Educators Gear Up for 2024 NIET Summer Institute - What to Know

Summer is back, and with it comes a prime time to reflect and prepare for the new school year. The NIET Summer Institute brings hundreds of educators and school teams together with time and space to collaborate on ways to reflect on the past school year and plan for how to elevate their practice in the coming year. On June 25-26, teacher, school, and district leaders will join NIET at our Summer Institute in Scottsdale to identify the most effective practices for elevating teaching and learning, and how to strengthen instructional leadership teams to support teacher and student success. 

Here’s a sneak peek of what to expect:

Maximizing Collaborative Professional Learning

The NIET Summer Institute will kick off with a deep dive into how weekly collaborative professional learning can be the driver for instructional improvement across classrooms. This session will provide actionable steps for how to use student work and student data to drive high-impact collaborative learning that translates into changes in classroom practice. This session will provide participants with strategies to use in weekly professional learning meetings to drive measurable growth toward school and system-wide goals.

After participants learn more about the steps to maximize the use of student work and data to drive collaborative learning, school teams will reflect together on how to apply their new learning, followed by additional high-impact sessions:

Establishing Trust through Differentiated Coaching Support

Leaders must be intentional in their work to build trust. This session explores how integrating knowledge of teacher and student needs with strategic support, clear expectations, and relevant and reflective questioning establishes trust with others as we reflect on our own practices and grow in our roles as coaches.

Intentional Engagement in Thinking for Teacher and Student Learning

Teaching thinking is a foundational, yet complex instructional practice. In this session, we will take a deeper look at how we can leverage best instructional practices to elevate thinking for teachers and students.

Reflective Leadership for Fostering a Positive Learning Environment

In this session, participants will explore the concept of building credibility to foster a positive learning environment for teachers. Through the application of reflective practices, attendees will discover how to empower teachers to take ownership of their learning journey, ensuring the effective implementation of evidence-based practices.

Team Collaboration and Planning

After learning together through breakout sessions, teams will regroup and consider their strengths and needs to elevate teacher leadership practices, effectiveness, and student achievement for the upcoming school year using artifacts from the previous academic year. Together, school leadership teams will develop plans to apply their new learnings and put in place actions to support a successful 2024-25 school year.

NIET's Summer Institute will also include a general session where all participants can come together and connect, as well as hear from NIET Chief Executive Officer Dr. Joshua Barnett and other leaders. 

Each year, hundreds of educators nationwide join us for our summer institute, mixing both longtime partners and newer ones - a combination that many educators speak highly of in their feedback.

“It was great to be able to come together and collaborate and network with other districts. In the beginning stages, they probably faced some of the same challenges we face, but now that they have been implementing NIET (strategies) for a number of years they’re able to share what works for them and how it could possibly help other educators,” Lashonda Jones, assistant principal at Morehouse Elementary School in Morehouse Parish, Louisiana, said after attending last year’s event. “Overall our experience was amazing - we feel focused and prepared and ready to meet our goals this year.”

This year, we look forward to seeing more than 700 educators in Scottsdale, Arizona from June 25-26. Look for takeaways on social media using the hashtag #NIET2024