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Wednesday, May 13
 

7:00am EDT

Registration & Check-In
Wednesday May 13, 2026 7:00am - 9:00am EDT
The Strategic Data Project Network is excited to welcome you to Cambridge, MA!

During this time, check in to grab your badge, pick up some swag, and get ready for an incredible Convening 2026.
Wednesday May 13, 2026 7:00am - 9:00am EDT
Lobby Level, Hyatt Regency Boston / Cambridge Hotel 575 Memorial Dr, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA

8:00am EDT

Breakfast
Wednesday May 13, 2026 8:00am - 9:00am EDT
Fuel up for the day ahead! Join us for a light breakfast and casual networking before we dive into Convening.

This is your chance to connect with peers, grab a coffee, and get energized for an exciting day of learning and collaboration.
Wednesday May 13, 2026 8:00am - 9:00am EDT
Amesbury Ballroom, Lobby Level

9:00am EDT

Welcome to SDP Convening 2026: Proof Positive
Wednesday May 13, 2026 9:00am - 9:15am EDT
Kick off SDP Convening 2026 with a welcome from SDP’s Senior Director, Miriam Greenberg.

As we dive into this year’s theme—"Proof Positive?"—we’ll set the stage for two days of thought-provoking discussions, collaboration, and action.

Get ready to explore how we turn insights into impact and navigate the challenges and opportunities ahead.

Welcome to Cambridge and to SDP Convening 2026!
Speakers
avatar for Miriam Greenberg

Miriam Greenberg

Director, Strategic Data Project

Wednesday May 13, 2026 9:00am - 9:15am EDT
Amesbury Ballroom, Lobby Level

9:15am EDT

Airplane Mode: The Evidence Behind Cell Phone Bans
Wednesday May 13, 2026 9:15am - 10:30am EDT
Research has shown that cell phone use by youth and teens can lead to distractions, cyberbullying, and poor mental health. The national conversation has shifted to taking away students’ phones during the school day as a solution to these challenges. But is it enough? We bring together researchers and state and district perspectives about how cell phone bans have proof of improving students’ wellbeing, what questions we should be asking, and what it looks like to make these policies possible.
Speakers
avatar for Justin Reich

Justin Reich

Asst. Professor, Teaching Systems Lab
Justin's BioA former high school history teacher, Justin Reich is the Mitsui Career Development Professor of Comparative Media Studies at MIT, the director of the MIT Teaching Systems Lab (tsl.mit.edu), the host of the TeachLab podcast (teachlabpodcast.com), and the author of Fai... Read More →
avatar for Stephanie Downey Toledo

Stephanie Downey Toledo

Superintendent, Central Falls School District
Dr. Stephanie Downey Toledo is the superintendent of the Central Falls School District, an urban district in Rhode Island. While her current district is one of the nation’s smallest urban districts, her career began in our nation’s two largest. She started as a classroom teacher... Read More →
avatar for David Figlio

David Figlio

Gordon Fyfe Professor of Economics, University of Rochester
David Figlio conducts research on a wide range of education and health policy issues from school accountability and standards to welfare policy and policy design, as well as the interrelationship between education and health. He also studies aspects of the academic profession itself... Read More →
avatar for Eric Mackey

Eric Mackey

Alabama State Superintendent of Education
Dr. Eric G. Mackey serves as the Alabama State Superintendent of Education, where he leads the state’s efforts to improve student outcomes through his strategic plan, Alabama Achieves. His priorities include the Alabama Literacy Act, Alabama Numeracy Act, STEM education, Career Technical Education... Read More →
Wednesday May 13, 2026 9:15am - 10:30am EDT
Amesbury Ballroom, Lobby Level

10:45am EDT

Creating a Data Warehouse that Inspires Educators to Act
Wednesday May 13, 2026 10:45am - 12:00pm EDT

Session Description: The promise of a data warehouse is realized when schools trust and rely on it to support students in real-time. Learn how continuous improvement and collaboration with educators led to a system used daily in schools across the district. Attendees will examine high impact reports, see how innovative data are transforming practice, and leave with strategies to increase adoption and improve reporting immediately in their own contexts. Ideal for data, school, and district teams.

