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February 2 - 4, 2025 | Hilton Austin Airport

This program is for ALL GRADE-LEVEL assistant principals, elementary through secondary, and for teacher leaders looking to become campus administrators.
Participate in three days of dynamic and practical training as you learn from master practitioners and build professional learning relationships with TEXAS ASSISTANT PRINCIPALS; current and aspiring!

Thank you for Attending!

Registration is $285 per person including Monday lunch and Tuesday breakfast. 
The Optional Documentation Training fee is $209 with Sunday lunch and Handbook.
The TASSP hotel block is $167 per night. Register Today for this Excellent Training for the AP!

VIEW PROGRAM

       

KEYNOTES: Sean Buchanan | Andrew Marotta | Dr. Todd Whitaker | Jim Walsh
Dr. Ruby Payne | Zachary Hobbs | Todd Bloomer | Dr. Herb Cox | Sean Cain | Dr. Courtney Gober

DOCUMENTATION TRAINING: (Additional fee for this training) With Zachary Hobbs, TASB. This session is designed to train administrators on the legal framework within which documentation of all Texas public school employees takes place and to focus on specific steps required to document an employee’s performance effectively. Registration for this session includes lunch and a copy of the latest edition of the Texas Documentation Handbook from ED311.

LEGAL ISSUES FOR THE A.P. 2025: With Jim Walsh, The Law Dawg, Walsh Gallegos Treviño Kyle & Robinson P.C. This session will cover student discipline, special education, 504, liability and other concerns that are practical and relevant to AP’s. This session will emphasize the practical and leave plenty of time for Q and A.

  • Excellent keynotes and breakout session speakers and trainings from experts in all areas of education!
  • Exhibit Showcase with representatives who can deliver solutions to help schools improve student learning and achievement through their products and services.
  • Dr. Ruby Payne's newest book "Educating Students Experiencing Homelessness, Instability, and Disengagement" is included with registration! 
SUNDAY FEB. 2, 2025 - TENTATIVE SCHEDULE
7:00a-5:30p REGISTRATION
9:00a-12:30p OPTIONAL TRAINING: Effective Documentation Training of Teachers (with Zach Hobbs and includes lunch.) If it’s not written down, it didn’t happen. An effective documentation process is crucial for improving employee performance and making informed personnel decisions. This interactive presentation will guide participants through the ED311 EX Documentation Handbook: Appraisal, Nonrenewal, Termination. Focus will be on developing documentation to support appraisal, nonrenewal, and termination decisions. 
1:00p-2:00p OPENING GENERAL SESSION: Student Success? It's as Easy as T.L.C. (with Sean Buchanan) This keynote (which shares its title with his book) centers around providing tangible, principle based, strategies that adults within the education process have at their disposal to increase student motivation, and by extension, student success. It proves what we can do with what we currently have to improve education outcomes for our students. It will also underscore the impact of relationships (and how to create them) in the education process and why T.L.C. is the glue that keeps it all together!  
2:15p-3:15p

