We are honored to welcome David Stovall as a participant in one of our Salita segments at Bend The Arc Summit. Dr. Stovall is a professor at the University of Illinois Chicago whose work focuses on Critical Race Theory, education equity, and the intersection of race, place, and schooling.
In this interview clip, Dr. Stovall unpacks the difference between schooling and education. Schooling often prioritizes compliance and control. Education, however, has the power to cultivate agency, critical thinking, and cognitive sovereignty where students develop the capacity to make sense of the world and actively shape it.
This conversation pushes us beyond simply asking whether students are learning and invites us to examine what kind of learners our systems are producing in the first place. Are we creating environments rooted in compliance, or spaces where students can deeply engage, think independently, and truly own their learning?
These are the kinds of conversations we will continue exploring at Bend The Arc Summit as leaders from across the country gather to strengthen instructional practice and reimagine what meaningful learning can look like.
June 29 - July 1
Chicago, IL
Register at BendTheArcSummit.com
The Equity Imperative
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We envision the day when all organizations become sanctuary sites for equity.
05/19/2026
41 days until Bend The Arc Summit.
From June 29 through July 1, educators and leaders from across the country will gather in Chicago for a learning experience centered on instructional practice, belonging, leadership, and meaningful change.
Featuring keynote speakers Zaretta Hammond and Amanda Lewis, Bend The Arc is designed for those who influence teaching and learning and are ready to strengthen the conditions where students can truly thrive.
Registration officially closes on June 23. Space is limited and we would love to have you in the room with us.
Register now at BendTheArcSummit.com
When vision guides leadership, purpose becomes practice.
The most impactful leaders keep purpose at the center of every decision, every conversation, and every system they build. Clarity of purpose must be the lens through which all equity work is led.
05/12/2026
We are incredibly humbled to have partnered with Agawam Public Schools Page! This year, like the previous two, we coordinated a customized set of learning experiences, combining culturally responsive in-person learning, side-by-side site and classroom visit opportunities to see the learning in action, and online asynchronous course access to both frontload and anchor the concepts for participants.
OUR FOCUS: Cultivating Belonging Within and Surrounding the Classroom.
OUR GOAL: Equip practitioners to strengthen the instructional core, increase meaningful student engagement, and foster student ownership of the learning through equitable, language-focused practices.
SNAPSHOT OF WORK:
+ District-Wide Back-to-School Keynote.
+ Three in-person professional learning sessions designed to support building leaders to lead the change within their respective schools.
+ Three in-person professional learning sessions designed for non-instructional staff across the district.
+ Launch of asynchronous learning entitled: Coaching Independent Learners, which includes three modules:
- Module 01: Insights from Research and Learning Theory
- Module 02: Building & Activitating Background Knowledge Through Vocabulary Development
- Module 03: Engaging Students in Academic Discourse.
+ Engaged with three school visits, supporting the ongoing effort to strengthen instructional rounds with a protocol that explores, “Who is Doing the Learning?”
We are eager to see the ongoing effort across Agawam Public Schools to bring Belonging to life through strategic implementation and systemic supports so that more and more students not only feel welcomed, but truly are owners of their learning ecosystems.
This week, our team and vendors gathered at the Bridgeport Art Center for our official walkthrough as we mapped out the experience for Bend The Arc Summit.
Every detail is being designed with intention—not just to host an event, but to create a space where educators and leaders can gather to reflect, collaborate, plan, and reimagine what’s possible for teaching and learning.
In just a few short weeks, these rooms will be filled with conversations, strategy, community, and leaders from across the country committed to strengthening instructional practice and building systems where every student experiences belonging.
We truly cannot wait to bring this space to life.
June 29-July 1 | Chicago, IL
www.bendthearcsummit.com
05/05/2026
Months of partnership led to this moment.
Tantasqua students presented powerful, data-driven recommendations addressing youth va**ng and building a stronger sense of belonging through community.
What stood out most was not just the research, but the leadership—students owning their voice, supported by an adult community committed to listening and acting.
We’re grateful for this ongoing partnership and the impact it continues to have on both students and the broader community.
This is what it looks like when student voice is not just heard, but centered.
Join us for Bend The Arc Summit 2026!
Bend The Arc is a 3-day, in-person summit for educators and leaders who influence instruction—designed to strengthen practice, build clarity, and lead meaningful change in schools and systems.
June 29 – July 1 | Bridgeport Art Center in Chicago
Learn more and register at www.bendthearcsummit.com
Keynote Speakers: Zaretta Hammond and Amanda Lewis
Zaretta Hammond reminds us: when you know better, you do better. The work isn’t about blame. It’s about collaborative inquiry, slowing down enough to see what’s working, recalibrating what took a wrong turn, and returning to the instructional core: cognitive apprenticeship.
This is the kind of honest, equity-centered dialogue happening at Bend The Arc Summit.
📍 Chicago, IL
🗓 June 29 – July 1
🎤 Zaretta Hammond and Amanda Lewis
🎟 Learn more at: www.bendthearcsummit.com
Join educators and leaders ready to move from guilt to growth and from intention to design.
04/24/2026
June 29 is almost here—and space is filling quickly for Bend The Arc Summit in Chicago.
This is more than a 3-day experience. Your registration includes resources and ongoing support designed to extend your learning long after you leave:
✔ A one-year license to asynchronous learning from The Equity Imperative
✔ A copy of Rebuilding Students’ Learning Power: Teaching for Instructional Equity and Cognitive Justice by Zaretta Hammond
✔ A copy of Despite the Best Intentions by Amanda Lewis
✔ Quarterly check-ins with our leadership team to support implementation
And during your time in Chicago, you’ll experience:
– A welcome reception with dinner and drinks
– Full catered breakfast and lunch each day
– An espresso bar designed for connection and conversation
– A curated learning environment built for reflection, strategy, and collaboration
Keynote sessions featuring Zaretta Hammond and Amanda Lewis will anchor this experience.
This is not a conference you attend and leave behind. It is professional learning designed to move with you back into your schools and systems.
June 29 – July 1
Chicago, IL
www.bendthearcsummit.com
Time to reflect. Space to build. Ideas you can actually implement.
Dr. Joel Pollack shared what Bend The Arc Summit was for him. It is a space to step back, think deeply, and walk away with concrete strategies that impact your school immediately.
From powerful reflection to real-world application, and a community of leaders from across the country—this is what makes Bend The Arc different.
Join us June 29 – July 1 in Chicago.
Keynote Speakers: Zaretta Hammond and Amanda Lewis
bendthearcsummit.com
04/16/2026
We are now 74 days away from Bend The Arc Summit.
This year, we’re bringing together leaders committed to doing the deeper work—building systems rooted in belonging and strengthening instructional practice
Space is filling up but there is still room available.
Let’s Bend The Arc Together!
Register now at bendthearcsummit.com
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