Saturday, March 16
- In the opening General Session, "Education for the 21st Century: Creating a Climate of Success for All Students," Freeman A. Hrabowski III, president of the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, will discuss several critical questions, including: What will students need to know to succeed academically? What skills and values must they possess? What strategies and best practices can school superintendents, principals, and teachers—working together with parents and community and business leaders—use to ensure the success of all students?
- Also on Saturday, Michael Fullan, from the University of Toronto, and Andy Hargreaves, from the Lynch School of Education at Boston College, will lead the presentation "Professional Capital: Transforming Teaching in Every School."Fullan and Hargreaves will discuss how administrators can create a culture of investing in their teachers and developing collective responsibility, rather than rewarding individuals with incentives. Doing so, say Fullan and Hargreaves, will increase teacher motivation and raise the quality of teaching so that all students will reap the benefits.
- In his presentation "'Bad Teacher!': How Blaming Teachers Distorts the Bigger Picture," Kevin Kumashiro will examine the current debate on education reform, paying particular attention to the ways that blaming teachers, teacher unions, and teacher educators masks larger, systemic problems within the education system.Kumashiro is founding director of the Center for Anti-Oppressive Education and a professor of Asian American Studies and Education at the University of Illinois–Chicago.
- Consuelo Castillo Kickbusch, an Army veteran, author, and educator, will present an interactive talk on the theme "Living a Legacy." Kickbusch is a retired lieutenant colonel and was the highest-ranking Hispanic woman in the Combat Support Field of the U.S. Army. She will guide participants through an exercise designed to help them think about how to create a vision for themselves and their communities.
Sunday, March 17
- Maya Angelou will lead the second General Session on Sunday, March 17. Angelou is one of the most renowned and influential voices of our time. She has received the Presidential Medal of Freedom and is a celebrated poet, memoirist, novelist, and educator. She will share her own brand of wisdom in this stimulating address.
- Retired Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor will tell the remarkable story of how she went from Arizona cowgirl to Supreme Court justice. Justice O'Connor will share her insight into being the first woman to serve on the Supreme Court, her passion for restoring civic learning in the United States, and her thoughts on why civic education is more important now than ever.
- ASCD President Debra Hill will lead the presentation "Learning: Our Children Tell Their Stories," which will feature a diverse panel of students from middle school, high school, and higher education. This presentation will offer a unique opportunity to hear what students really think about the current state of education.
- None other than Charlotte Danielson herself will lead "Integrating the Common Core State Standards into the Danielson Framework for Teaching." Participants will learn how to use the Danielson framework as they implement the new Common Core State Standards.