Belonging and More: Empowering Educators to Create Inclusive Classroom Settings

Agenda

MC: Dr. Jorge Preciado

• 9-9:05 a.m. - Welcome/Introduce Keynote Nyaradzo Mvududu
• 9:05-10:00 a.m. - Keynote Presentation Dr. Conrado Julian
• 10-10:15 a.m. - Break
• 10:15-11:15 a.m. - Concurrent Session 1
  • Session 1: Making AI work for you as a Teacher Dr. Carlos Arias
  • Session 2: The Stepping Stones to More Equitable Schools Dr. Jessica Swain-Bradway Schools
  • Session 3: Culturally Relevant Strategies in College and Career Readiness Programming: Addressing the Needs of Black Students for High School and Postsecondary Success Dr. Kirsten Thornton
• 11:15-11:30 a.m. - Break
• 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. - Welcome Back & Concurrent Session 2
  • Session 1: Critical Care, Teacher Advocacy, and Community Engagement Dr. Edward Olivos
  • Session 2: From Vision to Action: Equity and Practice Through Washington’s Multilingual Learner Statewide Strategic Plan Dr. Kadriye El-Atwani
  • Session 3: From Barriers to Bridges: The UDL Mindset Dr. Nandita Golya
• 12:30-1 p.m. - Lunch break
• 1-2 p.m. - Concurrent Session 3
  • Session 1: How a K-5 Elementary School Became a Positive Outlier Dr. Doug Ferguson
  • Session 2: Rethinking Office Discipline Referrals: Data Based School Discipline Equity Dr. Deanna Bush
  • Session 3: Session Title – Coming Soon Jordyn Murray
• 2-2:30 p.m. - Closing Remarks Dr. Jorge Preciado

Keynote: DEI Discourse: What’s the Real Message?

Dr. Conrado Julian

Dean of Students
Thomas Middle School

As DEI conversations continue to shift, this reflection creates space to explore the mainstream messages that influence its meaning. We’ll explore how it influences both the intended and unintended aspects of our everyday practices.

Teaching in the Age of AI: Tools, Tactics, and Cautions

Dr. Carlos Arias

Associate Professor & Chair of Computer Science
Seattle Pacific University

Dr. Carlos Arias brings deep expertise in computer science and emerging technologies, with a particular focus on the practical applications of artificial intelligence in education. As both a faculty leader and technologist, he works at the intersection of innovation, ethics, and real-world implementation in the classroom.

Making AI Work for You as a Teacher

Artificial Intelligence is no longer on the horizon — it is embedded in today’s educational landscape. In this forward-thinking session, Dr. Arias will explore how educators can strategically leverage AI tools to enhance efficiency, creativity, and instructional impact.

Participants will learn how AI can help:

• Streamline lesson planning and preparation
• Automate routine tasks
• Generate instructional resources
• Free up time to focus on student engagement and support

The session will also address critical considerations, including ethical use, overreliance, academic integrity, and the potential risks of misuse. Attendees will leave with practical strategies and a balanced framework for integrating AI responsibly and effectively into their teaching practice.

Reimagining School–Community Partnerships

Dr. Edward Olivos

Professor of Education Studies
Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, College of Education
University of Oregon

Dr. Edward Olivos is a scholar and leader in education studies whose work centers on equity, community engagement, and transformative partnerships in urban schools. His research and leadership focus on strengthening relationships between educators and historically marginalized communities through advocacy, care, and culturally responsive practice.

Critical Care, Teacher Advocacy, and Community Engagement

Parent and community involvement remain foundational to student success but in times of social uncertainty and heightened fear, traditional models of engagement are no longer enough.

In this timely session, Dr. Olivos invites participants to critically examine and reimagine how educators and school leaders can cultivate caring, advocacy-driven, and ally-centered partnerships with diverse urban communities.

Attendees will explore:

• What authentic “critical care” looks like in practice
• How teachers can act as advocates within and beyond the classroom
• Strategies for building trust across cultural and community differences
• Ways schools can shift from compliance-based involvement to meaningful partnership

Participants will leave with practical frameworks and reflective tools to strengthen school–family–community relationships in ways that are relational, justice-oriented, and responsive to today’s realities.

The Multilingual Learner

Dr. Kadriye El-Atwani

Multilingual Program Supervisor
Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction

Dr. Kadriye El-Atwani provides statewide leadership for multilingual education, guiding policy, implementation, and cross-system collaboration to ensure equitable access and outcomes for multilingual learners. Her work centers on culturally responsive practice, systems alignment, and advancing educational justice for linguistically diverse students and families.

From Vision to Action: Equity in Practice Through WMLSSP

Washington’s Multilingual Learner Statewide Strategic Plan (WMLSSP) outlines a bold vision for equity—but meaningful impact requires coordinated action at every level.

