2026 AAEA Summer Conference

2026 AAEA Summer Conference

7:30am CDT

Registration Open Caddo & Osage (SCC)

8:30am CDT

Bus Driver Training Caraway I-III (SCC)

9:30am CDT

Pre-Conference Session Salons A-C (M)

10:00am CDT

AHSAA Executive Meeting Harris Brake (MCC)

ESC Director Meeting Riverview (MCC)

11:00am CDT

1-3A Principal's Meeting Conway (MCC)

4A Principal's Meeting White Oak (MCC)

5A Principal's Meeting Harris Brake (MCC)

6A Principal's Meeting Grampas (MCC)

7A Principal's Meeting Chicot (MCC)

Exhibit Hall Open Governor's Halls I-IV (SCC)

1:00pm CDT

Opening General Session Wally Allen Ballroom (SCC)

3:30pm CDT

AAA Governing Body Meeting Wally Allen Ballroom (SCC)

7:30am CDT

Breakfast Available Governor's Halls I-IV (SCC) Visit Exhibits Governor's Halls I-IV (SCC) Registration Open Caddo & Osage (SCC)

8:30am CDT

General Session: Admin of the Year and DESE Updates Wally Allen Ballroom (SCC)Secretary Jacob Oliva

10:15am CDT

From Creating Opportunity to Creating Coherence: The Work in Front of Rural Education Yell I-II (SCC)Justin Neel • Dr. Austin D. Eubanks

From Data to Impact: Strengthening Instruction for Student Success Ouachita (MCC)Gina Richard • Thea Capps • Heather Gonzalez • Jan Hill • Whitney Dutton • Britnee Wright

Going Global with Cambridge International: A Practical Guide for Arkansas's Next Chapter in Advanced Education & Accelerated Learning Grampas (MCC)Charles Lee • Dr. Kristy Brown • Dustin Seaton • Tina McClure

Leading with Purpose: Teacher Growth & Professional Learning Salon C (M)Dr. Adam Eckard • Mandy Zipfel • Angela Murphy • Harry Dickens • Alice Shirey

Reclaiming the Math Classroom: A Framework for Sustainable Differentiation White Oak (MCC)Veronica Hebard • Sophia Kor

What Do We Mean by “Growth”? Rethinking Progress in the Arkansas VAM Model Salon A (M)Hope Worsham

Building It Right: Legal Requirements, Partnership Funding, and Public Bidding Chicot (MCC)Cedric Hawkins • Travis Spence

From Compliance to Confidence: Implementing Behavioral Threat Assessments with Clarity and Protection Pope (SCC)Bekah Coursey • Becca Sparks

Accelerate School Procurement: How TIPS Delivers Faster, Compliant, Cost‑Effective Contracts Salon B (M)Stacey McPherson

Ethics Disclosures Miller (SCC)Charles Warren

Federal Updates Izard (SCC)Kimberly Glass • Lea Metcalf-McDonald • Amanda Bittle

High Leverage Human Capital Strategies Conway (MCC)Melissa Tucker • Greg Mones

Mastering the Maze: Navigating FOIA and Legal Requests, Technical Strategy Meets Legal Compliance Drew (SCC)Paul Miller • Kendra Clay

A Principal & Counselor’s Journey to School Improvement Manning (M)David Yates • Jessica Ashcraft • Dr. Heather Williams

Building a Leadership Pipeline: Growing District Leaders from Within Harris Brake (MCC)Mathew Thornton • Blake Campbell

Crisis Communications when Minutes Matter Arkansas Ballroom (M)Dr. Jared Cleveland • Trent Jones

Dodging the Docket: Smart Moves Before and After a Due Process Filing Fulton (SCC)Shasta Wagner • Leila Seigrist • Claire Wilkinson

From Minor League to Major Leagues: Systems that Will Help You "Go Yard" with Feedback and Growth Caraway I-III (SCC)Kelley Krogman • Josh Lyra • Ashley Hammett

Mic Drop Session: Effective Leadership Strategies Riverview (MCC)Justin Swope

SHIFTing from Surviving to Thriving Neosho (MCC)Dr. Brandy Howell • Jennifer Spriggs

11:30am CDT

Own It! Accountability in Instruction Caraway I-III (SCC)Dr. Dondre Harris

Right-Sizing Assessment: From Scores to Strategy Salon B (M)Chrissy McNabb • Hope Worsham

Beyond Compliance: Measuring the Impact of Federal Dollars Izard (SCC)Christine Harrell • Amy Robson

Transparency vs. Confidentiality: Navigating Executive Sessions and Personnel Records in Arkansas Schools Conway (MCC)Shasta Wagner

