Loading…
ADE Summit 2026 has ended
Venue: Room 207 clear filter
Monday, July 13
 

9:00am CDT

Beginning Superintendent Pre-Conference
Monday July 13, 2026 9:00am - 4:00pm CDT
A dedicated session for newly appointed Arkansas superintendents with no prior superintendent experience. Read Commissioner's Memo LIC-26-009 for additional details.
Monday July 13, 2026 9:00am - 4:00pm CDT
Room 207 Hot Springs Convention Center
 
Tuesday, July 14
 

10:20am CDT

Combining AI Efficiency with the Human Touch: Scaling Writing Feedback in Arkansas Classrooms
Tuesday July 14, 2026 10:20am - 11:20am CDT
In this session, educators from Harrison Public Schools and EnlightenAI will share how Arkansas teachers are using AI to dramatically increase the amount of personalized writing feedback students receive without creating an unsustainable grading burden for teachers. The session will explore how teachers can maintain control over grading quality and instructional judgment while using AI to streamline feedback workflows, support student revision, and create more opportunities for writing practice. Participants will also see how these tools can help schools measure student writing growth over time while staying grounded in research-backed instructional best practices around timely, actionable feedback.
Speakers
Tuesday July 14, 2026 10:20am - 11:20am CDT
Room 207 Hot Springs Convention Center

11:40am CDT

Milestones: Navigating Licensure Updates, Pathways, and Progress Points
Tuesday July 14, 2026 11:40am - 12:40pm CDT
As the educator landscape evolves, staying informed on certification requirements is essential for maintaining a stable and qualified workforce. This session provides a comprehensive look at recent licensure updates and the diverse pathways available for educators to achieve full certification.
We will analyze current unlicensed teacher data to identify critical gaps and introduce a strategic framework focused on preservice teacher completion. Attendees will explore specific progress points from initial entry and testing milestones to clinical experiences, including the year-long residency,designed to ensure candidates move successfully through the pipeline. Whether you are a district leader or a preparation provider, you will leave with actionable strategies to support educators in reaching full licensure.
Speakers
avatar for Dr. Matthew Sutherlin

Dr. Matthew Sutherlin

Director of Educator Preparation and Licensure, Educator Effectiveness and Licensure
Matthew Sutherlin brings over twenty-three years of experience in education, having served in both K–12 and higher education across four states. His career includes classroom teaching as well as leadership roles in higher education, where he has held positions such as Director... Read More →
Tuesday July 14, 2026 11:40am - 12:40pm CDT
Room 207 Hot Springs Convention Center

1:00pm CDT

Career Advising That Counts: Leveraging rootEd and DCTE to Support Student Success
Tuesday July 14, 2026 1:00pm - 2:00pm CDT
College and career advising plays a critical role in helping students navigate pathways, make informed decisions, and prepare for life after high school. This session will provide a clear look at Arkansas’ two primary college and career advising models—rootEd and DCTE—highlighting their unique focuses, impact data, and how they support students in different ways. Participants will gain clarity on how each model functions and leave better equipped to determine the right approach to meet the needs of their students and strengthen college and career advising systems
Speakers
avatar for Mary Beck

Mary Beck

Regional Specialist, DCTE
avatar for Sonja Wright-McMurray

Sonja Wright-McMurray

Assistant Director of Operations, ADE
Dr. Sonja Wright-McMurray is the Assistant Director for Operations at the Arkansas Department of Education, Division of Career and Technical Education. In 2009, she began working for the Division of Career and Technical Education to implement and lead the Arkansas Career Coach Program... Read More →
Tuesday July 14, 2026 1:00pm - 2:00pm CDT
Room 207 Hot Springs Convention Center

2:20pm CDT

A Pound of Prevention: From Data Entry to State Reporting
Tuesday July 14, 2026 2:20pm - 4:20pm CDT
This session will give guidance on frequent data entry errors in the eSchoolPLUS system, which can impact the accuracy of data used for state reporting and other state systems. It offers direction for best practice and procedures of data entry to prevent errors that can have a negative effect on a district and how to solve the errors, if they do occur. Remember, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.
Speakers
avatar for Lynda Burt

