Conference Themes

Leading Schools, Leading Girls Icon

Leading Schools, Leading Girls: Preparing for the Future

Essential Questions

  • What are the competencies today’s world demands from leaders?
  • How are schools and girl-serving organizations responding to these demands in terms of programming/experiences for girls?
  • In what ways are schools and organizations deliberately cultivating leadership skills among girls and women?
  • In an era of sustainability and strategic advancement, how do enterprises determine what programs and initiatives are most relevant and critical to their mission?

Key Topics

  • Leadership – female leadership, curriculum, programming (formal and informal), training, school leaders and governance, character/confidence development, financial literacy, entrepreneurship, leadership assessment tools, gender discrimination in the workplace, post-school/workplace success, professional development
  • Strategic School Advancement and Sustainability – strategic planning, legal issues, financial sustainability, fundraising, communications/marketing/messaging, admissions, post-secondary placement, residential community, international student recruitment, op-eds, parent relations, grant writing, starting a girls’ school, graduate surveys, alumnae tracking

Iterating to Innovate Icon

Iterating to Innovate: Designing Inspired Experiences and Environments

Essential Questions

  • What innovative best practices are energizing learning experiences around the world?
  • How are schools keeping girls at the center of their own education?
  • How is curriculum being re-imagined and what new understanding is driving that design?
  • How can learning outcomes be measured most effectively?
  • How is current research informing how, when, where, and why girls learn best?

Key Topics

  • Classroom Innovation – blended learning, the flipped classroom, project-based learning, assignment calendars and tutorials, field experiences, cooperative learning and study groups, internships, differentiated learning, experiential learning, alternative scheduling, student-led classroom, classroom design, digital portfolios, academic risk-taking
  • Teaching & Curriculum – research, curriculum mapping, best teaching practices, interdisciplinary education, summer curriculum, auxiliary programs, girl-centered pedagogy, signature programs, globalization of curriculum, social-emotional learning programs, professional development
  • Testing & Assessment – university preparedness, International Baccalaureate (IB), Advanced Placement (AP), Common Core, standards-based grading, international recognition of regional/national testing/assessments

Moving Full STEAM Ahead Icon

Moving Full STEAM Ahead: Closing the Gender Gap

Essential Questions

  • What are the components of STEAM that need to be integrated into academic and co-curricular programs as core elements, and how do they interconnect across disciplines?
  • What strategies and methodologies are most effective for teaching girls and young women STEAM, design thinking, and related topics within and beyond the school walls?
  • How should design thinking intersect with teaching and learning? How does physical space help instill critical thinking, problem-solving, exploring, inventing, and iterating into the daily lives of girls?
  • What are the best models in the private sector and among non-profits for addressing the “leaky pipeline” in tech?

Key Topics

  • Physical Space/Materials – maker spaces, innovation labs, outdoor classrooms, technology, equipment
  • Curriculum – STEM vs. STEAM vs. DREAMS, design thinking, curricular integration, computer science, encouraging creative play, science research programs

Leveraging Partnerships Icon

Leveraging Partnerships: Making the Most of Local and Global Communities

Essential Questions

  • How can partnerships expand the four walls of the classroom and expose girls to their community and the world?
  • What are key elements of a sustainable partnership?
  • What are the best ways to encourage girls’ and young women’s political voices?
  • What does it mean to be a “global citizen” and how do schools and organizations develop in girls and young women the required skills and mindsets to be one?
  • How do schools manage travel programs so they are accessible to all students and mission-aligned?

Key Topics

  • Civic/Community Engagement – service learning, community partnerships, political activism, public/private partnerships, leveraging community resources, effective management of strategic partners, political voice
  • Global Partnerships – exchange programs (virtual and in-person), travel opportunities, cross-cultural curriculum, global citizenship

Moving from Reactive to Proactive Icon

Moving from Reactive to Proactive: Making Health & Wellness a Core Subject

Essential Questions

  • What is the role of schools and girl-serving organizations in addressing girls’ and young women’s intellectual and emotional growth?
  • How can schools and organizations enlist the entirety of their communities to take a proactive approach to promoting health and well-being for girls?
  • What are innovative ways in which schools and organizations can work together to combat the negative messages girls and young women receive through social media and pop culture?

Key Topics

  • Health & Wellness – support services, self-esteem, athletics, bullying, resiliency, anxiety, perfectionism, addictive behavior, mindfulness, body image, social media, online behavior, healthy boundaries/relationships, social-emotional learning (SEL), peer-led programs, healthy lifestyle coaching and programs, food services, parent education, extracurricular activities, self-injury, mental illness, counselor self-care, grief and crisis management, confidentiality

Embracing Equity & Inclusion

Embracing Equity & Inclusion: Managing the Intersection of Identities

Essential Questions

  • How can schools and girl-serving organizations prepare students to embrace and express various aspects of their identities while also having an awareness of and respect for the identity expression of others?
  • How do we ensure schools and educational organizations are safe spaces for the expression of differences while also encouraging inquiry, varying opinions, and open dialogue?
  • What resources are available to help community members conduct and participate in difficult conversations?
  • What are the key legal issues regarding protected forms of diversity, and how can schools navigate the challenges in managing bullying and/or other identity-related conflict?
  • What training and resources are needed to establish optimal learning environments for immigrant, refugee, and asylum-seeking students and families?

Key Topics

  • Equity & Inclusion – support services, respect, gender identity, racial/ethnic diversity, legal issues, bullying, conflict resolution, socioeconomic diversity, immigration, asylum seekers, unaccompanied refugee children