Thank you to the educators and leaders — from Hawaii to Alaska to across the Philadelphia region — who joined us for the National Professional Learning Network (NPLN) Conference in November!
We spent three days diving deep into strategies to help educators STAY, GROW, and LEAD by focusing on professional learning that is joyful, empowering, and truly impactful.
Key takeaways & highlights:
NTC CEO Tommy Chang alongside Joyce Abbott
- Inspiration from an Icon — We were honored to host keynote speaker Joyce Abbott, whose dedication to Philadelphia schools inspired Abbott Elementary! Some key takeaways from the keynote:
- Impact & perseverance: Ms. Abbott’s story underscored the lasting impact teachers have on students and emphasized that perseverance and connecting with one’s passion are crucial to countering burnout and staying in the profession.
- Empowered leadership: emphasized that building community ownership and providing opportunities for teachers to lead (like becoming a Counselor or Climate Manager) are vital for increasing connection and commitment.
- Mentorship: confirmed the critical role of both formal and informal mentorship for transferring wisdom and supporting growth across school staff.
- Effective PD: professional development must be practical, relevant, and empower educators and leaders to enact positive change in their school environments.
Left to right: Tommy Chang, Ed.D, CEO, New Teacher Center; Sharif El-Mekki, CEO, Center for Black Educator Development; Tiffany Green, Ed. D., Education Assoc., Ed Induction, Delaware Department of Education; Christy Harris, Ed.D., CPO, New Teacher Center; Dr. Tony B. Watlington Sr., Ed.D., CEO, Superintendent, The School District of Philadelphia; David Adams, CEO, The Urban Assembly, Inc.
- Powerhouse panel — insights from leaders like Dr. Tony B. Watlington Sr. (Superintendent, School District of Philadelphia) and experts like Sharif El-Mekki and David Adams, tackling recruitment, retention, and leadership pathways.
- Grounding in purpose — we were moved by the powerful performances from Mad Beatz Philly and Play On Philly students, grounding our work in the learners we serve.
Attendees engaging in a learning session
- Deep collaborative learning — Attendees explored cutting-edge sessions on:
- Leveraging AI for program growth, enhanced program planning, strengthened standards alignment, and improved data analysis
- Cultivating leadership beyond titles or roles
- Building a whole-school approach for new educator success
- Solving real challenges: Closing roundtables addressed critical barriers like systemic funding, educator well-being, and moving instructional vision into alignment with practice
The learning and collaboration continue at future NPLN convenings. Mark your calendars:
- February 19–20, 2026, Virtual
- May 12–14, 2026, San Antonio, TX
We look forward to continuing learning together!