BREAKOUT SESSIONS SET 1
• Sean Buchanan: Classroom Management? Just Say NO! A common concern of today's educator is how much time and attention is dedicated to discipline. Many have been told all that is needed to improve the quality of their building or district is better classroom management. What can be done to increase student/parent engagement in the light of the reality of COVID - 19? How can educators reduce the defiance and suspensions that plague many campuses today? Request this humorous and informative session to find out!
• Dr. Herb Cox: Building a Positive School Culture This session will provide several ideas that you can take back to your campus tomorrow and implement immediately. No programs to buy, no books to purchase. Just some good old-fashioned common-sense ideas on how to become a more effective administrator. 
• Dr. Courtney Gober: How to Score the Most Assists as an Assistant Principal This presentation will outline the day-to-day duties of an assistant principal and provide practical strategies to move your daily schedule from being reactive to proactive while spending more time as an instructional leader. Learning how to manage the “chaos” of what lands on the AP desk while effectively serving your staff and students is the key to scoring the most assists as an AP.   
• Sean Cain: Noteworthy Note Making: A Practical Critical Writing Solution for Every Classroom If it is important, write it down! Noteworthy Note Making shares a step-by-step plan for implementing meaningful Note Making in any classroom. This is a teacher’s sneaky smart way to improve academic performance for all students, enhances student depth of thinking (rigor), accelerates student understanding, and increases student retention. When implemented correctly,  Noteworthy Note Making immerses students in a learning environment of high-yield instructional strategies. If you must cover a lot of content (see: STAAR teachers) and students need to remember it (see: STAAR classrooms) then more and better Note Making is Fundamental for success. Presentation is aligned with the books, Noteworthy Note Making: A Practical Critical Writing Solution for Every Classroom, by Sean Cain, and The Fundamental 5 Revisited: Exceptional Instruction in Every Setting, by Cain, Laird, Cotten, and  Ellspermann.
• (SET 1 ONLY) Rachelle Finck, CharacterStrong: Beyond Discipline: Proactive Strategies for Supporting Student Behavior This interactive session equips educators with tangible tools to address student behavior proactively. Participants will learn practical strategies to create positive behavior change and foster a supportive classroom environment by integrating behavior science, restorative practices, and trauma-informed approaches. Hands-on activities ensure immediate, classroom-ready implementation.
3:30p-4:30p BREAKOUT SESSIONS SET 2 (See above - Repeat from Set 1)
• Sean Buchanan: Classroom Management? Just Say NO!
• Dr. Herb Cox: Building a Positive School Culture
• Dr. Courtney Gober: How to Score the Most Assists as an Assistant Principal
• Sean Cain: Noteworthy Note Making: A Practical Critical Writing Solution for Every Classroom
• (SET 2 ONLY) Lana Sveda, College Board: Using College Board Programs to Support CCMR for All Students Join the College Board as we share tools and resources available to support student opportunity and College, Career, and Military Readiness.  We will examine the latest data trends and updates, including the expansion of digital AP Exams and our new CTE courses, Career Kickstart. Additionally, we will share the free tools and resources available to students as they navigate their college and career readiness paths.
 MONDAY FEB. 3, 2025 
 7:30a-8:30a COFFEE SERVICE 
 8:30a-9:30a OPENING GENERAL SESSION: Today's Significant School Leader (with Andrew Marotta)  Want to be a better leader?  Want to be a more effective school administrator?  Feel that sometimes you are just surviving more than thriving? Wish you were a better speaker/storyteller? Meet Andrew Marotta! In this interactive keynote, Andrew will invigorate you, challenge you, and inspire you.  He will share stories, tips, hacks, and experiences from his 20 years as a building Principal in the great small city of Port Jervis, NY.  This high-energy, enthusiastic presentation will be interactive, reflective, and purposeful to you, to help you in your role as a school leader.  No one promised you that the job would be easy;  but Andrew will help you make it more manageable, enjoyable, and rewarding. In this transformative and impactful session about putting yourself in the best position to lead, Andrew will focus on: the power of storytelling, having more energy & enthusiasm, supporting yourself and others, and becoming SIGNIFICANT in the lives of those we serve. 
 9:45a-10:45a BREAKOUT SESSIONS SET 3
• Andrew Marotta: The Partnership: Surviving and Thriving Want to have better, stronger relationships with your stakeholders?  Tired of getting/feeling ‘beat-up?’  Want to improve your public speaking and communication skills? Have people coming at you way too hard and not sure how to handle it and want some effective strategies?  Feel like you are being too reactive instead of more proactive in your relationships?  Come join Andrew Marotta and be part of the fun, interactive, and thought-provoking workshop The Partnership: Surviving & Thriving:  Building better relationships through proactive and intentional actions. In this energy-filled workshop, Andrew will lead you through a variety of strategies, techniques, tips, and hacks that will help improve your overall communication and interactions with your stakeholders:  staff, students, and parents. The goal of this workshop is that you feel more confident, comfortable, and prepared to handle the many complex and challenging social situations that are rapidly coming at school leaders in today’s world. 