Intended Audience: Districts, charters or other local education agencies; Data analysts or independent researchers; State education agencies; Service providers; Managers of data or technology teams; Senior leaders (including cabinet-level leaders and executive directors)
Speakers
BB

Bob Balfanz

Professor, Johns Hopkins university

avatar for JT Stark

JT Stark

Data Leader, Washoe County Schools


LD

Laura Davidson

Director of Research and Evaluation, Washoe County School District

Wednesday May 13, 2026 10:45am - 12:00pm EDT
Harvard Square, Lobby Level

10:45am EDT

From Roadmap to Reality: Refreshing Strategy through Data and Dialogue
Wednesday May 13, 2026 10:45am - 12:00pm EDT
Session Description: Strategic plans often launch with fanfare but struggle to stay relevant during implementation. Guilford County Schools (GCS) addressed this through its Roadmap to Success framework for progress monitoring and strategic refresh. This session explores how GCS built monitoring capacity and gathered feedback to inform the next phase of work. Using strategy maps and balanced scorecards, we’ll preview how to measure what matters and communicate progress holistically. Participants will gain ideas for data-informed strategic planning.

Intended Audience: Districts, charters or other local education agencies; Data analysts or independent researchers; Senior leaders (including cabinet-level leaders and executive directors)
Speakers
avatar for Erin Philip

Erin Philip

Director of Strategic Planning & Special Projects, Guilford County Schools
Erin Philip is the Director of Strategic Planning and Special Projects at Guilford County Schools. In this role, she leads strategic research, cross-functional initiatives, and executive-level planning to support district priorities. Her work focuses on strengthening key transitions... Read More →
avatar for Tiffany Perkins

Tiffany Perkins

Executive Director - Strategic Planning, Guilford County Schools, NC
Tiffany Perkins graduated from NC State University as a NC Teaching Fellow in 1995. She is in her 31st year in public education in NC with experience as a middle school math teacher, assistant principal, principal, state and district-level leader. Tiffany completed her National Board... Read More →
Wednesday May 13, 2026 10:45am - 12:00pm EDT
Porter Square, Lobby Level

10:45am EDT

Making Data Interactive with R Shiny: A Teacher Workforce Planning Example
Wednesday May 13, 2026 10:45am - 12:00pm EDT

Session Description:

Education leaders often need to turn complex data into clear, usable tools for planning and decision-making. In this hands-on session, participants will use a teacher workforce planning example to learn how R Shiny apps are structured and how interactive features are built. The session will introduce the roles of global.R, ui.R, and server.R, then guide participants through simple edits that change the app layout, connect outputs to server logic, and add user controls that update what the app displays.

Participants will leave with a fully functional Shiny app template based on the Teacher Workforce Planning Tool being used at the Delaware Department of Education, available through GitHub: https://github.com/MatthewFaiello/twpt_shiny_app_toy

Intended Audience:
This session is designed for SEA, LEA, charter, and education nonprofit staff who work with data or decision-support tools, including analysts, program managers, data and technology leaders, and senior leaders who want a practical introduction to interactive data applications.

This session assumes participants have an understanding of R syntax and basic data manipulation and visualization skills.


Speakers
avatar for Matt Faiello

Matt Faiello

Associate Data Scientist, Delaware Department of Education
Matt Faiello is an Associate Data Scientist at the University of Delaware’s Center for Research in Education and Social Policy, where he supports the Delaware Department of Education’s statewide analyses and the development of practical decision-support tools. He was a Cohort... Read More →

Wednesday May 13, 2026 10:45am - 12:00pm EDT
Remington, 2nd Floor

10:45am EDT

Next-Generation Readiness: Speech Analytics, Teacher-Feedback Tools, and Open Data for Early Learning Measurement
Wednesday May 13, 2026 10:45am - 12:00pm EDT
Session Description: This session explores how emerging speech and sensing technologies and teacher-feedback tools can enhance school-readiness measurement by capturing naturalistic indicators of language, engagement, and self-regulation. Speakers will examine links between these multimodal data sources and traditional readiness assessments, highlight responsible integration within multilingual and culturally diverse classrooms, and share models for open, researcher-accessible data infrastructures. Participants will gain actionable insights for incorporating these innovations into early childhood and P20W data systems to support equitable, evidence-based decision-making.

