Utah Coalition for Community Schools

The event will feature keynote speaker Dreama Gentry, President and CEO of Partners for Rural Impact, a moderated panel discussion with Community Schools experts, and the opportunity to attend two breakout sessions.

Additionally, attendees will hear a presentation from the current Steering Committee Chair and Vice-Chair of the Utah Coalition for Community Schools including an update on progress made towards the coalition’s mission and key initiatives to strengthen Community Schools work in our state.

Our final Virtual Learning Session of the year will focus on a discussion with state policy leaders from the Accelerate ED community on creating the enabling conditions for accelerated pathways, aligning systems and incentives, and empowering students and those who guide them. Participants will explore lessons from ESG’s new policy playbook for state leaders on incentivizing and developing more structured dual enrollment pathways. 

The Institute for Educational Leadership is proud to host the 2025 National Community Schools and Family Engagement Conference in Minneapolis, Minnesota! This national conference brings together people from across the country who believe all children deserve a safe place to live and opportunities to learn and thrive. Inspired by our theme: Rising Together: Powering the Movement, the conference catalyzes collaboration, action, and a renewed commitment to transforming our practices, partnerships, and systems. Learn More

During Convention, attendees will learn and grow as leaders in transformative workshops, build connections in facilitated networking sessions and get inspired by noteworthy speakers. Also during the convention, members of the voting body will have the opportunity to participate in elections and voting on annual meeting business. 

Elevating Instruction: Teaching and Reaching Every Student 

The URSA conference is for educators of every grade level and education administration. 

The conference provides hands on and break-out sessions that will focus on insights and interventions with strategies to provide professional learning to improve student outcomes. There will be sessions focused on strengthening mental and behavioral health supports, student supports, grading practices, literacy best practices, strengthened the guaranteed curriculum at each school, and developing a culture of investment.   

Erie’s inaugural Community Schools Conference will be an in-person learning and networking opportunity designed specifically for our local United Way friends, colleagues, school districts and other partner organizations working to address the complex social issue of generational poverty in their communities.