• Dr. Ruby Payne: Do You Have Students Who Are Disengaged, Not Learning, or Disrupting Learning? This session will focus on ways the Autonomic Nervous System (ANS) impacts student responses and provides understanding from neurobiology. Strategies will be given to help move students into higher levels of learning and engagement.
• Dr. Joe Coleman: Are You An Above the Line or Below the Line Administrator? The presenter will use the book, "The Oz Principle" by Roger Connors, Craig Hickman, and Tom Smith as a guide to discuss issues related to personal and organizational accountability. In addition, the presenter will discuss a variety of personal and job-related examples that will help future administrators to determine whether their behaviors and actions lead to failure or to the continuous improvement and success of the organization.
• Todd Bloomer: From the Interview to the First Thirty Days on the Job - The Blueprint to Landing the Job and Thriving in Your Job In this session, learn how to prepare actual questions, and then how to develop your 30-day entry plan. This session will be practical and relevant.
• Lowman Education: You Don't Teach to Mastery; You Spiral to Mastery Do you know the importance of continuous review but struggle to develop a simple and practical plan?  This session aims to give participants a simple and systematic structure that can be easily implemented and pay huge dividends to student performance. Come hear how Alan Lowman implemented this plan with his students and ended up with phenomenal results, six years in a row of TEA Distinctions at an economically disadvantaged campus!
11:00a-12:00p BREAKOUT SESSIONS SET 4 (See above - Repeat of Set 3)
• Andrew Marotta: The Partnership: Surviving and Thriving
• Dr. Ruby Payne: Do You Have Students Who Are Disengaged, Not Learning, or Disrupting Learning?
• Dr. Joe Coleman: Are You An Above the Line or Below the Line Administrator? 
• Todd Bloomer: From the Interview to the First Thirty Days on the Job - The Blueprint to Landing the Job and Thriving in Your Job
• Lowman Education: You Don't Teach to Mastery; You Spiral to Mastery
12:00p-1:15p LUNCH PROVIDED
1:15p-2:10p BREAKOUT SESSIONS SET 5
• (SET 5 ONLY) Dr. Todd Whitaker: Have you Shifted Your Monkey Today? Do the best staff members do too much and the worst employees too little? Are there people in your school who work at avoiding doing work? Do you know anyone who whines, pouts, or complains endlessly? This session is just what you need. Based on the book "Shifting the Monkey," this session will help everyone lead their schools more effectively. Come and join the fun as you learn how to shift the monkey!
• (SET 5 ONLY) Dr. Ruby Payne: What is the Process of Moving from Disengagement to Engagement?  Understandings and tools will be provided. It is important to note that as students begin to move back into engagement, they often become irritable and fight again as they move up the hierarchy of the ANS.  If the process is understood, there can be more success.
• (SET 5 ONLY) Sean Cain: Your Super STARR Plan The STAAR tested class. To be successful, a teacher only has to teach the Right Thing, at the Right Time, at the Right Rigor. Anything less leaves STAAR performance on the table. To leave nothing to chance, you need a plan. Join best-selling author, Sean Cain, and learn the classroom structures and practices that optimize instructional effectiveness and elevate student performance. Master the Super STAAR Plan and Meet your STAAR goals. Presentation is aligned with the books, Stack the Deck: Increase the Odds for STAAR Test Success, by Sean Cain and Lesa Cain, and The Fundamental 5 Revisited: Exceptional Instruction in Every Setting, by Cain, Laird, Cotten, and Ellspermann.
• Dr. Eric Cupp: Touching Hearts, Changing Minds Eric Cupp has been working with at-risk children for over 40 years. He has been called the "kid whisperer" because children find hope and healing in his presence. He has also been doing staff development for public educators for more than three decades.  In this session he will share with you how to connect not just with children, but with everyone in your life!  In five steps he will teach you how to touch a heart, change a mind,  mend the trauma, and build a future.  You will laugh a lot, cry a little and discover a calling.
• (SET 5 ONLY) Lori Gray, Horace Mann: Partners in Education Horace Mann is more than an insurance company! I will discuss the offerings we bring to campuses across the nation as well as educational workshops that educate your staff and assist in decreasing financial stress, spending less out of pocket and improving overall staff morale on your campus.
2:20p-3:15p BREAKOUT SESSIONS SET 6 (See above - Repeat of Set 5)
• (SET 6 ONLY) Dr. Todd Whitaker: How to Get All Teachers to Become Like the Best Teachers There are dramatic differences in the quality of teachers in every school. If all teachers could be more like the best teachers, then we would have significant improvement in every school. Every building has special teachers who connect with all students and consistently engage them in learning. This session focuses on what educational leaders can do to get all of the teachers to be like their best teachers. 
• (SET 6 ONLY) Sean Cain: Opportunity Coaching If you want better teachers… Coach your teachers better! Regular, targeted, personalized coaching elevates a teacher’s skill set and amplifies their effort. This significantly impacts student success. Great coaches know how to coach, when to coach, what to coach, and where to coach. In this presentation, the how, when, what, and where of effective staff coaching will be revealed. Presentation is aligned with the books, Opportunity Coaching: How to Coach Teachers on the Fly, by Sean Cain, and Little Things Matter: Management Lessons From Exceptional School Leaders, by Sean Cain and Mike Laird.
• Dr. Eric Cupp: Touching Hearts, Changing Minds

