EduLead 2025: Full Schedule

9:45am CST

Belonging at TAS: Insights from Focus Groups and the Path Forward LIMITED

Friday May 9, 2025 9:45am - 11:00am CST

Taipei International School continues its commitment to fostering a school community grounded in dignity and respect. Over the past two years, Dr. Gay has worked closely with TAS, engaging students, parents, faculty, staff, and the board to deepen understanding and strengthen efforts around belonging. During his most recent visit in October, he conducted focus groups to gather insights into the lived experiences within the school, identifying key strengths, challenges, and opportunities for growth.

In this session, Dr. Gay will share themes that emerged from these discussions, placing them within the larger context of belonging in international schools. Parents and students will engage in meaningful conversations to explore what these findings reveal about the TAS experience and how they can inform efforts moving forward. Participants will also learn about research-based strategies that support a culture of dignity and respect, fostering stronger connections within the school community. This session provides an opportunity to reflect on progress, reinforce shared commitments, and consider ways to further strengthen belonging at TAS.

Speakers

Dr. Derrick Gay

Dr. Derrick Gay is a globally recognized Belonging and Intercultural Strategist, dedicated to fostering cultures of dignity and respect. With multifaceted expertise as an international speaker, author, researcher, educator, and university lecturer, Dr. Gay empowers individuals and... Read More →

Friday May 9, 2025 9:45am - 11:00am CST
Harmony Theater

Whole Community (Anyone)

9:45am CST

Raising Children to Thrive in a Globalized World LIMITED

Friday May 9, 2025 9:45am - 11:00am CST

MPR

In a world where students are being prepared for jobs that do not yet exist, to solve problems we’ve never encountered, using technologies that haven’t been invented, the question for families and educators alike becomes: How do we raise children to thrive amid uncertainty? And, more fundamentally, what does it mean to be a global citizen in today’s interconnected and often polarized world?

Drawing from insights across social science, neuroscience, and emerging trends in education and technology, this session explores the timeless human capacities that will matter most in an unpredictable future. Rather than focus solely on academic achievement or technical skill, the emphasis shifts to nurturing the attributes that make us fully human: deep empathy, cross-cultural understanding, a strong sense of belonging, and the psychological safety required for creativity and risk-taking.

Participants will consider how to foster these traits at home, in classrooms, and across school communities—equipping young people with the “new literacies” needed to navigate complexity, connect across difference, and contribute meaningfully to a more just, sustainable, and inclusive world.

Key Takeaways:

Explore the evolving definition of global citizenship and its relevance for today’s children
Understand the role of empathy, identity, and belonging in shaping future-ready learners
Discover how psychological safety supports resilience, creativity, and learning in young people
Gain practical strategies to nurture intercultural awareness and emotional intelligence at home and at school
Reflect on how families and educators can partner to support children's growth in an age of rapid change

Speakers

Homa Tavangar

Cofounder, Big Questions Institute

Homa Tavanger is the co-founder of the Big Questions Institute and the Oneness Lab.She brings 30+ years’ experience helping diverse organizations and individuals to build cultural, racial and global competence, strategic governance, and visionary, generative leadership in diverse schools and organizations. She coaches leaders on accountability for equity... Read More →

Friday May 9, 2025 9:45am - 11:00am CST
MPR

Whole Community (Anyone)

11:15am CST

Building Relationships - Communication Basics (All Community Session) LIMITED

Friday May 9, 2025 11:15am - 12:30pm CST

Lower School Library

This foundational session is designed for all individuals interested in learning and reviewing basic communication skills that build more trust in relationships. The workshop will provide skills to change personal behaviors within one’s sphere of control that can increase trust in everyday interpersonal and group interactions.
Participants will learn how to:

Use effective non-verbal body language can increase or decrease how trustworthy others feel you are
Paraphrase and listen more skillfully so others truly feel heard
Ask questions that open other people’s thinking so they want to respond
Offer suggestions that others want to hear and will take into consideration
Praise so others will feel acknowledged
Apologize so others feel better
Respond more effectively to conflict and tension interpersonally and in group situations

Speakers

Jennifer Abrams

Communications Consultant

Jennifer Abrams is an international educational and communications consultant specializing in supporting public and independent schools, universities, and non-profits. She trains and coaches educators, administrators, and other professionals on new teacher and employee support, having... Read More →

Friday May 9, 2025 11:15am - 12:30pm CST
Lower School Library

Whole Community (Anyone)

11:15am CST

Raising Remarkable Kids for Success in School & Life LIMITED

Friday May 9, 2025 11:15am - 12:30pm CST

Lotus Lounge

Success in today’s world goes beyond good grades—it requires resilience, efficacy, and adaptability. This session explores concepts and strategies to help children excel academically and develop the skills they need to thrive in life. Join us for an engaging discussion on raising future-ready, remarkable children!

