Deeper Learning New York

When you start looking at data through an equity lens, you reach a point of no return: you simply "can't unsee it." This session explores how the Dobbs Ferry school district transformed raw numbers into powerful narratives to drive systemic change for all students, from those requiring intensive support to those in accelerated programs. We will go behind the scenes of a multi-year journey that moved staff from some data-reluctance to becoming passionate change agents, utilizing tools like early warning dashboards for PK programs and "double dose" instructional strategies for ENL and Literacy to deliver measurable results.
Participants will dive into the practical "how-to" of instructional leadership, focusing on how to close the circle of understanding for teachers through sub-score analysis while taking time to grapple with and solve one of their own district issues. We will discuss the essential role of leadership to drive change, seek  specific PD to drive classroom instruction and empower their staff to be accountable. From navigating the timeline of cultural shifts to implementing a more rigorous DEI-focused curriculum, this session provides a roadmap for leaders ready to believe in data and use it to empower instructional coaches and faculty alike.

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.

This Talk will allow educators, administrators, and anyone interested in protecting the sanctity of critical and creative independent thinking, to explore how AI can be introduced as a thought partner rather than something that displaces our own thinking and learning.  It draws on some of the thinking of Tristan Harris, who founded Center for Humane Technology (CHT), and deconstructs the dimensions of NYSED's "Portrait of a Graduate" in order to co-construct meaningful measures and ways of developing these wonderful attributes, rather than letting them languish as compelling rhetoric without a map.