Teaching, Leadership, and Learning Conference

Tuesday, June 16, 2026
9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Online | $25 + Credit or CEUs (optional)

Join NDSU's School of Education for the first ever online Teaching, Leadership, and Learning Conference. All educators nationwide are invited to attend.

NDSU faculty and guest speakers will offer sessions on a variety of in-demand topics and will be available for a live Q&A portion at the end of each session to help answer your questions. You may also opt to attend one of our lunch sessions to connect with a speaker, ask your education-related questions, and seek guidance for individuals interested in entering a graduate program in education at NDSU.

Schedule Of Events

Each session is 30 minutes with 10 minute breaks. There will be a half hour lunch time which features a brown bag style question and answer session.

  • 9 a.m. - Welcome + Keynote
  • 10 a.m. - Break
  • 10:10 a.m. - Concurrent Session 1
  • 10:40 a.m. - Break
  • 10:50 a.m. - Concurrent Session 2
  • 11:20 a.m. - Break
  • 11:30 a.m. - Concurrent Session 3
  • Noon - Lunch & Learn Sessions
  • 12:30 p.m. - Concurrent Session 4
  • 1 p.m. - Break
  • 1:10 p.m. - Panel discussion
  • 2 p.m. - End of Conference

Keynote Speaker

Leading the Nation With America’s Best Schools

ND State Superintendent Levi Bachmeier

Superintendent Bachmeier will address current efforts of the North Dakota Department of Public Instruction to lead America with the best schools in the nation.

Levi Bachmeier is the state school superintendent and administrator of the North Dakota Department of Public Instruction. He took office Nov. 24, 2025. Superintendent Bachmeier is a former business manager for West Fargo Public Schools, a position he took after serving as the top education adviser in Gov. Doug Burgum’s administration. Superintendent Bachmeier began his education career teaching and coaching on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. He is an alumnus of West Fargo High School and Concordia College in Moorhead, Minn. He and his wife, Dr. Rachel Bachmeier, have two young daughters and a rescue dog.

More about State Superintendent Bachmeier
ND State Superintendent Levi Bachmeier

Sessions and Learning Tracks

Take a moment to browse through the sessions and learning tracks that will be offered at the inaugural NDSU Teaching, Leadership, and Learning Conference.

There are three distinct learning tracks. You may choose to attend sessions from one track or different tracks depending on your interests. Individuals are free to move between sessions.

Note:

A customizable schedule with session start times will be available in the Zoom Events platform. All sessions will be recorded and available throughout the summer using the personalized Zoom link you receive after registration.

Whole Child Track

Focuses on social-emotional learning, physical well-being, belonging, and student voice to support the full spectrum of learner needs.

Hidden in Plain Sight: An Asset Audit Using the WSCC Framework

Explore the CDC’s Whole School, Whole Community, Whole Child (WSCC) framework, aligning health and education to support student development. Engage in an interactive Asset Audit to identify school strengths and uncover community resources that address service gaps.

Move to Learn: Activating Classrooms for Better Outcomes

Explore how purposeful classroom movement enhances academic performance, behavior, and health. Learn practical strategies for immediate use across grade levels, and engage in discussion to share ideas and apply movement in your classroom.

Applying EI to Help All Teachers & Students Find Success in the Classroom

Emotional intelligence (EI) in teaching helps you be better equipped to support the students in your school. Emotional intelligence is an essential skill to have as it helps improve classroom dynamics, enhances both personal and student wellbeing and ensures you are setting your students up for success.

6 Family Engagement Tips for Educators

Examine how low-income families of multilingual students an urban elementary school conceptualize and engage in their children's education. Identify six key actions you can take to strengthen family engagement practices.

Inclusive Access Track

Focuses on strategies that ensure all learners—regardless of background, ability, or context—have access to high-quality instruction, culturally responsive teaching, and meaningful participation.

Digital Accessibility - How Does That Apply to Me?

Digital accessibility ensures all members of our community can access and engage with online content, such as documents, videos, and course resources, such as textbooks. Federal regulations require NDSU to meet specific ADA accessibility standards for digital content.

Design Once, Reach Many: An Introduction to Universal Design for Learning

An interactive introduction to Universal Design for Learning (UDL), a framework that helps teachers design flexible lessons to meet diverse student needs.

Not Elitist, Not a Myth: Why We Need to Meet the Needs of Gifted Learners

Gifted education has a public relations problem, but unmet student needs can have dire consequences. Understand the characteristics of gifted learners and why it is imperative to support their unique learning needs.

High Impact Instruction for Lasting Learning Track

Emphasizes evidence-based teaching practices and assessment that build deep understanding, transferable skills, and long-term student success.

A Question for Everyone: Strategies for More Inclusive Classroom Questioning

The questions teachers ask help shape which students are thinking, answering, engaging, and learning each day. Effective and inclusive use of questions requires knowledge, planning, and practice. Gain practical strategies for intentional questioning during classroom instruction.

Seeing Data Differently: Supporting Equitable Access Through Glyph-Based Representations

Explore how primary children use glyphs to represent and interpret data. You will examine how visual features influence understanding and consider how glyph-based tasks can support equitable access to data reasoning in early mathematics.

