APS Rising Educator Summit 2026

A thriving school starts with a strong community. This session track is dedicated to building inclusive, high-energy school environments where both students and families feel valued and connected. Learn from peer leaders about successfully implementing a "Culture of Care" across all grade levels, and discover out-of-the-box, humorous strategies to supercharge family and community engagement. Plus, walk away with actionable ideas to revive lagging school spirit and tools to instill deep-rooted grit, tenacity, and a growth mindset in your students. Join us to find the spark that brings your school community together! Join us on the Sky Bridge for a dynamic and interactive series of poster sessions designed to spark innovation and provide practical solutions for today’s educators. These sessions offer a unique opportunity to engage directly with experts, explore visual data, and take away actionable strategies in a concise, high-impact format.

Culture of Care Experience, Strength & Hope: Do you know a little or a lot about Culture of Care? Do you wonder how you can make it work at YOUR school? Join three teacher leaders from an Elementary, Middle and High School for a panel presentation and discussion/Q&A on how Culture of Care has been implemented in their school communities so far. We will also review sample models of support to help get you started on next steps in implementing Culture of Care at your school with plenty of district support available to help. Monica Asebedo; Michelle Baucom; Andrew Roberts; Stephanie Breezee

Family and Community Engagement. Thinking Outside the Box: Staff members will learn about new and exciting ways to engage families and community members and harness resources in symbiotic relationships. The presentation will be filled with humor and interaction. Ralph Pena

Why don't we have spirit? We have spirit weeks...Strengthening school spirit & culture: Is your school/class struggling with school spirit? You're having spirit weeks but participation is down? Join me for a brief overview of student activities to get students excited, engaged and building culture. Leslie Coe

Building a Culture of Care through Employee Well-being: A culture of care for students starts with a strong foundation. Our educators and employees are the bedrock of that building. We can't authentically teach and model Goal #4 and a Culture of Care if we're not actively participating in the process and understanding how they apply to our personal well-being.The session will highlight Goal #4 and flip the script on the Culture of Care core tenets from students to how they apply to educators; mindset shifts for stress management, emotional regulation, short, specific techniques for conflict/resolution & interpersonal communication, and holistic well-being through thrifting and iterative practices.The goal is to provide educators with resources to help them start and finish the year with higher retention, reduced burnout, and improved overall satisfaction. This session treats well-being as a foundational necessity rather than an afterthought. Becky MacGregor