What’s Keeping Your School Staff Up at Night? Salon C (M)Educational Benefits, Inc. • John Starling

Be the Change! Offer a K-12 virtual option. Ouachita (MCC)Tammy Manning • Brandi Williams • Krystle Summers

Farmland & Forest as an Immersive Learning Environment Grampas (MCC)Meredith Hendricks • Dr. Julie Williams

From Vision to Impact: How a Rural School Built a Life-Ready Ecosystem Pope (SCC)Justin Neel

Generations at Work: Strategies for Recruiting, Retaining, and Uniting Your School Team Arkansas Ballroom (M)Dr. Mark Gotcher

Military Career Awareness: Access for Students Hoffman (M)John Ashworth

Strength in Schools. Success in Children. Salon A (M)Shane Patrick • Amy Carter • Joe McClung

The Kindergarten Readiness Crisis: What School Leaders Can Do Before Children Arrive Riverview (MCC)Mark Lewis • Kristen Weatherall • Dr. Dayna Lewis

Tunnel Vision: Changing Education One Child at a Time!! Neosho (MCC)Alex Peterson • Brooklyn Graves

Enhancing Communication Through Improv Miller (SCC)Charles Warren

From Surviving to Thriving: Reimagining School Culture with the DILTS Nested Levels of Learning White Oak (MCC)Christie Cremo

Future-Proofing Your Pipeline: The Paid Residency Blueprint Harris Brake (MCC)Dr Jeremy Owoh • Dr. Jermall Wright • Dr. Rachel Eells

Operationalizing RTI: Aligning PLCs, Scheduling, and Student Needs Fulton (SCC)Callie Sanchez • Danielle Renfroe • Joe Herrington

School Based Intervention Team (SBIT) Come To The Table! Chicot (MCC)Barbara Kirkpatrick • Philip Alderman • Tabitha Turner • Londria King

Turning Leadership Vision into Measurable School Impact Manning (M)Dr. Bethanie Hale

Lunch Available Governor's Halls I-IV (SCC)

12:20pm CDT

DESE Educator Effectiveness & Licensure Updates Salon A (M)Brandie Benton

Is Your System Making an Impact? Manning (M)Dr. Julie Workman • Jacob Sisson

Scaling the Seal of Biliteracy: A Step-by-Step Guide to the State and Global Application Process Neosho (MCC)Chip Greenwell • Adrienne Cooke

Building Safer Schools Together Chicot (MCC)Eric King

Creating the Digital Ghost Salon C (M)Johnny Ramsey

Hiring Is Only the Beginning: Retaining Educators in Arkansas Public Schools Conway (MCC)Dr. Amy Manley

Raising the Rigor: How Sheridan School District Uses CFAs Salon B (M)Dr. Dave Maddock • Dr. Missy Walley

Building Success Beyond the School Day: How Searcy School District Designed and Implemented High-Impact After-School Tutoring White Oak (MCC)Heather Franks • Dr. Bobby Hart • Bethany Philpot • Dr. Rich O'Connell

Digital Citizenship Playbook: Helping Students Make Tech Work for Them Drew (SCC)Adam Brooks • Matthew Cyr

Unlocking Learning: An Introduction to the Science of Learning Ouachita (MCC)Jill Heard • Rebecca Mills • Justin Howell • Brooke Suyal

Best Year Yet- Leading Successfully Through Change Riverview (MCC)Dr. Dawn Childress

Built of T.H.A.T. Fulton (SCC)Dr. Micheal Stone

Energy, Identity, and Change: Leading Adults to Transform Student Outcomes Caraway I-III (SCC)Chrissy McNabb • Dr. Kelly Hankins

Enhancing Communication Through Improv Miller (SCC)Charles Warren

Every Problem is a Leadership Problem: Own the Solution or Own the Failure Arkansas Ballroom (M)Dr. Doug Adams

Fiscal Leadership: Mastering the "Buckets" of School and District Finance Izard (SCC)Dr. Mickey McFetridge

From Absent to Present: Building a Collaborative Culture using Technology to Combat Chronic Absenteeism and Increase Student Achievement Harris Brake (MCC)Dr. Roger C. Guevara • Dr. James Gibbens

Helena-West Helena: From Failing to Successful Hoffman (M)Dr. Xavier M. Hodo, Sr. • Dr. John M. West, Jr.