Lynda Burt

Information System Business Analyst, ADE/APSCN
My employment under APSCN began in 1997. I enjoy assisting districts with issues they may be having with eSchool, Cognos, and/or State Reporting. A couple of my duties are to create/edit eSchool documentation and to test state reporting cycles. I find these challenging and like to... Read More →
Tuesday July 14, 2026 2:20pm - 4:20pm CDT
Room 207 Hot Springs Convention Center
 
Wednesday, July 15
 

10:20am CDT

Early Career Experiences: The Starting Point for Success Ready Graduates
Wednesday July 15, 2026 10:20am - 11:20am CDT
This session will highlight the importance of early career exploration for students in grades 5–8 and how intentional exposure to careers helps students make informed decisions about their future pathways. Participants will explore strategies outlined in the Career Readiness Guidebook that support building students’ awareness, exploration, and understanding of career opportunities and high school pathways. The session will emphasize how early engagement helps students connect their interests and strengths to future pathways that can ultimately lead to the designation of a Success Ready Graduate.
Speakers
avatar for Ross White

Ross White

State Career and Technical Education Director, Arkansas Department of Education
Ross White, director of Career and Technical Education (CTE), has served as the state CTE director since May 2021, bringing extensive experience in secondary and statewide CTE leadership. He has led the update of the state Perkins V plan, the implementation of Success Ready Gradu... Read More →
avatar for Sunni Teale

Sunni Teale

Operations Manager, DCTE
Wednesday July 15, 2026 10:20am - 11:20am CDT
Room 207 Hot Springs Convention Center

11:40am CDT

Learning Conditions That Drive School Performance How Leadership Shapes the Conditions for Learning
Wednesday July 15, 2026 11:40am - 12:40pm CDT
How leadership decisions, adult practice, and systems create—or constrain—student success.
Student success depends on the conditions adults create for learning. This session focuses on how leadership decisions, adult practice, and organizational design shape instructional quality, workforce stability, and overall school performance.
Participants will examine how clarity of expectations, aligned behaviors, consistent routines, and thoughtful communication influence results across classrooms and schools. Rather than focusing on programs or initiatives, this session centers on how everyday leadership actions strengthen—or undermine—the conditions for learning.
Speakers
avatar for Sarper Turker

Sarper Turker

Director of Charter Schools, Arkansas Department of Education
Wednesday July 15, 2026 11:40am - 12:40pm CDT
Room 207 Hot Springs Convention Center

1:00pm CDT

Navigating the Updated Early Childhood HQIM Curriculum List and Submission Requirements
Wednesday July 15, 2026 1:00pm - 2:00pm CDT
This session offers a concise overview of the new updates to the HQIM Approved Curriculum List, the changes to the curriculum review process, and the next steps programs should take to deepen their understanding of HQIM expectations. Participants will leave with clear guidance to support informed curriculum selection and alignment with state quality standards.
Speakers
Wednesday July 15, 2026 1:00pm - 2:00pm CDT
Room 207 Hot Springs Convention Center

2:20pm CDT

Code of Ethics: Data Update and Processes as Prevention
Wednesday July 15, 2026 2:20pm - 3:20pm CDT
In this session, PLSB managing attorney, Whitney James, and PLSB Chief Investigator, Laura Shelton, will provide updated data from the Professional Licensure Standards Board, review processes, specifically for submitting allegations and 24-Hour Standard 1 forms, and discuss how these processes can prevent future violations of the Code of Ethics.
Speakers
avatar for Laura Shelton

Laura Shelton

Chief Investigator, Professional Licensure Standards Board, Arkansas Department of Education


Wednesday July 15, 2026 2:20pm - 3:20pm CDT
Room 207 Hot Springs Convention Center