Intended Audience: State education agencies; Philanthropies and Foundations; Managers of data or technology teams
Speakers
MF

Michael Frank

Stanford University

avatar for Remy Pages (Session Chair)

Remy Pages (Session Chair)

State of Hawaii - Executive Office on Early Learning / SDP Fellow
avatar for Meredith Rowe

Meredith Rowe

Professor, Harvard University
Meredith Rowe is Saul Zaentz Professor of Early Learning and Development at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. She leads a research program on understanding the role of parent and family factors in children's early language and literacy development. She is particularly interested... Read More →
Wednesday May 13, 2026 10:45am - 12:00pm EDT
Kendall Square, Lobby Level

10:45am EDT

The Power of Less: Achieving Coherence Through Subtractive Design
Wednesday May 13, 2026 10:45am - 12:00pm EDT
Session Description: Education leaders often default to "additive bias," layering initiatives until systems become cluttered and ineffective. This interactive session reorients leaders toward achieving coherence through strategic subtraction. Drawing on Leidy Klotz’s research, participants will audit their agencies for "zombie programs" and redundant processes using a practical "Proving and Improving" laboratory. Attendees will leave with a roadmap to reduce initiative fatigue, reallocate resources, and create space for high-impact practices to flourish.

Intended Audience: Districts, charters or other local education agencies; State education agencies; Philanthropies and Foundations; Data analysts or independent researchers; Managers of data or technology teams; Senior leaders (including cabinet-level leaders and executive directors); Nonprofit organizations; Service providers
Speakers
avatar for Sean Berkstresser

Sean Berkstresser

Chief Strategy and Innovation Officer, Tulsa Public Schools
Sean Berkstresser is the Chief Strategy and Innovation Officer for Tulsa Public Schools, where he oversees the monitoring and execution of strategic initiatives aimed at enhancing district performance and student outcomes. He was appointed to the role in 2024. 

Berkstresser leads a team dedicated to continuous improvement, data-driven decision-making, strategic planning, and charter school authorization. In this role, he aligns organizational strategy with district goals and collaborates closely with senior leadership and cross-functional... Read More →
avatar for Akisha Osei Sarfo

Akisha Osei Sarfo

Director of Research, Council of the Great City Schools
Akisha Osei Sarfo, Ph.D. is the Director of Research for the Council of Great City Schools (CGCS). The Council supports and advocates for the nation's largest 82 districts including over 7 million children. In her role, she helps guide and develop the work of research directors across... Read More →
avatar for Bo Yan

Bo Yan

Chief of Accountability, Assessment & Strategy, South Bend Community School Corporation

Wednesday May 13, 2026 10:45am - 12:00pm EDT
Inman Square, Lobby Level

10:45am EDT

When Data Systems Are Asked to Do More Than They Were Built For: Lessons from Emergency Response
Wednesday May 13, 2026 10:45am - 12:00pm EDT
Session Description: Large public data systems are often built for accountability, then later expected to support urgent, human-centered decisions they were never designed for. This session examines what it actually takes to repurpose administrative data responsibly, using work from the California Community Colleges in response to the 2025 Los Angeles wildfires as a case study. Participants will explore why meaningful analytic insights often emerge after moments of crisis, and how putting processes in place ahead of time can make data more actionable, ethical, and useful when systems are under stress.

Intended Audience: Districts, charters or other local education agencies; State education agencies; Institutions of higher education; Data analysts or independent researchers; Senior leaders (including cabinet-level leaders and executive directors)
Speakers
CO

Christopher Ozuna

CA Community Colleges Chancellor's Office
I’m interested in understanding how schools and communities interact with each other, how we can accurately measure these interactions and how we can apply our findings in ways that make schools more equitable in order to deliver on the promise of public education in America.
Wednesday May 13, 2026 10:45am - 12:00pm EDT
Central Square, Lobby Level

12:00pm EDT

Lunch
Wednesday May 13, 2026 12:00pm - 1:15pm EDT
Join us for lunch to connect with peers and new colleagues. 

