“Steady, Strong, and Strategic: The Power of Leadership in Public Education”
Thursday, January 22 | Royal Plaza Hotel, Marlborough
8:30 a.m. Registration and Continental Breakfast | 9 a.m. Program
This is not a public event. It is open only to school district leaders.
Featured Speakers: (details below)
- Dr. Miguel A. Cardona, Former U.S. Secretary of Education
- Dr. Rachel White, Founder and Principal Investigator, The Superintendent Lab
Bonus Sessions after lunch (1:30 – 3:30 p.m.):
- “One Size Does Not Fit All at the High School: Designing Tiered Supports that Work” – Designed for Assistant Superintendents, but open to all registrants. Details and Registration
- NEW – Advocacy Strategy Session for Rural School District Leaders: As rural school districts in Western Mass., Cape Cod, and other parts of the Commonwealth continue to face unique fiscal and operational challenges, M.A.S.S. is working to support district leaders in their advocacy work. Superintendents from rural communities will convene to discuss plans for the 2026 legislative session and strategize about securing additional support for rural schools and districts. All are welcome. Details and Registration
About the Featured Speakers:
Secretary Miguel A. Cardona
Why Steady, Strong, and Strategic Leadership Matters More Than Ever in Public Education
Dr. Miguel A. Cardona served as the 12th United States Secretary of Education under President Joe Biden. During his time as Secretary of Education, Dr. Cardona focused on the four pillars of his educational agenda, which included Academic Recovery and Excellence, Improving Conditions for Educators and Mental Health, Global Competitiveness, and College Affordability and Accessibility. During his presentation at the Mid-Winter Meeting, Dr. Cardona will emphasize the importance of public education in our democracy (past, present, and future) and why steady, strong, and strategic leadership matters more than ever in public education.
Dr. Rachel White
Unpacking the Massachusetts Superintendency: What does the data tell us and why it matters
Dr. Rachel White is an associate professor of Educational Leadership and Policy at the University of Texas at Austin. She is the founder and principal investigator of The Superintendent Lab, a central hub for data, research, insights, and innovation on the school district superintendency and home to the National Longitudinal Superintendent Database. Dr. White is also a faculty in residence with AASA, The School Superintendents Association. In her presentation, Dr. White will discuss her work on the National and Massachusetts Superintendent labor markets, superintendent mobility and attrition, and how superintendents navigate politically contentious spaces. We will introduce the M.A.S.S. online data platform for Superintendents, which will give our Association, in collaboration with Dr. White, the ability to collect and analyze data regarding the Massachusetts Superintendency.
Conference Registration:
$200 / member
$230 / non-member
$55 / retired
Questions: Erica Hedrick: ehedrick@massupt.org / 781-541-5098