2022 NIET Summer Institute Recap: Recharging for Impact

Every year, NIET’s Summer Institute brings together educators from across the country to experience hands-on, interactive training with the goal of strengthening instructional practices and advancing student success. On June 28-29, more than 450 educators traveled to Scottsdale to attend the 2022 NIET Summer Institute and engage in professional learning around recharging the impact of educators. During the two-day event, educators collaborated with and learned alongside NIET team members and peers through a variety of professional learning sessions and had dedicated time to plan with their school and district teams. Specifically, participants had the opportunity to recharge for impact through:

• Cluster and Instructional Leadership Team Meeting Simulations
• Student Work Analysis
• The Evaluation Process
• Leveraging Student Work in Teacher Reflection
• Building Teacher Agency
• Team Planning Time

Learning Highlights from Summer Institute Sessions

At the event, NIET facilitators delivered relevant and impactful sessions to support partners in recharging for impact ahead of a new school year. Below are key highlights of the learning that took place at the 2022 NIET Summer Institute:

Cluster and Instructional Leadership Team Meeting Simulations

Participants had the opportunity to choose either a simulation cluster meeting or instructional leadership team meeting. During these simulations, participants engaged in a meeting to analyze key elements that lead to learning. They collaborated with other NIET partners to define the purpose of their respective meetings and described how student work can be used in their meetings to strengthen instructional practices.

"This session really pushed me to think about how ILT can help build the capacity of team members to look at how students are progressing and how we as a team can help our teachers grow in their instructional capacity to meet current needs," said one participant after the ILT simulation.

Recharging our Evaluation Process for Growth

This session examined leadership practices that increase teacher growth through the evaluation process. Participants learned to use instructional leadership team meetings as a structure to build the capacity of team members using evidence from teacher evaluation cycles. "Outstanding!" said one participant. "The presenters conveyed the connection between rubric descriptors and student growth through ILT."

During the session, participants defined key actions instructional leadership teams take during the teacher evaluation process to increase student outcomes. Participants also analyzed a long-range plan designed to build the capacity of ILT members to recharge the evaluation process for teacher growth, as well as drafted leadership team meeting outcomes that intentionally strengthen teacher evaluation and support.

Take A Stance: Leveraging Student Work in Teacher Reflection

This session focused on deepening participants’ skills in using student work in coaching. Participants used student work to support deep reflection on instructional practices and improve the opportunities students have to engage with rigorous grade-level work. "I love how the presenters modeled the thinking process to help us tie everything together," said one participant. "They allowed time for us to think about everything and plan for application. That was much appreciated!"

During the training, participants distinguished between using student work to prove student learning vs. to improve student learning and developed reflection questions to support teachers to take an improving stance. They also used student work to gain insight into teachers’ use of content standards, student thinking opportunities, and instructional practices.

Recharging NIET Structures to Build Teacher Agency

This breakout session examined how NIET’s structures can be a driver for agency and explored ways to foster agency among teachers. "This was the best PD session I have ever attended," said one participant. "The enthusiasm, relevancy, and focus that the presenters brought was fantastic."

During the training, participants distinguished between teacher agency and teacher compliance and what this looks and sounds like in practice. Participants also discussed how NIET supported structures can increase teacher agency and developed a plan to support teachers to develop and utilize their agency.

Sustaining Educator Impact

NIET’s Summer Institute is the culmination of its mission – working with educators from across the nation to build educator excellence to advance student success. Partners are already implementing strategies learned at the event in their districts, schools, and classrooms that will have a long-lasting impact on the achievement of their students. NIET is honored to have the opportunity to support these educators in recharging their impact and looks forward to building upon this work throughout the 2022-23 school year.