• (SET 6 ONLY) SIRIUS EDUCATION SOLUTIONS, Gregory Lerma: Bridging Gaps in TEKS Instruction
and STAAR Readiness This session focuses on strategies to address gaps in TEKS instruction and improve STAAR readiness. Educators will learn how to pinpoint areas of student struggle and implement targeted, TEKS-Aligned practices to enhance mastery. Key takeaways include using rigorous instructional resources, focused assessments, and authentic STAAR practice tools to drive student success and ensure Readiness for STAAR assessments.
• (SET 6 ONLY) David Waldherr: Cambridge Learning: SAVE THE WORLD: 25 Ways to Engage Learning Resulting in Sustainable and Measureable Gains Schools can ace CCMR employing some of 25 post pandemic ways to engage learning resulting in sustainable, measurable gains. Design and script your school implementation plan from 25 revolutionary classroom ways to accelerate college and career learning, learn about new exams (e.g. digital ACT), systemically raise test scores (TSIA2, (P)SAT, EOC, ACT), increase student motivation, and energize your staff. All programs receive a Free Program Grant Awards ($50,000 maximum) to help disadvantaged students get to their next best level. Sign-up for a virtual meeting to enter a drawing to win our 35th Anniversary Trip to Disney and $25 gift card.
 3:30p-4:30p GENERAL SESSION: What Great Educators Do Differently (with Dr. Todd Whitaker) What are the specific qualities and practices of great educational leaders that elevate them above the rest? This session reveals what the most effective leaders do differently than their colleagues.  Participants will focus on what the most successful leaders do . . . that others do not. Everyone will leave knowing what great leaders do differently, why these things make them more effective, and learn how to immediately implement each of these into your own schools.
 TUESDAY FEB. 4, 2025 
7:45a-8:30a COFFEE AND BREAKFAST
8:30a-11:30a LEGAL ISSUES FOR THE ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL 2025 (with Jim Walsh: The Law Dawg) This session will cover student discipline, special education, 504, liability and other concerns that are practical and relevant to AP’s. This session will emphasize the practical and leave plenty of time for Q and A.
Need to request a cancellation/refund? By email only. Cancellation requests must be emailed to [email protected] by the early registration deadline.