Institute for Education Innovation

10/15/2026

The decisions superintendents make every day, from long-term financial planning to shaping how their district competes for families, draw on the same skills taught in Executive MBA programs. The National MidWinter Summit brings that coursework directly to district leaders.

This January, faculty from the University of Tampa’s Sykes College of Business, with Dr. Hemant Rustogi, a Dana Professor Emeritus, coordinating the program, will teach modified versions of their Executive MBA courses, each grounded in district examples. Superintendents will learn alongside a small group of peers throughout the weekend, test ideas together, and leave with frameworks they can put to work as soon as they’re back in their districts.

To learn more about joining us, connect with Melissa Crawl or request an invite to attend the summit here: https://share.hsforms.com/1q7TWopF7TZei_IBax_I9ywc03iv

Tampa, FL - January 22-24, 2027

10/13/2026

Every superintendent honored at this year’s Supes’ Choice Awards was nominated by the people who know the work best: their fellow district leaders.

The official press release is out, and it gives us one more chance to celebrate them. Thank you for what you do for students and for each other, and for a night in Charleston we won’t forget!

Read the full release here: https://www.einpresswire.com/article/948290863/the-institute-for-education-innovation-announces-winners-of-the-2026-supes-choice-awards

Superintendents were honored at the 2026 Supes’ Choice Awards during IEI’s Fall National Summit in Charleston, SC.

10/07/2026

The Hank Grishman Consistency in Leadership Award recognizes education leaders whose steady, long-term commitment builds trust, preserves momentum, and gives communities the time to turn good ideas into durable systems.

This year, that leader is Dr. Jim Rosebrock, Superintendent of Rosebud-Lott ISD in Texas.

Across decades as a teacher, coach, principal, district leader, and superintendent, Dr. Rosebrock's focus has stayed on strengthening instruction, developing people, building culture, and creating opportunities for students. While working on his doctorate, he trained in Stephen Covey's leadership principles, and nearly 40 years later he brought that work full circle by launching Leader in Me districtwide. That same long view shows up in the expansion of the district's P-TECH program, plans for a new college and career center, and the way he works alongside his community on major investments by listening and communicating clearly.

Congratulations, Dr. Rosebrock, on being named the 2026 Hank Grishman Consistency in Leadership Award recipient!

10/07/2026

Under Superintendent Kevin Polston's leadership, Kentwood Public Schools has made belonging and student voice central to how the district defines success, with a vision centered on students feeling cared for, supported, heard, and confident they belong.

That vision shapes the work itself. The district's strategic plan is anchored in Excellence and Equity, and surveys, focus groups, community input, and multilingual supports help shape the systems around students and families so they can influence the community they're part of.

His impact reaches well beyond Kentwood. He has received the Hispanic Advocate Award for his ongoing commitment to the Hispanic community, and in September he was appointed chair of Michigan's Every Child Reads Champions Council, a statewide body focused on evidence-based literacy and stronger reading outcomes for every learner. In every role, he listens to people, widens access, and builds conditions where students and communities have real agency in their own success.

Congratulations to Superintendent Kevin Polston, recipient of the 2026 Excellence in Empowerment Award.

10/07/2026

The Media Innovator Award honors a leader who understands the power of communication, storytelling, media, and public visibility to strengthen a school community and elevate the work happening inside it.

This year, that leader is Dr. Aaron Bass, Ed.D., CEO of EastSide Charter School in Delaware.

Dr. Bass treats community engagement as part of the work itself from the very start. His school's annual 'Suit Up, Show Up' tradition brings community leaders, mentors, families, and supporters together on the first day of school to welcome students with energy, visibility, and a very clear message: you matter here.

He has also used storytelling and public engagement to build support for a much larger vision. After years of fundraising and partnership-building, the $27 million Chemours Community STEM Hub opened in 2025, serving students during the school day and opening to the community after school for workforce development, STEM learning, mentoring, and access to health and mental-health resources.

Congratulations, Dr. Bass, on being named the 2026 Media Innovator Award recipient. Your leadership shows how a school's voice can expand opportunity for an entire community.

10/07/2026

The IEI MVP Award honors the people who make a community stronger by what they consistently bring to it: perspective, generosity, work ethic, and a willingness to help move good ideas forward.

The 2026 IEI MVP Award went to Tammy Williams of Greensburg Community School Corporation in Indiana.

