2025 Utah Rural Schools Conference

Utah’s 2026 legislative session introduced significant changes to early literacy instruction that will directly impact schools and districts. This session will unpack key policy shifts—including new assessment requirements, strengthened intervention expectations, third-grade retention tied to reading proficiency, and increased funding for literacy supports—and explore their implications for practice. Participants will gain clarity on how these changes influence instructional design, assessment systems, staffing, and resource allocation, while also identifying practical next steps to align with evidence-based literacy practices. This session will support educators in translating policy into actionable strategies that improve early literacy outcomes for all students.

Participants MUST HAVE one of the following platforms/devices in order to participate in this session: Not Applicable

Participants MAY FIND IT USEFUL to have one or more of the following platforms/devices during this session: Not Applicable

Stop me if you’ve been here: it’s 3:30 PM, the fluorescent lights are humming, and you’re fighting the urge to check your watch (or the back of your eyelids) during another one-size-fits-all staff meeting. If that sounds familiar, it’s time to flip the script on Professional Development. This session offers a fast-paced "peek" into how we can kill the "yawn factor" by moving away from "sit-and-get" models and toward a personalized, choose-your-own-adventure experience for your entire school. You will go beyond just hearing about personalization—you’ll actually experience a unique learning path firsthand. By brainstorming with peers and exploring new strategies, you’ll walk away with a toolkit to make educator learning purposeful, relevant, and—dare we say—actually fun.

Participants MUST HAVE one of the following platforms/devices in order to participate in this session: Mac Laptop; Windows Laptop; Chromebook; Windows Tablet / Smartphone; iPad / iPhone; Android Tablet / Smartphone

Participants MAY FIND IT USEFUL to have one or more of the following platforms/devices during this session: Mac Laptop; Windows Laptop; Chromebook

Professional development often leaves teachers inspired but not prepared to immediately implement new practices in their classrooms. This session introduces a practical, system-level approach to bridging the gap between professional learning and classroom application. Participants will explore the High Impact Instructional Practices (HIIP) MicroPD model: a teacher-driven system designed to support consistent use of high-impact instructional strategies across content areas.Built on more than 70 research-based, classroom-ready strategies and tools, this model emphasizes teacher choice, immediate application, and iterative practice. Participants will gain insight into how this system has been piloted across multiple schools and how it can improve instructional consistency while supporting teacher autonomy.Attendees will leave with a clear framework for designing professional learning that is practical, sustainable, and responsive to the needs of diverse classrooms—especially in schools where teachers must balance multiple roles and content areas.

Participants MUST HAVE one of the following platforms/devices in order to participate in this session: None

The Dignity Index is an eight-point scale that can be used for both students and staff to learn how to disagree without being disagreeable. Classrooms are where students discuss ideas. And the discussions of ideas can and should lead to disagreement to create new ideas. For this process to work students must learn the skills of civil discussion, especially as the ideas in social studies or English classrooms become more complex and never have a single right answer. We will discuss the Dignity Index and how it meets both state and national standards while discussing the ideas of your content. During the discussion, we will both practice using the Index in the high school classroom as well as reflecting on its positive impacts for students and teachers outside your classroom.

Participants MUST HAVE one of the following platforms/devices in order to participate in this session: Not Applicable

Participants MAY FIND IT USEFUL to have one or more of the following platforms/devices during this session: Any web enabled device

The 2026 Utah legislative session introduced major changes to school safety requirements, affecting emergency planning, threat assessment, reporting obligations, and coordination with law enforcement. This 60‑minute session distills the most important updates, clarifies new compliance expectations, and explains how these laws interact with existing state and federal guidance. Attendees will leave with a clear understanding of what has changed and practical steps for updating local policies and procedures.