Teacher-Centered Leadership: Practical Strategies for Culture Building Pope (SCC)Dr. Michelle Miller

We Know the Why and What of a PLC, But the Difference Is in the How Grampas (MCC)Justin Rasnick

1:20pm CDT

Durable Skills for CTE Pathways - What Does This Mean For My District? Yell I-II (SCC)Shantelle Raper • Ross White

Lighting the Way: Renaissance Intelligence for Unified Curriculum, Instruction, and Data Salon B (M)Dr. Dave Maddock

Rigor on Demand: Micro-Challenges That Make Kids Think Neosho (MCC)Adam Robison

When "Meaningful Access" Isn't Actually Meaningful: Leadership Moves to Make Co-Teaching Work for Multilingual Learners Manning (M)JD Coursey • Dr. Shawna Shields

Partnering for Success: State Classroom Inspections & Support Chicot (MCC)Raymond Reynolds • Travis Spence

Critical Conversations Conway (MCC)Tanya Sharp

Newcomers: A Year in the Life of a Federal Coordinator and Getting the Best ROI of Your Funding Dollars Izard (SCC)Susan Gilley • Christine Harrell • Marcy Dugger

The Invisible Decisions: How School Business Choices Quietly Shape Student Outcomes During Declining Enrollment Miller (SCC)Ashten Black • Pam McCammon

Keeping Kids Safe in Our AI World Pope (SCC)Dr. Robin Finley

Adding It All Up: The Administrator’s Guide to Accelerated Math Grampas (MCC)Charles Lee • Dustin Seaton • Erin McCain

"D4" Ways To Deescalate Conflict Harris Brake (MCC)Mr. Stacy DeFoor • Stephanie DeFoor

Merit Pay in Mena: Development of an In-District System Arkansas Ballroom (M)Dr. Lee Smith • Bridget Buckley

Own Your Growth. Fuel Student Success: Creating Meaningful Access in High School Hoffman (M)Sarah Merayo • Lisa Overstreet

The Leadership Balancing Act: Where Hard Work Meets Heart Work Riverview (MCC)Shavon Jackson • Nancy Madison

Thriving in Tough Moments: Tools for Navigating Conflict Salon C (M)Dana Lamb

Vision to Impact: Igniting Leadership from Within Caraway I-III (SCC)Dr. Marcia Smith • Dr. Christy Smith

What Every District Leader Should Ask Their Technology Director to Protect Students and District Assets Drew (SCC)Ray Girdler

When School Boards Disagree: Arkansas Data and Practical Strategies for District Leaders Ouachita (MCC)Matthew White • Dr. Rick Gales

You Need to Calm Down: Staying Professional When Advocates & Attorneys Enter the Room (Repeat) Fulton (SCC)Natalie Gosdin • Haley Hatch

2:50pm CDT

Durable Skills for CTE Pathways - What Does This Mean For My District? (Repeat) Yell I-II (SCC)Shantelle Raper • Ross White

Unlock the Full Potential of Your School Facilities Chicot (MCC)Raymond Reynolds • Mike Mertens

HR Basics for Principals & Supervisors Conway (MCC)Chris Davis

Mastering the Maze: Navigating FOIA and Legal Requests, Technical Strategy Meets Legal Compliance (Repeat) Drew (SCC)Paul Miller • Kendra Clay

Newcomers: A Year in the Life of a Federal Coordinator and Getting the Best ROI of Your Funding Dollars (Repeat) Izard (SCC)Susan Gilley • Christine Harrell • Marcy Dugger

The Invisible Decisions: How School Business Choices Quietly Shape Student Outcomes During Declining Enrollment (Repeat) Miller (SCC)Ashten Black • Pam McCammon

AI Showcase: Highlighting Different AI Platforms Pope (SCC)Dr. Robin Finley

Adding It All Up: The Administrator’s Guide to Accelerated Math (Repeat) Grampas (MCC)Charles Lee • Dustin Seaton • Erin McCain

Building Instructional Systems That Drive Student Growth Hoffman (M)DarShauna Shepherd

Leading District Improvement Salon B (M)Hope Worsham • Brooke McCain

Let 'Em Know: Old School Skills for New School Challenges Manning (M)Dr. Dondre Harris • Preston Echols

Merit Pay in Mena: Development of an In-District System (Repeat) Arkansas Ballroom (M)Dr. Lee Smith • Bridget Buckley

Read the Room, Lead the Room: Unlocking the Hidden Language of Communication Neosho (MCC)Judy Pennington • Sarah Monfee

Signaling Change: AI and School Communication Salon C (M)Greg Turchetta

The Leadership Balancing Act: Where Hard Work Meets Heart Work (Repeat) Riverview (MCC)Shavon Jackson • Nancy Madison

Tiers to Distinction: Building Support for All Teachers Ouachita (MCC)Mr. John Unger • Andrea Ward

Vision to Impact: Igniting Leadership from Within (Repeat) Caraway I-III (SCC)Dr. Marcia Smith • Dr. Christy Smith

