WY TeacherCon

According to the Division for Early Childhood of the Council for Exceptional Children Recommended Practices, practitioners should provide evidence-based practices within naturalistic routines to promote the best outcomes for young children. In order to facilitate the use of evidence-based naturalistic interventions that occur within the daily routine, we must implement strategies best suited for diverse populations of learners.

Most leadership challenges in schools are not rooted in policy, programs, or systems. They are rooted in conversations that escalate, stall, or end without clarity. The Next Conversation is designed for principals who want practical, research-informed strategies to navigate high-stakes conversations with students, staff, and families.

This session is unique because it moves beyond generic communication advice and focuses on what actually happens in real leadership moments. Participants will learn how to regulate emotions before difficult conversations, use intentional framing to reduce defensiveness, and apply questions of intent that clarify expectations while preserving relationships. The strategies shared are immediately usable and directly aligned to the daily realities principals face.

Educators should choose this session because it provides concrete tools, real scenarios, and a clear framework for improving the conversations that shape school culture. Participants will leave with actionable language they can use in their very next conversation, not just ideas to consider later.

Making Words Stick is a dynamic, evidence-based session focused on how multisensory instruction can strengthen letter-sound learning, improve automaticity, and support long-term reading success in the primary classroom. Grounded in the science of reading, this presentation explores how explicit, systematic teaching of letter names, letter sounds, and high-frequency words through visual, auditory, kinesthetic, and tactile pathways helps young learners build stronger neural connections for reading and increases retention of foundational literacy skills. Through research-aligned practices
and classroom application, participants will gain a deeper understanding of how multisensory instruction supports fluent word recognition and helps words truly “stick” for beginning readers while leaving with practical ideas they can immediately apply in
the primary classroom.

This session moves beyond the now-familiar conversation about the Science of Reading and answers the next critical question: How do we design instruction so that struggling adolescent readers actually retain and transfer what we teach? While many conference sessions focus on what to teach (phonics, fluency, vocabulary, comprehension), this session addresses the missing link—how students learn best—by intentionally pairing the Science of Reading with the Science of Learning.

This session will show teachers how to anchor the IES intervention routines in disciplinary texts and tasks, providing literacy support while doing the real thinking in subject area contexts. It will introduce regular ed teachers to the IES intervention routines and challenge interventionists to align their work with the content students experience in regular classrooms.

This session moves beyond the now-familiar conversation about the Science of Reading and answers the next critical question: How do we design instruction so that struggling adolescent readers actually retain and transfer what we teach? While many conference sessions focus on what to teach (phonics, fluency, vocabulary, comprehension), this session addresses the missing link—how students learn best—by intentionally pairing the Science of Reading with the Science of Learning.

In this session entitled, “Leadership in Authentic Assessment,” Marisa Macy will share a working definition of authentic assessment. A rationale and purposes of authentic assessment will be described, as well as how to use leadership components to transform practices in Early Childhood Special Education. Standards for authentic assessment will be shared, along with hands-on learning activity.

Imagine transforming your morning drive, or walk, into a personal masterclass where a single episode has the power to change everything. For me, the shift toward evidence-based literacy didn’t begin with a formal directive—it started with a simple, transformative phrase: 'I listened to a podcast.' Whether you are a dedicated listener or have yet to press 'play,' this session will dive into how the wealth of research shared through podcasts can give every teacher a seat at the table with the world’s leading experts and an ever-expanding toolkit for instructional practices and student success.