Participants MUST HAVE one of the following platforms/devices in order to participate in this session: None

Participants MAY FIND IT USEFUL to have one or more of the following platforms/devices during this session: None

What if teacher leadership was not an add-on, but rather the engine that drives school improvement?Too often, teacher leadership lives in isolated roles or initiatives rather than as a coherent system that drives instructional improvement. This session explores how intentionally designed, ongoing professional learning can position teacher leaders as central to improvement, not just participants in it.Grounded in UEPC’s LIFT framework, participants will examine how structured professional learning, clear instructional priorities, and collaborative data use build the capacity of teacher leaders to facilitate meaningful conversations and lead improvement efforts. We will explore practical approaches for supporting teacher leaders in translating data into action, strengthening collaboration, and sustaining momentum over time.Through a district example from Tooele County School District, participants will see how leveraging guiding coalitions across multiple schools to build coherence and scale teacher leadership as a driver of continuous improvement.Whether you are part of a large district or a single-site school or charter, this session will provide practical strategies to design professional learning systems that empower teacher leaders, build collective efficacy, and improve teaching and learning.Session Objectives:Clarify the role of teacher leaders as drivers of school improvementAnalyze how professional learning builds leadership capacityLearn from practice by examining how a district is creating the conditions for coherence and scaleApply a process for moving from data to instructional and leadership actionsIdentify one actionable next step to strengthen teacher leadership in their context

Participants MUST HAVE one of the following platforms/devices in order to participate in this session: None

Participants MAY FIND IT USEFUL to have one or more of the following platforms/devices during this session: Any of these

In an era where traditional disciplinary measures often lead to burnout rather than behavioral change, it’s time to "flip the script." This session moves beyond punitive "stick" approaches to explore how high-impact, positive incentives can fundamentally reshape school culture.The secret to success lies in identifying "Student Currency"—what actually motivates today’s learners? We will move past generic stickers to uncover the social, digital, and experiential rewards that resonate with Generation Alpha and Gen Z. Attendees will learn how to build a scalable incentive framework that boosts three critical pillars:Academic Performance: Gamifying growth and celebrating "personal bests."Behavioral Excellence: Shifting the focus from catching students being "bad" to reinforcing the "good."School Spirit: Creating a sense of belonging that turns students into stakeholders.Whether you are in a small K-12 school or a large rural high school, you will leave with a practical "menu of incentives" and a strategic plan to implement a reward system that is sustainable, equitable, and effective.

Participants MUST HAVE one of the following platforms/devices in order to participate in this session: None

Participants MAY FIND IT USEFUL to have one or more of the following platforms/devices during this session: None

Learner-centered education is often discussed aspirationally, but successful implementation requires clear structures, agency for all learners, and evidence-informed decision-making. Join us in exploring how one school in Salt Lake City is pursuing these ideas. Participants will explore concrete examples, implementation protips, and indicators of impact that support personalized and competency-based learning.  Put your students in the driver's seat of their education and their future!

Participants MUST HAVE one of the following platforms/devices in order to participate in this session: None

Participants MAY FIND IT USEFUL to have one or more of the following platforms/devices during this session: Any of these

🧠 Format Alert: This is an immersive, 2-hour deep-dive workshop designed for intensive, uninterrupted coverage of this topic.

This collaborative session is targeted toward school leaders and instructional coaches who support teachers in strengthening teacher practices. The objectives of the course include: deepen our understanding of Teacher Clarity, determine how formative assessment can drive intervention and extension during tier one instruction, and plan next steps for supporting and coaching teachers in the implementation of these strategies to benefit the growth of all students. Participants will engage in pair shares, review of research, and other collaborative structures to deepen understanding of the strategies and information presented to reinforce that what matters most is continuous improvement by growing each and every student.  Teacher clarity provides opportunities to strengthen students’ understanding of what they are learning. While learning intentions specify the content of the standard, success criteria focuses on the skills they need to master that standard. Smaller and rural schools are often limited by the available resources and must depend on evidence-based instructional practices to build the capacity of leaders and teachers. By strengthening teacher clarity and formative assessment, the school can sustain student growth and proficiency without investing in programs and resources that are costly. When teachers engage students in formative assessment, such as checks for understanding, that directly connect to the success criteria, they are able to monitor and adjust instruction to determine the next steps. Formative assessment is a critical practice for ensuring all students grow and become proficient when we make decisions based on that data, including whole group or small group reteach, intervention, and extensions. These instructional and assessment skills build a data-rich school within a culture of investment in high expectations. 

