Let’s deeply understand what it means for your school or system to be ready to create learner-centered environments that serve all students
Virtual Event • Free
If you could redesign your school or district, what would it look like? Is your community ready to make the changes needed?
School redesign often begins with a broad desire for change—but turning that ambition into a focused, student-centered transformation requires schools to first understand where they are, what students are experiencing, and which conditions need the most attention.
Join LEAP Innovations for this live virtual conversation where school leaders share how they are navigating the early stages of redesign: making sense of student and school data, identifying strengths and gaps, listening to students and families, and determining which priorities are most important to address first. Participants will hear how schools are moving from reflection to action while considering not only instructional change, but also the structures, relationships, partnerships, and supports that surround students.
Drawing from LEAP Innovations’ Youth Opportunity Ecosystem, we also explore how early school redesign efforts can connect to a broader ecosystem: community supports, workforce pathways, technology, and direct services that expand opportunity for young people.
Participants will leave with a clearer understanding of how to begin a redesign journey with focus, how to avoid jumping too quickly to solutions, and how schools can build toward more coherent and connected systems of support over time.
Who Should Attend?
This session is for school, district, network, and system leaders who want to create meaningful changes in students’ learning experiences. If you are interested in better understanding what students currently experience and uncovering strengths and opportunities in order to design better solutions for real transformation, this session was made for you.
Why Attend?
Understand why schools are beginning their redesign journey by examining student experience, school data, existing strengths, and persistent challenges before jumping to solutions.
Learn from schools at different starting points about how they are making sense of their context, identifying opportunities, and determining where to begin.
Identify an initial priority for your own transformation that is grounded in the needs and aspirations of students and connected to academic achievement, engagement, and belonging.
Recognize when school redesign extends beyond instruction and may require changes to structures, relationships, partnerships, and supports surrounding students.
Explore how student, family, and community voices can shape early redesign decisions and help schools better understand the experiences they are trying to improve.
Consider the role of partners from the very beginning, including where outside expertise, relationships, services, and opportunities can strengthen what a school is able to provide.
Panelists
Douglas Stalnos, Principal, George Pullman Elementary School, Chicago Public Schools
Dr. Kai Jones, Principal, Harlan Community Academy High School, Chicago Public Schools
Dr. Kai Jones is a strategic and results-driven educational leader with more than 20 years of experience leading complex school systems, developing high-performing teams, and improving outcomes for students and communities. Her leadership is defined by the ability to bring clarity to complexity, align people and systems around shared priorities, and translate strategic vision into disciplined execution. She has extensive experience across executive leadership, school operations, instruction, student support, attendance, MTSS, counseling, data-driven decision-making, and organizational improvement. Her work centers on building the conditions necessary for sustainable success: clear expectations, strong leadership capacity, effective systems, intentional culture, and consistent accountability.
Dr. Jones is particularly skilled at identifying organizational barriers, designing practical solutions, strengthening cross-functional collaboration, and mobilizing teams to act with purpose and urgency. Her results include significant improvements in student attendance and reductions in chronic absenteeism, as well as stronger systems for monitoring student progress, supporting academic achievement, and increasing adult ownership. Her leadership philosophy is grounded in the belief that lasting improvement is created through empowered adults working within aligned, well-designed systems. She challenges organizations to move beyond short-term initiatives and build structures that produce consistent results over time. Dr. Jones leads with perseverance, integrity, respect, excellence, and an unwavering commitment to student success. Her guiding principle is clear: clarity creates alignment, accountability drives action, and empowered adults create thriving schools.
Moderator
Dr. Carlos Beato, Chief Transformation Officer, LEAP Innovations