3:40pm CDT

Path to Purpose: Empowering At-Risk Youth through Innovative Education and Whole Child Healing
Wednesday July 15, 2026 3:40pm - 4:40pm CDT
Entering her 12th year with the Arkansas Division of Youth Services, Superintendent Cindy L. Willis brings over 22 years of educational leadership experience across Oklahoma and Arkansas. This session highlights the transformation of DYS education from non-standardized instructional models to a structured, accountability-driven system in which adjudicated youth now meet—and often exceed—academic growth expectations.
Participants will gain an inside look at DYS operations and educational practices, including:
• How youth enter custody and the average duration of placement.
• Integration of Virtual Arkansas and vocational programming within restrictive environments.
• Coordinating academics, behavior intervention, mental health services, and special education simultaneously.
• Breaking misconceptions about DYS students and building collaborative Education, Behavior, and Wellness plans aligned with DESE standards.
Speakers
avatar for Cindy L. Willis

Cindy L. Willis

Education Superintendent, Division of Youth Services
Wednesday July 15, 2026 3:40pm - 4:40pm CDT
Room 207 Hot Springs Convention Center
 
Thursday, July 16
 

10:20am CDT

eSchool What You Need to Know for School Year 2027
Thursday July 16, 2026 10:20am - 11:20am CDT
During this session we will delve into the additions to state reporting requirements and changes to some eSchoolPLUS processes for 2026-2027. This session would benefit all eSchool data entry users.
Thursday July 16, 2026 10:20am - 11:20am CDT
Room 207 Hot Springs Convention Center

11:40am CDT

AI for Learning: Instant Insights, Stronger Instruction, Better Results
Thursday July 16, 2026 11:40am - 12:40pm CDT
Discover how AI-powered tools can turn school and district data into clear, actionable insight for everyday practice in the classroom. This session will show how AI helps align curriculum, assessments, and professional learning to state standards and state test blueprints so educators can close learning gaps, strengthen instruction, reduce manual data work, and support student success.

Join a diverse group of educators who are using AI-driven platforms, such as EdInsights and Prometric Pathways to move beyond static reports to real-time, visual dashboards. Presenters will share practical examples of how AI is surfacing patterns, flagging student needs earlier, delivering assessments directly to students with immediate results, and making it easier for teachers, counselors, and leaders to respond quickly and confidently without adding to their workload.

Speakers
avatar for Melissa Gutierrez

Melissa Gutierrez

K–12 Implementation Consultant, Prometric LLC
avatar for Greg Manzi

Greg Manzi

Product Manager, K–12, Prometric, LLC
Current Manager, Product Development K12, leading the roadmap and development of EdInsights, the K12 Prometric Pathways unified intelligence, reporting, and data visualization platform.  Former Assistant Superintendent of the Assessment, Accountability, Research, and School Improvement... Read More →
Thursday July 16, 2026 11:40am - 12:40pm CDT
Room 207 Hot Springs Convention Center

1:00pm CDT

From Compliance to Inclusion: Making Documents and Digital Content WCAG 2.1 AA Ready
Thursday July 16, 2026 1:00pm - 2:00pm CDT
Creating accessible content is about more than meeting standards—it’s about ensuring access for everyone. This session provides a comprehensive, practical guide to producing WCAG 2.1 AA–compliant PDFs, Word documents, Excel spreadsheets, and social media posts.

Participants will explore document structure, accessible data tables, meaningful hyperlinking, alternative text strategies, reading order, tagged PDFs, captioning practices, and accessibility features across major social platforms. The session also highlights tools for testing and remediation, helping attendees build sustainable workflows that prioritize accessibility from draft to publication.

Leave with actionable checklists, best practices, and confidence in your ability to create content that is both compliant and inclusive.
Speakers
avatar for David Hampton

David Hampton

Technology Coordinator, Southwest Arkansas ESC
👋 I’m David Hampton — a former social studies teacher turned tech champion for schools. As the Technology Coordinator at SWAEC, I secure networks, support rural districts, and help educators harness the power of AI in meaningful ways. I also serve as a member of the Arkansas... Read More →
Thursday July 16, 2026 1:00pm - 2:00pm CDT
Room 207 Hot Springs Convention Center
 
Share Modal

Share this link via

Or copy link

Filter sessions
Apply filters to sessions.