Why Become a School Leader?

What draws educators into school leadership--and what sustains them once they arrive? Join us for a panel discussion with practicing school leaders from diverse contexts who will share candid perspectives on why they chose leadership, what the work actually entails, and how leadership creates opportunities to advance inclusive excellence for all students.

Speakers and Panelists

Joe Deutsch, Ph.D.

North Dakota State University
Emcee & Speaker

Joe Deutsch earned his Ph.D. in Human Development and has been a professor at NDSU for more than 20 years. Over that time, he has conducted extensive research, published more than 50 peer-reviewed papers, and delivered more than 100 state, national, and international presentations on topics including emotional intelligence. Deutsch will serve as as a speaker and the event emcee.

Justin Benna, Ph.D.

North Dakota State University
Panel Facilitator & Speaker

Justin Benna designs and teaches graduate coursework focused on school improvement, community engagement, and whole child approaches aligned with leadership standards. His work with district partners and in curriculum development centers on building sustainable school-community partnerships that support student learning, well-being, and organizational capacity. Benna will serve as the panel facilitator for the panel discussion session. He is an assistant professor of practice in NDSU’s School of Education.

Camilla Carpenter, M.S.

Illinois State University
Speaker

Camilla Carpenter is a doctoral candidate of mathematics education at Illinois State University. She is interested in PK-8 students’ use of manipulatives and understanding of negative integer operations.

Courtney Cavellier, Ed.D.

North Dakota State University
Speaker

Courtney Cavellier is a visiting assistant professor in NDSU’s School of Education. Before entering higher education, she spent 28 years in K-12 education, serving in a variety of teaching and administrative roles across both public and private schools.

Melissa Cournia, Ed.D.

Panelist

Melissa Cournia has served students as a high-school teacher, instructional coach, and in building and district-wide leadership positions as a literacy coordinator. She will be entering her first high-school principalship in Fall 2026.

Amber Denault, M.Ed.

North Dakota State University
Speaker

Amber Denault is an instructional designer in the Instructional Design Center at NDSU with accessibility experience.

Ashley Guy, Ed.D.

Fargo Public Schools
Speaker

Ashley Guy is a school counselor with Fargo Public Schools, where she has served students and families for the past five years. She holds a doctorate in Adult and Community Education from North Dakota State University, with research focused on family engagement among low-income, multilingual families. Her work centers on culturally responsive practices and building strong, relationship-based partnerships between schools and families.

Shar Kurtz

North Dakota State University
Speaker

Shar Kurtz is the director of NDSU’s Office of Academic Technology and Instructional Design.

Jenny Linker, Ph.D.

North Dakota State University
Speaker

Jenny Linker teaches a graduate-level course focused on integrating movement into classroom instruction, equipping educators with research-based strategies to enhance learning. She has led numerous professional development trainings across the Upper Midwest and delivered presentations nationally, supporting teachers in creating more active, engaging classrooms.

Kim Rensch, M.Ed., NBCT

North Dakota Association for Gifted Children
Speaker

Kim Rensch is a National Board Certified Teacher with experience in teaching secondary language arts. She has a gifted and talented education endorsement and worked on Fargo Public Schools' Gifted Services team for 13 years, the final three as the lead facilitator. She is currently the board president of the North Dakota Association for Gifted Children and an adjunct instructor.

Teresa Shume, Ph.D.

North Dakota State University
Speaker

Teresa Shume is an associate professor in NDSU's School of Education. She teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in the Teacher Education Program, supervises student teachers, and mentors graduate students. Her teaching and research focus on making instruction and curriculum accessible to all.

Jake Snyder, M.Ed.

Ben Franklin Middle School
Panelist

Jake Snyder is currently the dean of students at Ben Franklin Middle School in Fargo.

Lori Swinney, Ph.D.

North Dakota State University
Speaker

Lori Swinney is a strategic development consultant and an instructional designer in the Instructional Design Center at NDSU. Swinney has many years of accessibility experience.

Obtaining Professional Development Credit or CEUs

NDSU's Continued Learning program is offering graduate professional development credit and CEUs for this conference. There are two ways to obtain credit for your license requirements or for your lane change/salary adjustments. If you want to receive credit for this conference, be sure to review these options and select the appropriate option when you register.

$50 fee

You may choose to obtain one graduate professional development credit for your participation in this conference. This credit includes some additional outside work. Dr. Stacy Duffield is the instructor for this course.

Note: Credit for this option is not eligible for use on a graduate program of study. Your credit will be reflected on the professional development section of your transcript.

$15 fee

Attendees who register for CEU's need to attend/view 13 zoom sessions. You will receive an email from Stacy.Duffield@ndsu.edu with additional information.

Many states recognize CEUs for professional development. When you select this option our office emails you a certificate of attendance and records your participation in our CEU database so there is always a record available for you.

Register Now

A personalized link from Zoom Events will be sent when your registration
has been processed. Expect this email to arrive two weeks prior to the event.

You will also receive a reminder email the day before the event.

Register now

Continued Learning

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