Waiting on Info Salon A (M)

Wired for Success: Building Executive Function Skills to Boost Learning and Belonging Harris Brake (MCC)Megan Strain • Courtney Gunter

You Need to Calm Down: Staying Professional When Advocates & Attorneys Enter the Room (Repeat) Fulton (SCC)Natalie Gosdin • Haley Hatch

7:30am CDT

Breakfast Available Governor's Halls I-IV (SCC) Registration Open Caddo & Osage (SCC)

8:15am CDT

Designing Future-Ready Pathways: Leveraging New AP Offerings for Accelerated Learning Grampas (MCC)Kate Morlock

Learning in Full Color: Transforming Public Schools Through Arts Integration Chicot (MCC)Dr. Stephanie Summerford

Making Assessment Doable with Google Sheets and a little R White Oak (MCC)Dr. Kelli Langan

New Administrators: What Your Special Education Supervisor Needs You to Know on Day One Fulton (SCC)Carla Curtis • Lanna Bullington • Kelli Gordon • Domonique Alexander • Christy Darrington • Jana Lee

Systems That Stick: Engineering Sustainable School Improvement Salon A (M)Dr. Adam Eckard • Adriane Duke

From Compliance to Impact: Creative Federal Funding Strategies That Move Student Achievement Izard (SCC)Ashten Black • Kris Williams

Overtime and the One Big Beautiful Bill Act Miller (SCC)Terri Raskiewicz

Navigating the Ship from Middle School to High School Manning (M)David Yates • Dr. Lynn Faught • Stephanie Anderson

Path to Purpose: Empowering At-Risk Youth through Innovative Education and Whole Child Healing Hoffman (M)Cindy L. Willis

Updates From DCTE for 2026-2027 Yell I-II (SCC)Jennifer Turner • Ross White

What Do Arch Ford's Highest VAM Score Teachers Do Differently? Caraway I-III (SCC)Dr. Julie Workman

How Districts are Removing Communication Barriers to Transform Outcomes Salon C (M)Greg Turchetta

Leading with AI Initiatives Drew (SCC)Dr. Robin Finley

School Safety Partnership (Building Administration & Law Enforcement) Pope (SCC)Dr. Kate Worley • Dan Worley

The Code of Ethics: How Administrators Can Support Educators in the Prevention of Ethics Violations Conway (MCC)Whitney James • Laura Shelton

Transition Grade Configuration Arkansas Ballroom (M)Shane Patrick

Vision Casting to Create Systems of Communication Salon B (M)Micah House

9:30am CDT

GPS for Teaching and Learning: The Arkansas Adolescent Literacy Intervention Hoffman (M)Dr. Renee Calhoon • Mallorey Jones • Gia Taylor

Leading for Impact: Advanced Placement Data for Accelerated Learning Success Grampas (MCC)Kate Morlock

New Administrators: What Your Special Education Supervisor Needs You to Know on Day One (Repeat) Fulton (SCC)Carla Curtis • Lanna Bullington • Kelli Gordon • Domonique Alexander • Christy Darrington • Jana Lee

Organizing Effective Communication and Planning Pope (SCC)Dr. Kate Worley • Brad Etters

From Compliance to Impact: Creative Federal Funding Strategies That Move Student Achievement (Repeat) Izard (SCC)Ashten Black • Kris Williams

Overtime and the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (Repeat) Miller (SCC)Terri Raskiewicz

Social Media: What do educators need to know to protect themselves online and keep their license? Drew (SCC)Dr. Robin Finley

Navigating the Ship from Middle School to High School (Repeat) Manning (M)Crystal Fluker • Dr. Lynn Faught • Stephanie Anderson

Updates From DCTE for 2026-2027 (Repeat) Yell I-II (SCC)Jennifer Turner • Ross White

What Do Arch Ford's Highest VAM Score Teachers Do Differently? (Repeat) Caraway I-III (SCC)Dr. Julie Workman

ATLAS Hack! Harris Brake (MCC)Dr. D.J. Vincent

Regional Career Center Arkansas Ballroom (M)Dr. Debbie Jones • Kelly Boortz

The Code of Ethics: Updates on Processes and Procedures Conway (MCC)Whitney James • Laura Shelton

Transformational Leadership Playbook: Doing What Works Salon A (M)Charles Blacknall • Hiram Sumlin

What Effective Arkansas Principals Are Doing to Lead Academic Growth: Lessons from a Study of Arkansas Principals White Oak (MCC)Dr. Michael Hensley

Why Am I Still Here? Chicot (MCC)Robert Fitzgerald

10:40am CDT

Closing Genereal Session Wally Allen Ballroom (SCC)