Leading for Thinking and Understanding- A Project Zero Conference

The Graduate School of Education at Harvard University houses Project Zero (PZ), a core research center dedicated to understanding and nurturing human potentials, such as learning, thinking, ethics, intelligence, and creativity, in individuals of all ages. For over 50 years, Project Zero has studied the nature of these potentials, the contexts and conditions that foster their development, and the practices that support their flourishing. This conference links Project Zero's research, ideas, and frameworks to the needs of school and district leaders and, on the second day, specifically highlights the work of educators and leaders in the Pittsburgh region.

The two-day conference aims to help school leaders as well as  district leaders and administrators apply and experiment with leading Project Zero research and frameworks to drive positive change within their institutions.

• May 18: A day-long session with Mark Church where school and district leaders will have the opportunity to investigate their own practices while connecting with the leadership practices of others.
• May 19: A leadership-focused strand within the broader Learning and Thinking That Make a Difference conference for all educators , with Mark Church delivering the opening keynote followed by morning interactive breakout sessions led by educators from the region and an afternoon session for leaders led by March Church session.

The conference will be primarily facilitated by Mark Church, who helps schools worldwide create cultures of thinking. He believes that teachers can transform student learning by making thinking visible, valued, and actively promoted in daily classroom practice. Mark encourages educators to be students of their students and themselves, allowing them to make intentional choices that promote visible thinking. He is a lead researcher and author with collaboration with Project Zero’s Making Thinking Visible and Cultures of Thinking initiatives, drawing on his classroom experience and work with educators globally. Together with Ron Ritchhart, he co-authored Making Thinking Visible: How to Promote Engagement, Understanding, and Independence for All Learners (Jossey-Bass, 2011) and The Power of Making Thinking Visible: Practices to Engage and Empower All Learners (Jossey-Bass, 2020).

Throughout the two-day experience, school leaders will explore these ideas and identify ways to leverage their leadership to support learning. Participants will also connect with peers in similar roles to foster cross-school collaboration aimed at creating, sustaining, or enhancing cultures of learning and student engagement. The leadership conference is open to current school and district leaders. 

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Host or Publisher South Fayette Township School District