


Have you found sending one or two teachers from a team to a conference or one per grade level to a conference only to realize that those particular teachers are the ones that benefit? Have you considered having labsites or model classrooms within your building so that teachers can learn from and support each other? Join our presentation to hear about how using model classrooms and labsites has enhanced our teachers' capacity in both literacy and special education inclusion in the general education classroom. We will share applicable ways to redesign schedules, protocols that get teachers talking to each other, and most importantly real examples of how using teacher leaders for professional learning elevates the entire building and enhances the quality of learning for all students.

Jessica Saum (she/her) currently serves as the Collaboration and Inclusion Coordinator her school district in Central Arkansas. Saum was the 2022 Arkansas Teacher of the Year and previously worked as a self-contained special education teacher in Cabot, Arkansas. Jessica is an AAEF Advocacy Fellow and a Presidential Leadership Scholar as well as a proud military spouse passionate about advocating for the unique needs of military families.
Michelle Faust has been an educator in South Carolina for 16 years. She was in the general education classroom for 13 years before embarking on her current adventure of being a Literacy Coach