In this implementation-focused session, Dr. El-Atwani will explore how educators and leaders can translate statewide priorities into tangible local practices that support both academic achievement and social-emotional growth.

Participants will:

• Examine key pillars of the state’s strategic plan
• Identify strategies for aligning district and school initiatives with statewide goals
• Strengthen collaboration across educators, families, and community partners
• Clarify their role in advancing equitable outcomes for multilingual learners

Attendees will leave with practical tools and a clearer roadmap for turning equity commitments into sustained, measurable action.

From Barriers to Bridges: The UDL Mindset

Dr. Nandita Golya

Senior Instructor, College of Education
Oregon State University

Dr. Nandita Golya is a senior instructor and teacher educator committed to advancing inclusive practices in P–12 education. Her work centers on preparing educators to design learning environments that honor learner variability and promote equitable access for all students.

The Universal Design for Learning (UDL) Mindset

How can educators move from reactive accommodations to proactive, inclusive design?

In this engaging session, Dr. Golya explores how adopting a Universal Design for Learning (UDL) mindset can transform classroom practice. Participants will examine how intentional planning can reduce barriers, expand access, and support the success of all learners—particularly neurodivergent students.

Participants will:

• Explore the core principles of UDL
• Identify practical strategies for inclusive P–12 instruction
• Learn how to anticipate and address learner variability
• Reframe differences as strengths within the learning community

Attendees will leave with actionable tools and a renewed framework for designing classrooms that build bridges to learning for every student.

Classroom Practices: The Stepping Stones to More Equitable Schools

Dr. Jessica Swain-Bradway

Executive Director
Northwest PBIS Network

Dr. Jessica Swain-Bradway is a national leader in Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS), partnering with districts to strengthen systems, improve instructional practice, and advance equitable student outcomes. Her work focuses on implementation science, data integrity, and the power of classroom-level change to transform schoolwide results.

Where Does Equity Begin?

Equity begins where teaching and learning meet: in daily teacher–student interactions.

In this session, Dr. Swain-Bradway shares the journeys of two distinctly different districts—Anchorage School District and Oroville School District—that dramatically improved equitable student outcomes by focusing on classroom practices and strengthening data integrity.

Participants will explore:

• How instructional consistency drives measurable equity gains
• The role of accurate, actionable data in decision-making
• Strategies for improving teacher–student interactions
• Lessons learned across districts with differing demographics and size

Attendees will leave with practical insights into how focused classroom practices can serve as foundational stepping stones toward more equitable schools.

Rethinking Office Discipline Referrals: Data-Based School Discipline Equity

Dr. Deanna Bush

Teacher
South Kitsap School District

Dr. Deanna Bush is an educator and practitioner-researcher focused on advancing equity in school discipline systems. Her work centers on how data practices, referral processes, and student voice intersect to shape outcomes—particularly for students with disabilities and other marginalized learners.

What Can Schools Do Differently?

How do discipline systems unintentionally reinforce inequities—and what can schools do differently?

Drawing on discipline data and interviews with middle school students with disabilities, Dr. Bush examines how referral coding systems can disproportionately impact marginalized students. This session highlights how technical decisions about data classification influence real student experiences.

Participants will:

• Analyze how discipline data systems shape equity outcomes
• Explore findings from student-centered qualitative research
• Identify common pitfalls in referral coding practices
• Consider practical, data-informed changes to create more responsive discipline systems

Attendees will leave with actionable strategies to redesign discipline processes in ways that are equitable, transparent, and grounded in student voice.

How a K-5 Elementary School Became a Positive Outlier

Dr. Doug Ferguson

5th Grade Math & Science Teacher
District Elementary Science Lead

Dr. Doug Ferguson is an elementary educator and instructional leader whose work bridges classroom practice and district-level science leadership. Grounded in practitioner research, his scholarship examines how high-poverty schools can achieve exceptional academic outcomes through intentional systems, culture, and instructional coherence.

Beating the Odds: How a K–5 School Became a Positive Outlier

What does it take for a Title I elementary school to rise to the top in statewide performance?

Drawing from his dissertation, Case Study Answers Are Not Elementary: How a Positive Outlier K–5 School Beat the Odds, Dr. Ferguson provides an in-depth look at how one Washington school became the highest-performing Title I school in the state.

Participants will explore:

• The leadership practices and cultural norms that drove success
• Instructional systems that ensured consistency and rigor
• How collective efficacy and staff alignment contributed to measurable gains
• Replicable strategies for schools serving high-poverty communities

Attendees will leave with actionable insights into how research-informed practices can transform outcomes—even in the most challenging contexts.

Past conferences