2026 MSAA Summer Institute

What if family engagement wasn’t another event on the calendar, but a lever for transforming instruction, student motivation, and school culture? In partnership with Acera Education Innovation, our school moved from isolated STEM activities to a cohesive, hands-on learning model that connects curriculum, family engagement, and student excitement about school. What began as an effort to increase attendance and enthusiasm has evolved into a schoolwide approach that integrates experiential learning into both classroom instruction and home-school partnerships. In this interactive session, participants will actively experience one of the hands-on learning structures we use with families, analyze the leadership moves that made it sustainable, and leave with ready-to-implement tools. Whether you're looking to increase family participation, strengthen STEM access, or shift your school culture.

“Release the Power: Reimagining Early Release Days Through Design Thinking, UDL, and Innovation” explores how elementary school leaders can transform shortened school days into meaningful learning opportunities for students. Early Release Days often present a leadership challenge: balancing staff professional development time while ensuring students remain engaged in purposeful learning. Too often, these days default to passive activities or unstructured programming. This session encourages leaders to rethink Early Release Days as opportunities for creativity, problem-solving, and student voice.

Participants will explore how the Engineering Design Process (EDP) and Universal Design for Learning (UDL) can support innovative and inclusive student experiences. Through a hands-on design activity, collaborative discussion, and practical planning tools, leaders will gain strategies to design engaging Early Release programming that is both impactful for students and feasible for schools.

As Massachusetts schools adopt stronger phone policies and respond to AI-driven changes in learning, leaders are seeking approaches that balance clarity, consistency, and student wellbeing. This session presents an MTSS-based framework for implementing phone policies and digital wellbeing practices that extend beyond enforcement. Drawing on guidance from MA DESE and case examples from partner schools, we will examine how to align Tier 1 policy and instruction with Tier 2/3 supports for students affected by distraction, anxiety, cyberbullying, or academic integrity concerns. Participants will leave with a draft implementation roadmap for fall 2026.

Learning Blade is a free, standards-aligned STEM, CTE, and Computer Science resource for grades 5–12, offering short lessons and hands-on activities that support career awareness and real-world learning while supporting core subjects.

STEM activities are essential for learning, but they carry risks that demand more than just classroom supervision. School leaders are responsible for adopting safety programs that align with standards, but what happens when best practices meet the unpredictable reality of a chemical reaction? This session features a case study into a real-world science experiment that took an unexpected turn, requiring a response from both the local fire department and the state HazMat team. Participants will explore:
•    The critical role of district leadership in developing robust safety policies.
•    Why partnerships with public safety officials are the backbone of effective crisis management.
•    Lessons learned from the HazMat response to help refine your own district’s emergency procedures.
Join us to learn how proactive collaboration between school administrators and first responders can turn a potential disaster into a well-managed incident, ensuring the continued safety of students and staff alike.