Participants MUST HAVE one of the following platforms/devices in order to participate in this session: None

Participants MAY FIND IT USEFUL to have one or more of the following platforms/devices during this session: Any of these

Program Description / Abstract: The recruitment and retention of highly qualified educators in rural Utah school districts has reached a critical juncture. Local administrators face persistent systemic challenges that threaten the long-term stability of rural educational systems. This presentation examines how geographic isolation and limited community amenities frequently cause prospective candidates to withdraw from the hiring process. These environmental factors are further exacerbated by lower salary scales compared to urban districts and a lack of access to essential technology and instructional resources (Hannover Research, 2019).Furthermore, rural educators often experience professional isolation due to limited opportunities for collaboration and specialized development, particularly in high-need areas such as STEM, special education, and early childhood education. Drawing on current research, this session highlights four primary drivers of rural teacher attrition:Challenges with school administration.Lack of community connection.Insufficient training and support.Limited access to professional mentoring.Participant Outcomes: By the conclusion of this session, participants will be able to:Identify the four primary factors contributing to teacher attrition in rural settings.Evaluate how administrative support, community integration, and mentoring programs influence teacher longevity.Engage in collaborative discussions to brainstorm scalable solutions for these persistent rural challenges.Analyze specific policies and procedures that can be implemented to improve recruitment and retention in their own districts. 

Participants MUST HAVE one of the following platforms/devices in order to participate in this session: None

Participants MAY FIND IT USEFUL to have one or more of the following platforms/devices during this session: None

This session will dive into attendance best practices around Utah, current school attendance legislation, attendance supports that the Utah State Board of Education offers to schools and LEAs, and will teach about the Statewide Attendance Campaign, "Every Day Counts". 

Participants MUST HAVE one of the following platforms/devices in order to participate in this session: None

Participants MAY FIND IT USEFUL to have one or more of the following platforms/devices during this session: None

When faced with new challenges and uncertainty following pandemic-related disruptions, some Utah schools beat the odds in their student academic recovery. What school-level factors made this possible? In this interactive session, the Utah Education Policy Center (UEPC) will share findings from a statewide mixed-methods study of eight schools that demonstrated strong post-pandemic recovery. Conducted in partnership with USBE and ULEAD, the study examined the school-level factors that leaders and educators identified as most important to academic recovery in their schools. The findings point to reinvesting in the fundamentals rather than adopting pandemic-specific interventions: adaptive school leadership, high-quality PLCs, data-informed instruction, and other aligned support systems coherently working together. Adaptive leadership emerged as a key driver in these contexts, as leadership promoted the central coherence needed for these schools to improve outcomes through the strategic, sustained use of the people, structures, and practices already available to them. Session OutcomesParticipants will:Learn about key findings from the UEPC Pandemic Recovery study.Explore school portraits of success that make the study’s findings more concrete within school contexts.Reflect on their own school's strengths and opportunities for growth in relation to the study's findings.Develop action plans for high-leverage next steps, key partners, and needed supports.Why This MattersThis session translates research into actionable insights for schools, offering rural educators and leaders a research-informed starting point for strengthening the systems and practices that support student outcomes. All participants will leave with printed school portraits and a conversation guide to support continued reflection.

Participants MUST HAVE one of the following platforms/devices in order to participate in this session: None

Participants MAY FIND IT USEFUL to have one or more of the following platforms/devices during this session: Any of these

In my session, I will share practical, evidence-based techniques and strategies that equip teachers in rural schools with the tools and support needed to manage low-level chronic disruptions, reduce disciplinary referrals, and enhance teaching time.  By empowering teachers to effectively manage classroom behavior, my training reduces stress, reclaims valuable instructional time, and fosters an optimal learning culture that elevates instruction and teaching in order to reach every student and fulfill every teacher.  

Participants MUST HAVE one of the following platforms/devices in order to participate in this session: None

Participants MAY FIND IT USEFUL to have one or more of the following platforms/devices during this session: Any of these