Speakers

Kristen Pelletier

Kristen Pelletier is a highly regarded educational consultant, coach, and teacher trainer dedicated to fostering inclusive cultures and practices in international schools. Her consulting, Castle Corner-Redefining Access recently relocated to Portugal, leverages over 20 years of experience... Read More →

Friday May 9, 2025 11:15am - 12:30pm CST
Lotus Lounge

Whole Community (Anyone)

1:30pm CST

Embracing Neurodiversity: Understanding Ourselves & Our Global Impact LIMITED

Friday May 9, 2025 1:30pm - 2:45pm CST

Upper School Library

Diverse minds bring creativity, innovation, and new perspectives that shape our world in meaningful ways. This course delves into the importance of neurodiversity in schools and society, fostering a deeper appreciation for individual strengths and their role in building inclusive, globally minded communities.

Speakers

Kristel Solomon

Kristel Solomon is an accomplished International Educational Consultant with over 20 years of experience dedicated to ensuring that all children have access to high-quality education and the opportunity to achieve their individual pathways to excellence. She has served as Director... Read More →

Friday May 9, 2025 1:30pm - 2:45pm CST
Upper School Library

Whole Community (Anyone)

1:30pm CST

Fostering Cultures of Dignity and Respect: Creating a Safe and Inclusive School Community LIMITED

Friday May 9, 2025 1:30pm - 2:45pm CST

Harmony Theater

Schools thrive when students, parents, and educators work together to create an environment where everyone feels valued, respected, and safe. However, not all harm is bullying, and understanding the differences between conflict, teasing, and bullying is essential. This session introduces Dr. Gay’s Fostering Cultures of Dignity and Respect framework, equipping students and parents with research-based strategies to recognize, address, and prevent harmful behaviors. Participants will gain a clear understanding of bullying—its defining characteristics of intentional harm, power imbalance, and repetition—and explore how it manifests physically, verbally, socially, and online. With the increasing role of social media in students' lives, the session will also highlight the impact of cyberbullying, including harmful messages, exclusion, and the rapid spread of rumors.

The session will examine why bullying happens, unpacking the social dynamics that contribute to harmful behaviors, such as peer pressure, insecurity, group hierarchies, and bystander behavior. Students will be empowered with practical tools to respond effectively, whether experiencing bullying themselves or witnessing it happen to others. They will learn strategies to become active bystanders, safely intervene when appropriate, and seek support from trusted adults. Special attention will be given to navigating online spaces, including recognizing harmful digital behaviors, setting boundaries on social media, and knowing when to report online harassment.

Speakers

Dr. Derrick Gay

Friday May 9, 2025 1:30pm - 2:45pm CST
Harmony Theater

Whole Community (Anyone)

9:45am CST

AI in Schools: The Good, The Bad & How to Set It Up for Success LIMITED

Saturday May 10, 2025 9:45am - 11:00am CST

2nd Floor Tech Cube

AI is transforming education and student life in ways both exciting and deeply concerning. While it can enhance learning and creativity, it also presents serious risks—deepfakes, manipulated images, and AI-generated chatbots that exploit loneliness and vulnerability. Too often, when students fall into harmful AI-driven spaces, it’s because they feel disconnected in the real world. This session will explore how schools can take a proactive approach—helping students find the good in AI, understand its dangers, and, most importantly, build real-world belonging so they are less likely to seek unsafe connections online.

Why this matters:

AI is not just about ChatGPT and homework—students are facing deepfakes, body manipulation, AI-generated influencers, and romance chatbots that impact self-esteem and relationships.
Schools must go beyond banning AI—developing a framework that educates and safeguards students against misinformation and AI-driven deception.

