12p EST | WED, Dec 8, 2021

Shaking the Magic 8 Ball? Bringing Confidence to Your Next Leadership Transition

Being ambitious is only one piece of a successful leadership journey, especially as a woman. Getting that next role also takes intentional planning, relationship-building, an appetite for risk, and good timing. Excelle Director Amanda Riegel will be in conversation with Renee Greenfield (The Carroll School) and Stacia McFadden (The Lovett School) to hear about their strategies for optimizing your career trajectory.
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Join us for a 30-minute session on Wednesday, December 8th, at noon EST-- and feel free to bring lunch or a snack!

7p EST | TUE, Dec 14, 2021

The Evidence the Liberal Arts Needs

At EXPLO, we’ve had a longstanding love affair and commitment to the liberal arts. Now we have the empirical evidence to show that a liberal arts education is of tremendous value. Join author Richard Detweiler and Exploration Learning President Moira Kelly as we explore the ``whys`` and ``hows`` of what makes a liberal arts education so valuable in preparing students for the future. His new book has been named one of the “best higher education books of 2021” according to a Forbes education writer.
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The webinar will be held Tuesday, December 14th, at 7 pm ET. It is free and open to the public - feel free to extend the invite to your entire school community.

8p EST | THU, Nov 18, 2021

Parenting Black and Brown Children

Join EXPLO Program Director Natasha Padilla Goddard in conversation with Carol Sutton Lewis about parenting Black and Brown children around issues of identity and education, with a particular focus on topics affecting boys. Carol is the founder of Ground Control Parenting, a writer, podcaster, lawyer, and mother of three very different children.

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Free and open to educators and parents.

12p EST | THU, Oct 21, 2021

Owning Your Calendar: Excelle Women & Time Management

Heads of School are busier than ever, with everyone competing for precious face time. Learn how two successful women Heads of School have learned to optimize their calendars. Exelle Director Amanda Riegel will be in conversation with Clair Ward (Shore Country Day) and Aléwa Cooper (The Foote School) to discuss their strategies around time management. Speaking of time, this webinar will be only 30 minutes in duration. Bring your lunch or a snack, listen in, and get back to work!

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Free and open to all educators.

1p EST | THU, Aug 5, 2021

Onboarding for Retention

In this webinar, EXPLO Elevate Director of Research Sudipti Kumar shares findings from our upcoming report “Transformational Onboarding for Faculty Retention.” She will highlight strong onboarding practices that are critical to promoting faculty retention and building a connection to the school quickly and effectively. Successful onboarding systems and structures, based on research as well as examples from independent schools will also be shared. Both the report and webinar also offer some practical questions schools can consider as they assess their own onboarding process in its current form against what they hope it to be. Joining Sudipti will be Juna Kim McDaid, Assistant Head of School for Academics at The Potomac School as well as Lisa Ockerman, Executive Director of Educational Design, Strategic Initiatives, and Institutional Research at Pine Crest School. Both Juna and Lisa will be sharing their school's approach to onboarding.
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Immediately following the webinar, the report will be made available to webinar participants as well as for EXPLO Elevate member schools.

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Free and open to all educators.

12p EST | THU, May 13, 2021

Creating Equitable Learning Environments

While educators and school leaders have widely recognized the importance of inclusive curricula, this focus, in and of itself, may be misguided. This week, please join us for a webinar with Indu Chugani Singh as she explores unintended consequences of diversifying the curriculum without first considering two key concepts: understanding who our learners are and how they access learning opportunities. The webinar invites participants to ask themselves: what happens when I design for the 'who' and 'how' before the 'what' of my curriculum?
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Free and open to all educators.

12p EST | THU, April 22, 2021

Ethical Assessment: The Conversation that Has to Happen

What if there were a Hippocratic Oath for assessment? Do no harm. And what if it went even further? Do good. This webinar featuring Gary Chapin of Educating for Good, interrogates our assumptions around assessment and offers a frame for Ethical Assessment that is truthful, kind, aligned to the student, and, ultimately, for good. Gary has worked in performance assessment for the past seven years with the Center for Collaborative Education and the Assessment for Learning Project. We’ll be talking about four general principles of an ethical assessment system, and also ask, “What does it look like on the ground?” Assessment that is ethical tells a story. It doesn’t merely provide a data point. How can we tell stories that best serve students?
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Free and open to all educators.

1p EST | TUE, May 4, 2021

Collective Insights from DEI Practitioners at Independent Schools

This special event is being hosted by First Republic Bank as part of the upcoming release of an important EXPLO Elevate research report examining the lived experiences of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) practitioners at independent schools, collected from over 25 interviews. The report addresses some of the opportunities and challenges DEI practitioners at independent schools face, shares suggestions around how leadership can support DEI practitioners, and much more. The author of the report, EXPLO Elevate Director of Research Sudipti Kumar, will be presenting findings. She will also be joined by several DEI practitioners who participated in the research.
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We wish to thank First Republic Bank for their generous support of EXPLO Elevate and for hosting this launch event.

1p EST | TUE, April 13, 2021

Starting an Institutional Research Function at Your School

In this webinar, EXPLO Elevate Director of Research Sudipti Kumar shares findings from our upcoming report 'Starting an Institutional Research Function at Your School: What An Independent School Needs to Know.' The report explores the role of an institutional researcher at independent schools, including why the role is a critical one, how schools can build the function over time, what skill sets to look for when hiring the right institutional researcher, and examples of the types of projects people in this role have undertaken. Joining Sudipti will be a set of panelists whose voices were critical in developing the report and who will be able to share their experience in the Institutional Research role at their respective schools: Libby Barlow, Director of Institutional Research at St. Paul’s School, Sarah Enterline, Director of Institutional Research at St. Mark’s School, and Denise Uehara, Principal Researcher and Knowledge Mobilizer at Kamehameha Schools.

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Free and open to all educators.
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Immediately following the webinar, the report will be made available to webinar participants as well as for EXPLO Elevate member schools.

2p EST | WED, March 31, 2021

The History of Asian Americans in the U.S. and Combating Stereotypes in Education

Asians and Asian Americans have been in the United States for centuries and are one of its fastest-growing minoritized groups, yet this diverse population's histories, struggles, and successes are rarely discussed in U.S. schools. This webinar will explore what it means to be 'Asian American' as well as the two dominant, competing stereotypes that surround this group: yellow peril and the model minority myth. We will discuss the historical and social conditions that generated these stereotypes and how they are harmful to individuals and our broader society. We will then turn to applications for school settings by discussing the current experiences of Asian American educators and students as well as action steps to combat stereotypes and improve representation and inclusion. This session will be led by Dr. Sarah-SoonLing Blackburn, an educator, speaker, and professional learning facilitator who has led learning experiences with schools and districts as well as organizations including Learning for Justice, Microsoft, and NY Times Student Travel.
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Free and open to all educators.

12p EST | WED, April 7, 2021

GatHERing Greatness: Women Leading Independent Schools

Women occupy such a small percentage of headship, yet their intuitive brand of leadership can yield important lessons for those considering a similar path. Successful women recognize that building community is essential for both professional success and personal wellness. The head of school role is a solitary practice, leaving many women without a close support network exactly at the moments when they need it most. Join Amanda Riegel, EXPLO Excelle Director, Dr. Noni Thomas Lopez, Head of School, The Gordon School, and Carrie Green, Director of Middle School, Kent Denver School, to learn how successful women meet these essential needs for connection and build resilience.
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Free and open to all educators.