 with the International School Counselor Association (ISCA) and Special Education Network and Inclusion Association (SENIA International)

This pre-conference workshop, led by SENIA International and ISCA, focuses on leveraging collective efficacy to drive school improvement, with a strong emphasis on inclusivity for neurodiverse students and those with diverse learning needs. Designed for school leaders, it provides strategies to enhance collaboration among leadership, learning support, counseling teams, and parents. By implementing Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS), Universal Design for Learning (UDL) and Social-Emotional Learning (SEL), participants will gain practical tools to create inclusive learning environments that support both academic and social-emotional development for all learners.

Key Takeaways for School Leaders:

  • Enhance Team Collaboration: Develop unified approaches to support diverse learners, aligning with MTSS and integrating Social-Emotional Learning (SEL).
  • Promote Inclusive Leadership: Implement shared leadership models and integrate UDL to create accessible learning environments.
  • Foster a Positive School Culture: Cultivate a culture of diversity and inclusion, prioritizing SEL to enhance the well-being of all students.
  • Strengthen Community Partnerships: Build effective communication channels with families to support inclusive education and SEL initiatives.

Registration Fee: $350 per person

Join SENIA and ISCA to gain practical leadership tools and techniques for fostering effective teamwork and creating truly inclusive learning environments.

Register


 

Good Governance 

International School Boards: Governing with Agility

The challenge of guiding an international school today requires agility in both leadership and governance. Governing with agility demands a balance of steadfast commitment to the school's mission and strategic priorities with the nimbleness to adjust to and accommodate for major shifts in the context in which the school exists.

The goal of this pre-conference is to provide school leaders and governors with an understanding of the essentials of "agile" governance and give them a familiarity with the resources and materials available through the AAIE Good Governance Project

The session will be framed around the seven elements of the Good Governance Project:

  1. Performing Roles and Fulfilling Responsibilities
  2. Meeting Fiduciary Responsibilities
  3. Growing and Sustaining the Board
  4. Hiring and Sustaining the Head of School
  5. Optimizing Board Operations
  6. Being Strategic 
  7. Being Accountable and Assessing Success

An additional focus will be on the Leading Together Curriculum, a comprehensive framework supporting the partnership of the Head of School and Board Chair in guiding their Boards.

Throughout, the presenters will practice "agility" by diving more deeply into particular areas of governance that are of special interest to participants. Further, the presenters will be available throughout the conference for one-on-one conversations with individuals or school-based teams regarding relevant issues at their schools.

Registration Fee: $225 per person

Register