There is no formal programming during lunch.

Wednesday May 13, 2026 12:00pm - 1:15pm EDT
Amesbury Ballroom, Lobby Level

1:15pm EDT

Finish What We Start: A Case Study on Momentum, Transfer, and Completion
Wednesday May 13, 2026 1:15pm - 2:30pm EDT
Session Description: Community colleges often celebrate high transfer rates, yet students who transfer without a credential face weaker long-term outcomes. This session shares a case study from Madison College where disaggregated data revealed a hidden completion risk among high-momentum transfer and dual credit students. Participants will explore how evidence reshaped advising, governance metrics, and partnerships, and reflect on how to communicate honest results in ways that strengthen completion and trust.

Intended Audience: Managers of data or technology teams; Senior leaders (including cabinet-level leaders and executive directors); State education agencies; Philanthropies and Foundations
Speakers
avatar for Zong Her

Zong Her

Founder and Principal Consultant, Current: Her Data Insights, LLC. Prior (Madison College)
I am currently working full-time with "Grandma's Daycare" taking care of two grandchildren under 2. I retired from Madison College after over two decades of service and am still passionate about research & data analytics, thus have my own consulting company on that (part-time) focusing... Read More →
avatar for Marco Torrez-Miranda

Marco Torrez-Miranda

Dean, School of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences, Madison College
Dr. Marco Torrez-Miranda is Dean of the School of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences at Madison College. His work focuses on advancing student success through equity-centered leadership, data-informed practice, and systems change in higher education. With experience spanning behavioral... Read More →
Wednesday May 13, 2026 1:15pm - 2:30pm EDT
Kendall Square, Lobby Level

1:15pm EDT

From Proof to Practice: Using District Data Partnerships to Improve Summer Learning in Boston Public Schools
Wednesday May 13, 2026 1:15pm - 2:30pm EDT
Session Description: Summer programs offer powerful opportunities to close learning gaps and expand access to enriching experiences, yet districts often struggle to align program goals, outcomes, and evaluation in ways that support improvement. This session shares how Boston Public Schools built a cross-department data partnership to use formative assessment data and comparison groups to understand summer program impact, equity, and implementation. District leaders, analysts, and program practitioners interested in continuous improvement are encouraged to attend.

Intended Audience: Districts, charters or other local education agencies; Data analysts or independent researchers; Nonprofit organizations
Speakers
NR

Nicole Reddig

Research & Partnerships Analyst, Boston Public Schools
MC

Meg Caven

Director of Organizational Insight, Boston Public Schools
I lead the team that conducts internal research and evaluation within the district, and partners with external researchers.
Wednesday May 13, 2026 1:15pm - 2:30pm EDT
Porter Square, Lobby Level

1:15pm EDT

Leveraging Participatory Action Research (PAR) to Engender Trust
Wednesday May 13, 2026 1:15pm - 2:30pm EDT
Session Description: What happens when Early Childhood Educators drive research and data analysis about the sector? This session explores a Participatory Action Research (PAR) and Policy model developed for Black and Latine women in ECE. Based on the report "Participatory Action Research and Policy Change" we will explore model design, impact on worker agency, and strategies for successful implementation. System and policy leaders will gain insights into how to implement PAR to improve listening, empathy, and trust.

Intended Audience: Senior leaders (including cabinet-level leaders and executive directors); Philanthropies and Foundations; Nonprofit organizations
Speakers
avatar for Rhonda Broussard

Rhonda Broussard

Founder & CEO, Beloved Community
Rhonda J. Broussard is an author, entrepreneur, and futurist. She is the Founder & CEO of Beloved Community and Awa by Beloved, PBC. She developed Beloved Community to create sustainable paths to regional racial and economic equity. Rhonda has been recognized as a Chevalier of the Ordre des Palmes Académiques by the French Ministry of Culture, is a Highland Leader, a Tulane Mellon Fellow, a Pahara-Aspen... Read More →
Wednesday May 13, 2026 1:15pm - 2:30pm EDT
Central Square, Lobby Level

