By: Leah Tuckman
2025 was a year of packed rooms, thoughtful questions, and the caliber of professional conversations that remind me why I love schools and communities. Standing in conference spaces across the country, I have been humbled by the chance to learn alongside educators and leaders who are deeply committed to redesigning schools in order to reflect meaningful community values, ethics, and aspirations.
School Redesign in Action Conference
April 2025
The yearly School Redesign in Action Conference (SRIA) began with me presenting alongside two of my favorite humans: Clyde Cole and Krystal Bravo. Our session, Interrupting Bias and Prejudice: A Districtwide Approach, focused on moving beyond isolated initiatives toward systemic, sustained change. It was grounded in honesty and hope—acknowledging the realities of bias and prejudice in our systems, highlighting racial disparities, and offering concrete strategies for districts ready to do the work. Clyde and Krystal brought in two distinct perspectives from New Jersey and Vermont. Together, we emphasized that interrupting bias is not a one-time training, but a districtwide responsibility embedded in policy, practice, and culture.
I presented a second workshop with the one and only Superintendent Robb Malay from SAU29, Keene, NH, and my seasoned GSP coworker Michelle Milstein. Our session highlighted SAU29’s portrait of a graduate and strategic plan, giving participants the opportunity to delve into districtwide strategic planning through deliberate community engagement. You can see Keene’s strategic plan process through the video below:
Vermont Diversifying the Educator Workforce Summit
May 2025
Great Schools Partnership’s Diversifying the Educator Workforce Collaboration brought together educators from across Vermont’s higher education, K-12, state agency (SEA), and non-profit spaces. There, I got to watch the incredible Darthula Mathews guide students in facilitating circles.
Danielle Pierre, the DEW project lead, led a powerful panel where educators discussed actionable, local plans. A true highlight was Esther Charlestin’s workshop entitled The Will to Stay: A Love Letter to Educators of Color.
In this space, we collaborated as students, educators, higher-ed leaders, state-level leaders, and community and professional organizations. We moved beyond conversation to engage in collaborative planning to implement concrete strategies for immediate and long-lasting change.
FullScale Conference in New Orleans, LA
October 2025
Another unforgettable conference moment from 2025 took place at the FullScale (formerly known as Aurora) Conference in New Orleans—a setting as vibrant and dynamic as the conversation itself.
Our presentation, Empowering Educators through CBL: Leveraging Effective Instructional Tools for Student Agency, Equity, and Culturally Responsive Teaching, had just hit its stride when the unexpected happened: the fire alarm went off! The Hyatt Regency in the District Business is the largest hotel in New Orleans, so this was a problem! But as educators, we know that meaningful learning persists, even when conditions are less than ideal.
I was incredibly fortunate to co-present with the very flexible Paulina Murton and Kate Gardoqui. We highlighted the incredible work being done in Washington State. We also showcased Springfield Public Schools. Although Springfield is the 2nd largest school district in both Massachusetts and New England, they have done a tremendous job with community engagement and togetherness. This workshop featured our Elements of Effective Instruction Toolkit that can be found here.
Learning Forward Conference in Boston, MA
December 2025
One of the highlights of the year was the Learning Forward Conference in Boston! The Learning Forward conference had around 3,000 attendees and featured some of my heroes! Shane Safir, Jim Knight, and Cornelius Minor, to name a few.
I had the distinct pleasure of presenting alongside Dighton-Rehoboth Regional School District Superintendent Bill Runey and Assistant Superintendent Dr. Fred Souza, with whom GSP has been partnered for almost four years now. Bill’s clarity around vision and community engagement, paired with Fred’s deep understanding of systems, data, and implementation, brought the work to life in a powerful way. At a time of community dissonance, their targeted effort to bring community members together resulted in a unifying vision.
Together, we were able to show how a Portrait of a Graduate can be more than a striking visual. It can be a living compass that guides decision-making, instructional priorities, and strategic investments across an entire system. Our interactive workshop centered around a district’s visioning process.
The session was not just about sharing a framework; it was about telling a story of collective input and community design. Outside of Dighton Rehobeth, we highlighted six distinct states’/districts’ framework, including Keene New Hampshire, whose POG experience you can browse below or read in full here.
A Sneak Peek at GSP’s 2026 SRIA Conference
School districts are out there crushing it. This country is full of so many amazing educators, leaders, organizations, communities, and minds. Let’s highlight their successes and amplify their stories at GSP’s 2026 School Redesign in Action Conference, on October 15th, 2026! This year, we will be hosting the conference in Norwood, Massachusetts, with the theme: Community at the Core!
SRIA 2025
Leah Tuckman is a senior associate at the Great Schools Partnership and has been an educator for 20 years. Prior to joining GSP, Leah was the deputy principal at Revere High School, and spent six years at the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE), where she supported districts throughout the Commonwealth.
 Leah received her bachelor’s degree from Haverford College. She then received her master’s degree in education from Lesley University and a certificate of advanced graduate studies in urban education administration from the University of Massachusetts Boston.
At the Great Schools Partnership, Leah is a proud member of the Diversifying the Educator Workforce team. She has coached districts in creating Strategic Plans and is passionate about serving students, families, educators, and communities.