Homeroom with Education Leaders | Leaders Who Reflect Their Communities: A Push for Principal Pathways

Thursday, March 26 | 3 p.m. ET | 2 p.m. CT | 12 p.m. PT

Principal turnover can cost districts tens of thousands of dollars each year. Beyond the financial impact, retaining effective school leaders is critical: principals are the most significant in-school factor influencing teacher retention and the second-largest factor affecting student achievement. According to the 2024 Across the Aisle survey, 62 percent of voters believe that racial and gender equity among educators has a positive impact on student performance. To advance this work, The Wallace Foundation is coordinating the Equity-Centered Pipeline Initiative, which supports more diverse and equitable pathways into school leadership. Through this effort, eight large school districts are developing principal pipelines designed to produce leaders who can champion educational equity and strengthen student learning. Join The Hunt Institute for a conversation about why representation in school leadership matters and how equitable pathways can help shape the next generation of principals.

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Early Efforts | Building Brains through STEAM and Music – Part 2: How Music Tunes up the Brain

Monday, April 13 | 3:30 p.m. ET | 2:30 p.m. CT | 1:30 p.m. PT

Celebrate #WOYC26 Music Monday with us! Music has remarkable power to shape and accelerate brain development during the critical early years (infant through pre-K). This webinar explores the science behind how rhythm, melody, and movement create powerful neural pathways for language, literacy, math, and social-emotional skills. Attendees will learn how musical activity directly impact cognitive functions like memory, focus, and problem-solving, why music is a powerful, joyful tool to build a strong foundation for lifelong learning, and the policies involved with ensuring all children have access to music education.

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Homeroom with Education Leaders | Demystifying the WorkKeys Assessment

Wednesday, April 22 | 3 p.m. ET | 2 p.m. CT | 12. p.m. PT

WorkKeys, a widely used career readiness assessment, serves as a bridge between classroom learning and workforce skills. This webinar will explore how WorkKeys informs students about preparation for employment, how states and employers use the credential, and where it fits alongside postsecondary financial aid in shaping career pathways. Panelists will share technical, policy, and on-the-ground perspectives on how WorkKeys can strengthen workforce readiness and expand equitable access to high-value employment opportunities.

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Postsecondary Pathways | State Partnerships in Action: Advancing College & Career Readiness through Assessment

Thursday, May 7 | 2 p.m. ET | 11. a.m. PT

Across the country, states are leveraging assessment partnerships to strengthen their college and career readiness ecosystems. This session highlights two states—Alabama and Vermont—whose distinct contexts and strategies illustrate how assessment programs can drive real-world outcomes for students while meeting accountability and policy goals. Alabama’s proposed use of WorkKeys as a statewide high school accountability assessment and Vermont’s commitment to a balanced, locally responsive assessment system each offer powerful lessons about aligning assessments to readiness, equity, and continuous improvement.  The session will feature representatives from the Alabama State Department of Education and the Vermont Agency of Education, moderated by ACT’s State and Federal Policy team. Together, they will share how their states have designed, implemented, and refined statewide assessment programs that go beyond compliance to truly support student success.

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Homeroom with Education Leaders | Supporting and Sustaining High-Quality Education Leaders

Friday, May 27 | 2 p.m. ET | 11. a.m. PT

As schools and districts grapple with persistent teacher shortages, recruitment and retention have emerged as defining challenges for education systems nationwide. While compensation and working conditions matter, research consistently shows that strong, stable leadership is one of the most powerful levers for keeping teachers in the profession. Principals, supported by effective principal supervisors and superintendents, shape school culture, instructional coherence, and working conditions that directly influence whether educators choose to stay. Yet leadership turnover remains high, often disrupting progress and undermining efforts to build cohesive, high-performing teams. Sustaining a strong educator workforce requires moving beyond isolated professional development toward coordinated, ongoing support for leaders at every level of the system. Providing principals, principal supervisors, and superintendents with coaching, peer learning, and structured opportunities to address real challenges of practice strengthens leadership capacity and creates the conditions teachers need to thrive. Join The Hunt Institute for a conversation with education leaders and experts on how states and districts can build coherent systems of leadership support that reinforce stability, improve school climate, and ultimately strengthen teacher retention and student outcomes.

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Postsecondary Pathways | Policy That Delivers: State Innovations in Student Aid and Workforce Alignment

Thursday, June 11 | 2 p.m. ET | 11. a.m. PT

This session will highlight state-level efforts to expand access, including affordability, equity, and workforce alignment. Panelists will share policy strategies, cross-sector partnerships, and lessons learned that other states could replicate to strengthen student aid systems and align them with workforce needs.

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Early Efforts | Registered Apprenticeships, Part 1: Transforming the Early Care and Learning Workforce

Thursday, June 18 | 2 p.m. ET | 11. a.m. PT

Register now for the first in this two-part series on early childhood registered apprenticeships and explore how registered apprenticeships are transforming the early childhood education workforce. As the sector faces unprecedented staffing challenges and funding constraints, registered apprenticeships offer a proven solution to recruit, train, and retain qualified early childhood educators while providing them with debt-free pathways to career options and lifetime credentials. In this first session, participants will learn:

• What registered apprenticeships are and how they differ from traditional education pathways
• How apprenticeships work in early childhood settings, including the “earn while you learn” model that allows aspiring educators to gain classroom experience while completing their education

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Early Efforts | Registered Apprenticeships, Part 2: Braided Funding and WIOA: What Codification Changes — and What it Doesn't

Thursday, July 16 | 2 p.m. ET | 11. a.m. PT

Register now for the second session in this two-part series on early childhood registered apprenticeships and explore how registered apprenticeships are transforming the early childhood education workforce. As the sector faces unprecedented staffing challenges and funding constraints, registered apprenticeships offer a proven solution to recruit, train, and retain qualified early childhood educators while providing them with debt-free pathways to career options and lifetime credentials. This second session will cover:

• Funding opportunities available through the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) and state workforce development boards
• Success stories from states that have implemented thriving early childhood apprenticeship programs
• How to get started whether you’re a provider looking to host apprentices, a workforce development professional exploring partnerships, or a policymaker interested in supporting this workforce solution

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Postsecondary Pathways | Unlocking Workforce Pell Access

Thursday, July 23 | 2 p.m. ET | 11. a.m. PT

This session will explain the new FAFSA process and outline program eligibility criteria for the new Workforce Pell Grant. This exciting new federal program expands Pell Grant eligibility to short-term job-training programs that have historically been excluded from federal higher education funding. However, programs have to meet a steep new set of requirements if students are to receive the grant. We show participants how using the right tools can make for a more efficient experience for both institutions and adult learners.

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