Practical strategies & policy development:

Creating a schoolwide AI policy that provides clarity for students, teachers, and parents.
Teaching students and staff to recognize AI-generated deception, including deepfakes, AI-altered images, and algorithm-driven manipulation.
Addressing AI’s influence on online relationships, including AI chatbots and romance simulators.
Examining the impact of AI on mental health, particularly in body image manipulation and AI-generated influencers.
Building AI literacy into advisory, media literacy, and digital citizenship programs.
Educating parents on AI’s risks without fearmongering.

Key Takeaway: School leaders will leave with a clear roadmap for AI education and policy, along with practical strategies to teach AI literacy across different roles in the school.

Speakers

Allison Ochs

Founder and Owner, Edit change management -Digital Wellbeing and Citizenship

Allison Ochs is an American-Swiss social pedagogue, author, lecturer, and consultant specializing in digital literacy and citizenship in schools and beyond. With a background in social work and education, Allison has worked with families, children, and schools in diverse capacities... Read More →

Saturday May 10, 2025 9:45am - 11:00am CST
2nd Floor Tech Cube

Whole Community (Anyone)

9:45am CST

Deeper Dive into the Big Questions LIMITED

Saturday May 10, 2025 9:45am - 11:00am CST

MPR

Building on the themes introduced in the keynote, this interactive workshop invites participants to engage more deeply with the 12 Big Questions Schools Must Answer to Create Irresistible Futures. Together, we will unpack the power and purpose of these questions—such as What is Learning? Who is Unheard? What is Success?—and explore how they serve as catalysts for meaningful reflection, courageous dialogue, and transformative change across educational settings.
Participants will examine how these foundational questions intersect with their own roles—whether in the classroom, in leadership, or as members of the broader school community. Through guided inquiry, collaborative protocols, and reflective practice, attendees will assess their current beliefs, identify areas of alignment or tension, and begin envisioning practical shifts that support student flourishing, foster a stronger sense of belonging, and promote more equitable systems.

Speakers

Homa Tavangar

Cofounder, Big Questions Institute

Saturday May 10, 2025 9:45am - 11:00am CST
MPR

Whole Community (Anyone)

9:45am CST

The Power of Visioning LIMITED

Saturday May 10, 2025 9:45am - 11:00am CST

Legacy Commons

In this introductory session for parents, participants will:

identify and explore the current trends and drivers of change in education.
explore potential futures
create an artefact for a future focused education
learn about the Understanding by Design (UbD) framework as a process for designing curriculum connecting students to ways of thinking, working and living in the world.

Speakers

Janelle McGann

Janelle is a global educator with over 25 years’ experience in public and private schools in Australia, Ireland and the US. As a teacher, leader, consultant and lecturer, Janelle understands the demands of a changing educational landscape for teachers and leaders. She has a passionate... Read More →

Saturday May 10, 2025 9:45am - 11:00am CST
Legacy Commons

Whole Community (Anyone)

11:15am CST

Managing the Digital Shift: How Online Communication Impacts the Classroom & School Community (Repeat) LIMITED

Saturday May 10, 2025 11:15am - 12:30pm CST

2nd Floor Tech Cube

Have you ever walked into class and felt like something was off—students whispering, a shift in energy, or tension between friends—but you had no idea what had happened? In today’s world, so much of student life unfolds online, in group chats, gaming communities, and social media. What happens in these spaces doesn’t stay there—it spills over into the classroom, shaping friendships, conflicts, and overall school culture. This session will explore how online interactions influence student dynamics and how educators can foster a safe, connected learning environment that bridges the gap between digital and real-world relationships

Why this matters:

Students bring their online conflicts into the classroom, but educators often lack the tools to address these digital behaviors effectively.
Bullying, exclusion, and miscommunication online have real consequences for school culture.

Practical strategies:

Identifying digital conflicts early before they disrupt classroom culture.
Establishing proactive classroom norms that prevent online bullying and exclusion.
Effective interventions when online meanness spills into in-person interactions.
Schoolwide safeguarding approaches to ensure students feel safe both online and offline.

Key Takeaway: Educators will learn specific techniques for noticing, addressing, and preventing digital conflicts while fostering a classroom culture of belonging.

