This interactive workshop explores how educator preparation programs can better prepare future educators for the realities of today's classrooms by developing four foundational pillars: emotional regulation, mindset, identity, and habits. While teacher candidates receive extensive training in instructional practices and content knowledge, many are not explicitly taught the internal skills needed to navigate uncertainty, manage challenges, and sustain long-term success in the profession.Participants will examine how these four pillars influence educator effectiveness, resilience, confidence, and well-being. Through reflection activities, discussion, and practical tools, attendees will explore strategies that can be integrated into coursework, clinical experiences, mentoring, and supervision. The workshop draws on experiences from K–12 teaching, instructional coaching, educator preparation, and transformational coaching to provide a practical framework that supports both educator development and retention.Participants will leave with actionable strategies and a framework they can immediately apply to better prepare future educators to thrive in an increasingly complex educational landscape.
MATERIALS PARTICIPANTS SHOULD BRING No advance preparation is required. Participants are encouraged to bring a notebook, laptop, or device for reflection and note-taking.The facilitator will provide a workshop packet that includes the Four Pillars Framework, guided reflection questions, educator-preparation scenarios, the Emotional Zoom-Out Tool, the Circumstance → Thought → Emotion → Action → Result (CTEAR) coaching model, and implementation worksheets. These handouts are designed to support active participation during the workshop and serve as resources that attendees can immediately adapt for educator preparation, mentoring, supervision, and professional learning settings.Participants are also encouraged to bring examples of challenges they have observed in teacher candidates, novice educators, or educator preparation programs. These examples will be used during reflection, discussion, and application activities throughout the session.Attendees will leave with completed handouts, practical tools, and an action plan for implementing the Four Pillars Framework within their own professional context.
This interactive session combines a data presentation with facilitated discussion and open consultation. The first portion of the session will present findings from TeachNY's statewide recruitment efforts between April 2024 and August 2025. Participants will review trends related to candidate demographics, pathway interests, motivations for pursuing teaching, barriers to entry, and the program features most valued by prospective educators.The presentation will also examine how TeachNY's multimodal recruitment model—including digital outreach, individualized coaching, webinars, online resources, and strategic partnerships—supports candidates across generations and career stages.
MATERIALS PARTICIPANTS SHOULD BRING Participants will receive: A summary handout of key statewide recruitment findings from TeachNY's April 2024–August 2025 data. Visual representations of candidate trends, motivations, barriers, and pathway preferences. Examples of multimodal recruitment strategies utilized by TeachNY. Resource links to TeachNY tools and supports available to aspiring educators and partner institutions. Contact information for continued collaboration and consultation following the conference. Presentation slides will be designed for accessibility and will include data visualizations, key findings, and discussion prompts. Digital materials will be made available to participants following the session to support continued application and discussion within their institutions.
This interactive workshop focuses on improving instructional design through multimodal approaches. Participants will review examples and apply a framework to revise their own lesson or activity. The session includes collaboration and `feedback.
MATERIALS PARTICIPANTS SHOULD BRING Laptop or tablet; Existing lesson or activity (participants can utilize samples if they do not have one available).
Despite adopting science standards ten years ago, elementary educators continue to struggle to engage their students in deep science learning. Solving this persistent problem requires an innovative approach. By utilizing a community of practice we created a space for K-5 educators to develop a shared understanding of science teaching and learning and high quality lessons that center student engagement in the science practices.