1:15pm EDT

Open-Source Tidy Education Finance Data: A Hands-On Workshop with edfinr
Wednesday May 13, 2026 1:15pm - 2:30pm EDT
Session Description: Accessing and analyzing education finance data requires significant data wrangling expertise, creating barriers for researchers, advocates, and policymakers. In this hands-on workshop, participants will use edfinr – a free, open-source R package – to load clean school finance datasets, analyze funding patterns, and adjust for inflation, leaving with working code for their own contexts. Basic R experience recommended.

Intended Audience: Data analysts or independent researchers; Nonprofit organizations; State education agencies
Speakers
avatar for Alex Spurrier

Alex Spurrier

Associate Partner, Bellwether


BM

Biko McMillan

Senior Analyst, Bellwether

avatar for Bonnie O'Keefe

Bonnie O'Keefe

Partner, Bellwether


Wednesday May 13, 2026 1:15pm - 2:30pm EDT
Remington, 2nd Floor

1:15pm EDT

SAFE and Connected: Negotiating for an Ethical, Interoperable, and Human-Centric AI Future
Wednesday May 13, 2026 1:15pm - 2:30pm EDT
Session Description: In the age of Generative AI, student data is no longer just a record of achievement; it’s the key source for training and refining frontier models. As districts determine what AI tools to use, procurement is the intersection where safety meets connectivity. Participants will get hands-on experience with our AI Data Use and Protection Toolkit and walk away with a standardized framework for vetting AI vendors through the S.A.F.E. benchmarks and Project Unicorn’s interoperability standards.

Intended Audience: Districts, charters or other local education agencies; State education agencies; Senior leaders (including cabinet-level leaders and executive directors)

Speakers
avatar for Andrea Claver

Andrea Claver

Project Manager - EDSAFE AI Alliance, InnovateEDU

Wednesday May 13, 2026 1:15pm - 2:30pm EDT
Inman Square, Lobby Level

1:15pm EDT

Writing Actionable Insights: Turning Evidence into Clear, Usable Messages
Wednesday May 13, 2026 1:15pm - 2:30pm EDT
Session Description: Education research often fails to influence decisions because findings are communicated in ways that are accurate but not actionable. In this interactive workshop, participants will learn and practice evidence-based strategies for writing clear, concrete, and decision-ready insights that communicate what works and why, using real examples from education research. This session is designed for analysts, researchers, and education leaders who want their evidence to be understood, trusted, and used in practice.

Intended Audience: Data analysts or independent researchers; Service providers; Districts, charters or other local education agencies

Full Session: This session is at or near capacity. Please be sure to fill in every seat where possible.
Speakers
CC

Carrie Conaway

Senior lecturer, Harvard Graduate School of Education

avatar for Christina Claiborne

Christina Claiborne

Director- EdResearch for Action, Annenberg Institute at Brown University

Wednesday May 13, 2026 1:15pm - 2:30pm EDT
Harvard Square, Lobby Level

2:45pm EDT

Capstones + Coffee: Fellows' Impact
Wednesday May 13, 2026 2:45pm - 4:00pm EDT
Please join fellows from Cohort 16 (2024-2026) and MSI Data Community of Practice (2025-2026) on both the 14th and 16th floors to view their capstone posters. During this block, fellows will be present to discuss and review their work with the SDP network. Cohort 16 and MSI fellow posters will be intermixed between both floors.


This year, capstone posters will remain available throughout the workshop on the lobby level following the capstone session.


Refreshments will be available throughout this time as you mingle and learn from graduating fellows.