Tammy has built a career around the part of district leadership that touches almost everything students experience, from curriculum, instruction, and assessment to academic programming and the grants and partnerships that help make those opportunities possible. In June, her district expanded her role to Assistant Superintendent while she continued to lead curriculum and instruction, a reflection of the trust placed in her knowledge of the system and the work.

You can see that work in the opportunities available to Greensburg students, including K-12 STEM and career-connected pathways with Project Lead The Way programs from elementary through high school, along with national PLTW Distinguished District recognition. Tammy brings that same practical, student-centered lens to conversations beyond her own district, and she is the kind of person who makes a team, a district, and a network better because she is in it.

Congratulations, Tammy!

10/07/2026

The Supes' Choice Innovation Partner Hall of Fame recognizes an education partner whose work has moved beyond a single product or moment to deliver lasting value for teaching, learning, and the people schools serve. This year, we're proud to welcome Soundtrap for Education into the Hall of Fame.

Soundtrap has helped make creation itself a learning tool. Its cloud-based studio lets students and teachers make music, podcasts, spoken-word projects, and other audio work across subjects and grade levels, collaborating in real time from different devices and locations inside a protected education environment. It also connects with the systems schools already use, including Google Classroom, Microsoft Teams, Canvas, and Schoology.

What stands out is how far that creativity reaches, with teachers using it for literacy, world languages, social studies, STEM, and project-based learning to give students another way to explain what they know in their own voices.

Congratulations to the Soundtrap for Education team, and thank you for the creativity and care you bring to classrooms around the world!

10/07/2026

The Traci Davis and Dr. Susan Enfield She-roic Leadership Award honors leaders who uplift others, open doors, and champion voice and opportunity for students and staff.

Dr. Kelley Gallt has built her leadership in Lake Zurich CUSD 95 around the belief that excellence and opportunity have to reach every learner. She has championed expanded dual-credit and career opportunities, grown high school internships, and advocated for responsible, equitable access to AI so that emerging technology widens opportunity for every student.

In 2024, two of her district's schools earned National Blue Ribbon recognition at the same time, one for exemplary high performance and the other for closing achievement gaps. Behind those results is a leader who listens, bringing students, staff, families, and community members into the district's strategic plan and giving the people closest to the work a real role in shaping what comes next.

Congratulations to Dr. Kelley Gallt, recipient of the 2026 Traci Davis and Dr. Susan Enfield She-roic Leadership Award!

09/23/2026

Mark your calendar for October 5 at 6 pm ET, when the red carpet for the Supes' Choice Awards and Gala goes live on LinkedIn.

Dressed for a black-tie night and ready to celebrate the award winners, superintendents, district leaders, and EdTech partners will walk the red carpet as Tiffany Law and Ryan Patenaude interview guests on their way into the gala, and you can watch it all from the comfort of your own home.

It's a night for honoring the best leaders in K-12, surrounded by people who understand the work and are glad to celebrate it together.

Follow the IEI page so you'll see when the link goes live!

09/22/2026

We're less than two weeks away from the Fall Summit, and the professional development was built around the theme of Navigating Change: Partnerships that Power Progress.

The Summit will open with a fireside chat where Iranetta Rayborn Wright, IEI's Chief Leadership Officer, will sit down with Little Rock School District Superintendent Dr. Jermall D. Wright, Ed.D., and director Anurima Bhargava on Teaching America, a short film that honors the Arkansas high school students and teachers who joined forces to stand up for the AP African American Studies course.

From there, we'll have sessions from district leaders all across the country who look at partnership from every angle a district leader deals with it:

-Kevin Polston (Kentwood Public Schools, MI) on the new federal tax credit that goes into effect in most states on January 1, and how to ensure you are set up for success in securing funds for your students.
-Erin Kane (Douglas County School District, CO) on the community-centered framework behind consolidating six schools.
-Dr. Nyah Hamlett (Montgomery County Public Schools, MD) on breaking down internal silos.
-Dr. Barbara A. Mullen, Ph.D (Rush-Henrietta Central School District, NY) on AI strengthening collaboration and trust.
-Dr. Joe Matiste (Ridgeland School District 122, IL) on alignment between boards, unions, and district leadership.

We can't wait for our attendees to hear these well-built sessions from our . We'll see you in Charleston!