Speakers

Allison Ochs

Founder and Owner, Edit change management -Digital Wellbeing and Citizenship

Saturday May 10, 2025 11:15am - 12:30pm CST
2nd Floor Tech Cube

Whole Community (Anyone)

11:15am CST

Strategies to Address Identity-Informed Harm LIMITED

Saturday May 10, 2025 11:15am - 12:30pm CST

Harmony Theater

Most families choose international schools for their children so that they are exposed to a wide range of backgrounds, including different nationalities, languages, religions, and perspectives, fostering open-mindedness and strategically positioning students for success in a multicultural and globalized world.

However, these very identity differences are used by students as the basis for identity-informed harm and jokes, where stereotypes about someone's background become the punchline. This issue undermines the inclusive and respectful cultures of dignity and respect that international schools strive to foster.

During this interactive session, participants will explore the latest research on the specific differences students exploit to leverage power and inflict harm. They will also gain insights into the types of jokes students use to perpetuate these stereotypes. Through a detailed case study, attendees will apply Dr. Gay's DEIB Action Protocol, providing a structured framework for understanding, processing, and designing effective intervention strategies to combat these harmful behaviors and promote a more inclusive school community.

Speakers

Dr. Derrick Gay

Saturday May 10, 2025 11:15am - 12:30pm CST
Harmony Theater

Whole Community (Anyone)

1:30pm CST

Navigating Identity: Building Bridges Between Home, School, Work and Self LIMITED

Saturday May 10, 2025 1:30pm - 2:45pm CST

2C80

I knew who I was this morning, but I've changed a few times since then." - Lewis Carroll, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.
Who are you? A simple question should invite a simple answer. But there is nothing simple about you, me, or the society in which we live, and this complexity of identity does not disappear when we go to work or school.
This interactive workshop explores the dynamic relationship between identity development, belonging, and future success. Designed for students and adults alike, this session creates a safe space to examine how our multifaceted identities—across race, gender, class, age, ability, and more—shape our educational and work experiences and influence our interactions with others. Through structured activities and facilitated dialogue, participants will uncover how different aspects of identity become more salient depending on the environment, potentially creating both advantages and obstacles to authentic belonging.

Speakers

Aparna Sundaram

With over 30 years of dedicated service in education, Aparna has established herself as an innovative educator, strategic leader, knowledgeable recruiter, and respected consultant. She has led curriculum initiatives focused on culturally responsive pedagogy, design thinking... Read More →

Saturday May 10, 2025 1:30pm - 2:45pm CST
2C80

Whole Community (Anyone)

1:30pm CST

Reframing Diversity as Belonging LIMITED

Saturday May 10, 2025 1:30pm - 2:45pm CST

Harmony Theater

As explicit attacks on “DEI” in the United States continue to unfold, we are navigating the impact on international education, particularly through shifts in federal funding priorities and institutional commitments and the displacement of thousands of international families who work for USAID. At a time when “DEI” efforts face growing scrutiny, this is not the moment to step back, but rather to sustain and deepen this work in ways that are both strategic and sustainable. Our shared commitment to fostering inclusive communities grounded in dignity and respect, while also ensuring the protection of the most vulnerable in our international school communities, remains more critical than ever. 

In this reflective, actionable session, we will explore ways to move forward, ensuring that your school’s efforts are data-driven, aligned with long-term institutional goals, and grounded in change management best practices will be essential to upholding your school’s mission.

Speakers

Dr. Derrick Gay

Saturday May 10, 2025 1:30pm - 2:45pm CST
Harmony Theater

Whole Community (Anyone)

1:30pm CST

What Might Behavior be Telling Us?  LIMITED

Saturday May 10, 2025 1:30pm - 2:45pm CST

Lotus Lounge

All behavior communicates something, often signaling an unmet need. Our perceptions of behavior influence how we respond—and ultimately, how effective our response might be. In this engaging session, participants will explore some reasons for behavior, the role of our perceptions in understanding it, and some strategies for responding to behavior to foster positive outcomes. Join us for insights into creating supportive and effective interactions for managing behavior. 

Speakers

Kristen Pelletier

Saturday May 10, 2025 1:30pm - 2:45pm CST
Lotus Lounge

Whole Community (Anyone)