  • Click here to see our thematic map of poster topics and locations
  • All Cohort 16 posters are linked here in alphabetical order
  • All MSI posters are linked here in alphabetical order



Speakers
avatar for MSI Cohort 1 Fellows

MSI Cohort 1 Fellows

Strategic Data Project

avatar for SDP Cohort 16 Fellows

SDP Cohort 16 Fellows

Strategic Data Project
Cohort 16 includes SDP Fellows from 41 education organizations, including school districts, state agencies, and nonprofits, with fellows using data to answer key questions about early education through postsecondary outcomes. 
These 46 fellows, selected from across the nation, represent a broad spectrum of educational institutions and organizations, working at the local, state, and national levels to support students from early childhood through postsecondary education. This cohort includes new partnerships... Read More →
Wednesday May 13, 2026 2:45pm - 4:00pm EDT
Mt. Auburn (14th Floor) & Charles View (16th Floor) 14th & 16th FLOORS

4:30pm EDT

Meeting the Moment: The Evidence We Have and Need to Address the Education Challenges of Today
Wednesday May 13, 2026 4:30pm - 5:15pm EDT
How can academic research “meet the moment” in a time when school-related crises dominate the headlines, and how do we turn data into real action for students?

In this keynote, Prof. Matt Kraft (Brown University) will explore how evidence can help us better understand what is happening in schools today and guide more effective responses. He will highlight where we have strong proof about what works, as well as the critical questions where evidence is still limited and more research is urgently needed.

Topics will include teacher shortages, COVID recovery and tutoring, climate and environmental pressures on schools, school gun violence, inequitable access to learning time, and related challenges facing educators and systems now.

Speakers
avatar for Matthew Kraft

Matthew Kraft

Professor of Education and Economics, Brown University
Dr. Matthew Kraft is a Professor of Education and Economics at Brown University, a Guggenheim Fellow, a Research Associate at the National Bureau of Economic Research, and a Fellow with the American Educational Research Association. His research focuses on two primary areas: improving... Read More →
Wednesday May 13, 2026 4:30pm - 5:15pm EDT
Amesbury Ballroom, Lobby Level

5:45pm EDT

Conference Reception
Wednesday May 13, 2026 5:45pm - 6:45pm EDT
Join us for a Happy Hour prior to the SDP Convening 2026 Dinner, held from 5:45–6:45 PM in the Riverside Pavilion on the lobby level of the hotel. Beer and wine will be served.

This informal gathering offers a chance to reconnect with colleagues, reflect on the day’s sessions, and transition into the evening’s programming in a relaxed setting.

Wednesday May 13, 2026 5:45pm - 6:45pm EDT
Riverside Pavilion, Lobby Level

6:45pm EDT

Dinner & Data: SDP Convening 2026
Wednesday May 13, 2026 6:45pm - 8:45pm EDT
Join us as we kick off Convening with an evening of connection, celebration, and inspiration!

We'll enjoy a plated dinner, reflect on the impact of our shared work, and honor this year’s Strategic Data Excellence Award winner—celebrating powerful, behind-the-scenes data efforts that create real change.

Plus, don’t miss a one-of-a-kind performance by local students from the A Tribe Called Black peer support youth group!
Wednesday May 13, 2026 6:45pm - 8:45pm EDT
Amesbury Ballroom, Lobby Level

8:30pm EDT

After-Dinner Connections
Join fellow attendees for an informal gathering at the end of Day 1, following the welcome dinner. This is a relaxed chance to unwind, continue conversations from the day, meet new colleagues, and reconnect with familiar faces. We’ll meet at the Paperback Tavern, conveniently located on Level 2 of the conference hotel. Please plan to cover your own tab.
Speakers
avatar for Christopher Leake

Christopher Leake

National Senior Vice President, Teach For America
Experienced Software Engineering and Technology leader with a demonstrated history in compliance, media production, legal technology, fintech, and hardware manufacturing, specializing in agile processes, startup innovation, scaling, distributed workforce management, retention, and... Read More →
avatar for Nasaa Enkhbold

Nasaa Enkhbold

Executive Director, HR Operations, Guilford County Schools
As the Executive Director of HR Operations at Guilford County Schools, Nasaa supports school and district leaders in identifying and reducing inequity through strategic and often novel uses of district data. He is especially passionate about developing automated software tools and... Read More →
Wednesday May 13, 2026 8:30pm - 10:00pm EDT
Paperback Tavern, Level 2, Hyatt Regency Boston / Cambridge Hotel
 
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