Deeper Learning New York

What does it look like when students stop performing for a grade — and start performing for an audience? Over the past two years, Saugerties Central School District has been doing exactly that work: building a culture where assessment means something real.
In this Den Talk, leaders and teachers share the on-the-ground story of launching Presentations of Learning and the PLAN Pilot We'll share about the resistance we encountered, the mindset shifts that made the difference. Whether you're just beginning to question your school's relationship with traditional assessment or you're deep in the work of reimagining it, this session is designed for you. Come ready to share your own experience — this is as much a conversation as it is a presentation.
Participants will leave with:

• A real-world model for piloting performance assessment at the 6-12 level
• Practical advice for leading staff, students, and community through a culture shift
• Honest lessons from the field, including the messy middle
• A collegial conversation about what assessment can and should look like for the students in front of us today

Every year, schools roll out new initiatives to fix culture, boost engagement, or address behavior but too often, the people most impacted by those issues aren’t at the table. In this interactive session, teachers and school leaders will explore how Youth Participatory Action Research (YPAR) can serve as a powerful, restorative tool to reimagine their school and classroom culture with students, not for them.


Grounded in real school-based examples, this session walks teachers and leaders through how to design and implement a YPAR project from identifying a challenge to guiding students through research, data collection, solution design, and action. Participants will learn how YPAR builds students’ leadership, confidence, and advocacy skills while also helping educators and administrators develop actionable, student-informed strategies that heal culture, not police it.


By the end of the session, teachers and leaders will walk away with a framework for launching YPAR in their context, strategies to use student voice as a driver of school culture transformation, concrete examples of how YPAR has addressed issues like attendance, relationships, and academic engagement. This is about more than checking a box for student voice, it’s about letting students help you rebuild what’s broken for them by them.

Schools are accelerating their adoption of technology and stepping into the era of AI-enhanced teaching and learning. Yet the success of these tools depends far less on the technology itself—and far more on the physical learning environment that supports real‑time collaboration, multimodal instruction, power access, and student movement.
This session, adapted from Jerry Brown’s talk at the  City Universities of New York, helps district leaders understand how to furture proof their learning environments using evidence‑based design, peer reviewed, industry research, and emerging insights on AI‑driven workflows. Participants will explore a practical, research‑backed framework for designing spaces that support the hear, near, and far trends in classroom design. 
The session includes an interactive AI agent simulation, demonstrating in real time how AI‑supported collaboration changes student behavior, cognitive load, and space requirements.

Looking for ways to make shift happen?! Explore how integrating the Institute for Humane Education's free Solutionary Framework into teaching and learning can effectively develop the student competencies outlined in the NY Inspires Framework and what that could look like in your school or district.  

Research shows school professionals that communicate regularly and frequently with families result in students that have improved academic achievement and overall better health and wellbeing throughout their K-12 years.  Although it is clear that school professional - family communication is vital in student success, the process can be cumbersome, challenging and frustrating if the correct tools are not available. This interactive presentation will identify myriad options, based on a comparative analysis, and use real time engagement with audience participation to demonstrate applications that are available to all school professionals from District Office leaders to frontline team members (including Building Leaders and Faculty) to communicate with students’ families, even when there is a difference in primary language.  

What does it look like to turn student climate anxiety into climate action through education? When climate literacy becomes embedded in every student’s learning experience? This hands-on workshop, led by Gaia Scholastic and SubjectToClimate, explores practical, replicable examples of standards-aligned, sustainability-focused instruction to support educators and administrators in meeting the NY Inspires mandate.


The session will cover core principles of environmental and climate literacy, as well as the pedagogical research behind integrating sustainability across disciplines. New information will include model units, district implementation strategies, and tools for aligning environmental education with local and national standards, including NGSS, social studies, and other content area frameworks. Participants will engage in guided analysis of their own curricula or school programs to identify opportunities for embedding environmental learning without starting from scratch.


Participants will leave with tangible strategies for making environmental literacy a foundational part of their school or district’s identity. Whether you’re an educator, administrator, or sustainability coordinator, this session provides a roadmap for turning climate literacy policy into real-world practice with the support of tools, frameworks, and partnerships that make change possible.

Join Dr. Fox and his former student, turned science teacher, will lead a conversation on practical approaches to designing meaningful learning environments, overcoming school constraints, and prioritizing student voice, place, and purpose to achieve deeper learning.


This Den is intended as a comfortable, discussion-driven space for educators seeking to critically examine what deeper learning looks like in practice. The conversation will use excerpts and frameworks from Learning Environment to guide the discussion.


Remember to bring your copy of Learning Environment for Jared to sign after the conversation. Copies will also be available for purchase at the event.

Join us for an immersive, hands-on session aboard the WSWHE BOCES STEAM Bus to explore how mobile learning hubs can revolutionize CTE and career connectivity. In this "play and learn" environment, you’ll discover how to empower students with voice, choice, and innovative technology while gaining a behind the scenes look at the logistics required to bring these dynamic experiences to your own district. From sparking curiosity to building tangible skills, you’ll leave with a clear roadmap for driving real world, student centered innovation directly into your schools.  

The best mixtapes aren’t just collections of songs; they are stories told through sound. Education is no different: the best learning is authentic, rhythmic, and full of soul. In this interactive Den Talk, we’re using a curated mixtape to bridge the gap between "Doing School" and true Deeper Learning.

We’ll explore how innovative leaders are breaking the old loops of traditional schooling to find a more modern beat. You’ll leave with a physical "Tracklist for Innovation," a practical guide that maps each song to a specific Deeper Learning strategy. Whether it’s a new spin on professional development or a fresh approach to student exhibitions, you’ll walk away with a playlist of actionable ideas to start "playing" at your school on Monday morning.

Step inside iPark, our state-of-the-art CTE building where students engage in hands-on, career-connected learning across a wide range of fields. From engineering and health sciences to culinary arts and digital media, each space is designed to mirror real-world industry environments. Visitors will see how students actively collaborate, problem-solve, and apply their skills in authentic, project-based ways. The tour, given by our student ambassadors, highlights how iPark connects classroom learning to future career pathways through innovative programming and industry partnerships. Experience firsthand how deeper learning comes to life when students are empowered to build, create, and explore their passions.

Step inside iPark, our state-of-the-art CTE building where students engage in hands-on, career-connected learning across a wide range of fields. From engineering and health sciences to culinary arts and digital media, each space is designed to mirror real-world industry environments. Visitors will see how students actively collaborate, problem-solve, and apply their skills in authentic, project-based ways. The tour, given by our student ambassadors, highlights how iPark connects classroom learning to future career pathways through innovative programming and industry partnerships. Experience firsthand how deeper learning comes to life when students are empowered to build, create, and explore their passions.