2026 SAIS Annual Conference

Your students’ learning pathways are not limited to time, place, or space. The question for schools is how we intentionally set the conditions today for deep and transferable learning in an evolving educational landscape. Engage with the SAIS Future Ready Teaching & Learning Framework, centered on the student competencies of creative reasoning, relational intelligence, and empowered action and accelerated by the cross-cutting themes of digital literacy and well-being. Examine how a school’s systems and instructional practices can support meaningful learning and walk away with practical examples from SAIS Innovation Fellows.

Your parent community remembers less about the beginning or end of their experience and more about the journey in between – the decisions they make, the emotions they feel, and the impact your school has along the way. In this interactive session, work through a journey mapping methodology and process to uncover the key moments that shape how families experience your school. Engaging with other leaders, utilize these insights to reimagine how your communication strategies, marketing efforts, fundraising campaigns, and volunteer engagement can improve or scale the school’s parent partnership.

Your teachers love the mission and the work and care deeply about students and community. But many are quietly asking, “Can I keep doing this and have a life?” In this session, go deeper with the research and data collected from SAIS motivation & engagement surveys and focus groups. Unpack what's driving burnout and attrition in our schools. Bring your toughest challenges into the conversation and learn from colleagues who are finding real solutions around workload, compensation, and sustainable career pathways.

Designed exclusively for heads and trustees, this forum examines SAIS sectorwide data and emerging signals shaping the independent school landscape. Together, explore what these signals reveal about the pressures, opportunities, and choices facing heads and boards today. The session also offers space to step back from daily demands, connect with peers who understand the work, reflect on the broader challenges shaping our schools, and leave with sharper insights to guide governance conversations and strategic priorities.