Tentative Strand Offering 2026

 

Confratute—July 12–16, 2026

Sunday 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM: Welcome and Keynote—What I Learned When I Stopped Talking and Started Listening to Students–Rachel McAnallen

Monday 8:30 AM – 9:00 AM: New Participants Welcome and Orientation–Sally Reis

 

MONDAY 7/13
TUESDAY 7/14
WEDNESDAY 7/15
THURSDAY 7/16
KEYNOTES: 9:00 AM – 10:00 AM
MINI KEYNOTES:
9:00 AM – 10:00 AM

The Joys and Benefits of Enrichment Pedagogy-Joe Renzulli and Sally Reis

Coming Soon
Little

The Future Creative: The Case for 21st Century Skills–Worwood

I’m in the Business of Hope: How to Keep Believing when Things Feel Impossible–
Zakreski
The One Who Showed Up: Why What You Do This Year Will Matter More Than Ever–Whiting

STRAND BLOCK A: 10:30 AM – 12:00 PM EDT.
  1. Schoolwide Enrichment Model (SEM)—Renzulli & Reis * [Monday]
    [SEM Breakout Strands meet on Tuesday and Wednesday]

    1. Elementary—Taylor
    2. Middle/High—Brandon
    3. Implementing the SEM for Administrators, Coordinators, and School Leaders—Quatrano & Spataro
  2. Writing From Scratch—Anderson
  3. The 2e Paradox: Meeting the Needs of Twice Exceptional Students Through a Strength-based, Talent-focused Approach—Baum
  4. Co-teaching Strategies to Enhance Differentiation & Engagement—Eckert
  5. Inviting Engagement and Exploration: Supporting Inquiry in ELA and Math—Firmender, Fogarty & Little
  6. Beautiful Risks: Why the Arts Matter Now More Than Ever – For You AND Your Students—Lacina
  7. Escalating English Language Arts for High Ability Learners—Richards
  8. Next Steps for SEM: Going Beyond the Basics–Waicunas
CLOSING KEYNOTE
11:00 AM – 12:00 PM

Closing Keynote

STRAND BLOCK B: 1:30 PM – 3:00 PM EDT.
  1. Bossy Pants, Perfectionists, and Slackers, Oh My!—Anderson
  2. How is Laughter like Peanut butter? Promoting creative thinking within the curriculum—Baum
  3. Engaging Students in Enjoyable Reading with SEM-R—Eckert
  4. Coming Soon!—Field
  5. Compacting and Differentiation—Fogarty
  6. Rabbit Holes With Purpose: Designing Curiosity That Goes Somewhere—Housand
  7. Designing for Depth: Using Big Ideas to Build Complex, Challenging Curriculum—Leppien
  8. Creative Mathematics Is Not an Oxymoron—McAnallen
  9. Books to Ignite, Delight, and Cultivate Lifelong Reading—Richards
  10. Infusing Enrichment Pedagogy into Primary and Elementary Classrooms—Taylor
  11. Enrichment Clusters: A Practical Plan for Real-World, Student-Driven Learning—Waicunas
  12. Representation Matters: Addressing Missingness of Black, Brown, and Indigenous Students in Gifted and Talented Programs—Whiting & Nyberg

 

 

CONFRATUTE ENDS THURSDAY AFTER LUNCH

STRAND BLOCK C/SPECIAL TOPICS: 3:30 PM – 5:00 PM EDT.
  1. Infusing Creativity: Practical Tools and Research-Based Strategies for Educators—Delgado & Zheng
  2. Newton and His Laws—Dewell
  3. Meeting the Needs of Your Student Mathematicians (K-8)—Firmender
  4. The Art Geometric Modular Origami—McAnallen
  5. If You’re So Smart, How Come You’re So Anxious?—Zakreski
EVENING FORUMS: 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM EDT.

 

Confratute Participants