Presenters: Melissa Alton, Director of Accreditation, and Evelyn McCulloch, Director of Technology and Accreditation Support

Description: Join Melissa Alton, Director of Accreditation, and Evelyn McCulloch, Director of Technology and Accreditation Support for the Florida Council of Independent Schools (FCIS), for an informative session on how to successfully prepare for your school’s upcoming FCIS evaluation. Evelyn will discuss the role of DASL (Data Analysis for School Leadership) and data in the self-study process. Melissa will share practical tips, outline key steps in the process, and highlight common areas of focus to ensure your school is ready for a smooth and successful visit.

Presenters: Brittany Lucas and Katie McLain, The dePaul School for Dyslexia

Description: Recent updates to the definition of dyslexia are reshaping how schools identify, understand, and support students with reading difficulties. This webinar will unpack key changes in the definition, clarify common misconceptions, and explore what these shifts mean for instructional practices, evaluation processes, and intervention planning.

Presenter: John Littleford, Littleford & Associates

Description: This session will use a case study to discuss social/cultural/political issues that may lead to conflicts within boards and how they can pit individual board members against each other and create factions within a board. These issues may be parent or staff initiated. The solutions to resolving these conflicts and divisions within boards relate to the core of healthy board governance: preserving institutional memory on boards and vetting, selecting and training wise board members.

Presenter: Andrew Forrester, Associate Head of School, The Bolles School

Topic: Building a Leadership Cohort at your School

Presenter: Janice Crampton, Executive Director & CEO, AISAP

Topic: TBD

Presenter: Fisher Phillips with Dr. Barbara Hodges

Description: Join us for a timely legal webinar examining the newly released federal regulations for the Federal Scholarship Tax Credit (FSTC). This session will highlight key updates, explore potential implications for Florida independent schools, and provide guidance on what school leaders need to know as they prepare for this evolving federal program.

Presenter: Julia Pool, Positive Psychology Practitoner 

Description: This is a candid, 60-minute, unrecorded, one-session conversation about what keeps leaders up at night. What do you do when everything feels urgent? Independent school leaders are asked to think clearly and communicate kindly while juggling enrollment, finances, faculty, facilities, families and mission -- often all at once. In this interactive session, we'll draw on research from positive psychology to understand what pressure does to our thinking and what helps us respond more deliberately. Participants will learn strategies for catching thinking traps, delivering bad news and using Hope Theory to find a path forward when the answer isn't obvious and the reality isn't ideal.

Presenter: Evelyn McCulloch, Director of Technology & Accreditation Support, FCIS

Description: This three-part workshop series empowers educators to become intentional designers of authentic learning in an AI-enhanced classroom. Participants will explore how AI can deepen student thinking, increase engagement, and support meaningful, real-world learning experiences. Through exploration and practical examples, educators will move from understanding AI’s possibilities to designing lessons that align with their goals and values. Each session builds on the last—guiding teachers from foundational concepts to innovative classroom application. By the end of the series, participants will leave with ready-to-use strategies and a clear vision for integrating AI in ways that elevate teaching and learning.

Topic: TBD

Topic: TBD

Presenter: Fisher Phillips with Dr. Barbara Hodges

Description: Join us for an overview of key legal considerations impacting student admissions and retention in K-12 independent schools. This session will explore risk areas, policy decisions, and best practices across the student lifecycle - from initial inquiries and admissions decisions to enrollment management and retention strategies - helping schools build and sustain a strong, mission-aligned community.

Topic: TBD

Topic: TBD

Presenter: John Littleford, Littleford & Associates

Description: This session will explore one of the more sensitive and increasingly common dynamics in independent school governance: what happens when boards begin thinking about leadership transition long before a head’s contract is nearing completion. Drawing on real case studies, we will examine how informal conversations, shifting alliances, and behind-the-scenes succession planning can affect trust, transparency, and the board-head relationship. Participants will consider the difference between responsible long-term succession planning and governance practices that can unintentionally destabilize leadership or create division within a school community.v

Topic: Device Management & Automation

Presenter: Mike Mersky, Senior Consultant, Carney Sandoe & Associates

Description: This webinar is designed for heads of school and trustees who want to better understand how growing an endowment can both enhance the annual budget and support the school’s strategic initiatives. Participants will explore how well-structured, functional endowments can help relieve pressure on the operating budget while also recognizing and advancing the school’s key priorities for the future.

Presenter: John Littleford, Littleford & Associates

Description: Several factors influence head tenure. Surprisingly, performance isn’t usually one of them. High turnover among board members and chairs, along with the loss of institutional memory, often leaves heads working with people who don’t know their history or accomplishments after just five years. Short board and chair terms, weak leadership of the Committee on Trustees, and neglect of the board’s core functions all contribute to head turnover. Join us to gain clear strategies to extend the tenure of effective heads by strengthening board structures and practices. 

Presenter: Gabriella Solorzano, Education Solutions Consultant, Finalsite; Colin Wyenberg, Solutions Engineer, Finalsite.

Description: This webinar will focus on how applying a hospitality mindset to the admission process can transform family experiences and create lasting impressions.

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Presenter: Fisher Phillips with Dr. Barbara Hodges

Description: Employee mental health is an increasingly critical issue for K-12 independent schools. This session will cover key legal considerations and emerging trends, including leave obligations, accommodation requests, and handling sensitive employee situations. Learn how to support your workforce, respond appropriately to mental health concerns, and navigate compliance while maintaining a healthy and productive school environment

Presenter: Fisher Phillips with Dr. Barbara Hodges

Description: Recruiting and hiring in K-12 independent schools comes with unique challenges and legal considerations. This session will cover key issues in the hiring process, including job postings, interviewing, background checks, and compliance with applicable employment laws. Learn how to attract top talent, make informed hiring decisions, and reduce risk while building a strong and effective school workforce.

Topic: TBD

Presenter: Lori Smith, ZKS Law

Presenters:Jessie Metzger, Executive Director of Educational Design and Technology, Jordanna Court, Director of Educational Technology, Faculty Engagement, Kelly Schuster-Paredes, Educational AI Data / Computer Science Specialist, Pine Crest School

Description: As technology reshapes industries, the workforce and society, schools face a clear choice: react to change or prepare intentionally for the future. This session explores strategic frameworks for AI integration and practical approaches to implementing AI safely, ethically and effectively across all areas of a school.

Examine how intentional AI integration can address accelerating change, information overload and operational inefficiencies that distract from teaching and learning. The session highlights how AI can support students, faculty and operations through mission-aligned implementation across grade levels and disciplines.

Topic: TBD

Topic: TBD

Topic: Technology Strategic Planning

Presenter: Fisher Phillips with Dr. Barbara Hodges

Description: Join us for an overview of the key legal considerations surrounding student discipline in K-12 independent schools. This session will address evolving standards, risk areas, and compliance issues, including disciplinary policies, student conduct, and due process considerations. Gain insight into how to manage disciplinary matters effectively while minimizing legal exposure and maintaining a supportive school environment.

Topic: Network Best Practices