98th Annual Virginia Middle and High School

Principals Conference & Exposition

Opportunity Awaits - Discover '27

CALL FOR PRESENTATIONS



The Virginia Middle and High School Principals Conference & Exposition will be held June 22-25, 2026, at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel, 50 Kingsmill Road, Williamsburg, Virginia. The conference theme is Opportunity Awaits - Discover '27. This annual event being administered by VASSP with support from the Virginia Department of Education and Virginia Foundation for Educational Leadership. The VASSP and VDOE have annually collaborated on this state conference since 1927. Principals, assistant principals, superintendents and division staff are encouraged to participate at the state conference as a presenter. The Conference Planning Committee is now receiving proposals for presentations through April 1, 2026. Notices of acceptance will be sent by April 30, 2026. 

Virginia's Premier Leadership Conference for School Principals


IMPORTANT! Before attempting to submit a proposal submission, collect all the required information for each presenter referenced in the "Instructions for Session Submission Steps". You may submit multiple submissions for 60-mintue Learning Labs and 25-minute Roundtable Discussions.


PROPOSAL

  • Ensure your proposal is written to reflect your intended audience - middle and high school principals, assistant principals, and aspiring principals.
  • Proofread your submission.
  • Adhere to standard grammatical conventions.
  • Proposals should be written in third person format avoiding the use of “I”, “you” and “we.”
  • The name of the presenter(s) or an institution should not be included in the body of the proposal.
  • Accepted proposals will be posted in the Online Program Schedule and listed in the Conference Mobile App as submitted; however, VASSP-VDOE-VFEL reserves the right to edit when necessary.


SESSION DESIGN

  • All session rooms are provided with standard A/V equipment consisting of: projector, screen, head table, and one microphone (if necessary).
  • Any additional tools needed for the presentation will be at the expense of the presenter. VASSP-VDOE-VFEL is unable to provide lecterns, additional tables, post-its, index cards, or paper handouts.
  • Learning Lab presenter will address a group of about 30 to 50 participants for 60-minutes, and may be repeated.
  • Roundtable Discussion presenter will present to a group of up to 12 persons for 25-minutes, take a break, and repeat two more times. Each presenter will make three 25-minute presentations as a group facilitator with five-minute breaks between each presentation, allowing each participant to hear three presentations.


FEES & EXPENSES

  • Presenters are responsible for their own conference registration.
  • Presenters at VASSP-VDOE-VFEL are responsible for all conference-related expenses including travel, hotel accommodations, and meals.
  • Presenters receive no compensation for presenting at VASSP-VDOE-VFEL.


Instructions for Session Submission Steps

You will be asked to provide the following information when completing the submission form online:

  • Session title: (150 characters maximum) Please capitalize the first letter of every word, following standard title conventions.
  • Submitter email: We will send an initial notification to confirm receipt of your proposal.
  • Intended Audience: All Roles, Aspiring School Leaders, Assistant Principals, First Year Principals (or First Year School Leaders), Middle-Level Principals (or Middle-Level School Leaders), K-8 or PK-8 Principals (or K-8- or PK-8 School Leaders), High School Principals (or High School Leaders), Middle-Level and High School Principals (or Middle-Level and High School Leaders).
  • Description: (200 words maximum) Compose your description as if it is the introductory paragraph of a longer piece of writing. The most successful session descriptions incorporate a hook, topic sentence, supporting statements, and two or three measurable learning outcomes for participants. Descriptions must not include personally identifiable information.
  • Rationale: This is your chance to showcase the benefits and unique value of your session and why conference participants will want to attend.


Strand and Substrand

School Leadership Under the New VDOE Accountability System

  • Improving Graduation Rates and Student Outcomes
  • Addressing Readiness & the 3E Framework
  • Reducing Chronic Absenteeism 
  • Addressing Growth/Mastery Disparities for Subgroups
  • Using Assessment and Data Analysis for School Improvement
  • Innovating Sustainable Student Support/All-In Tutoring
  • Addressing the new cut scores in English or Mathematics

Building and Sustaining a Positive School Culture

  •  Implementing Effective Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) 
  • Enhancing Teacher Quality, Evaluation, and Professional Development
  • Promoting Health, Wellness, and Personal Development

Career Building and Professional Leadership Skills

  • Implementing Leadership Coaching and Mentoring
  • Using Structures of Collaboration 
  • Supporting and Nurturing Aspiring School Leaders
  • Leading with a Growth Mindset


Add People

All sessions must designate one lead presenter. You may also add up to three co-presenters. The following information will be collected (optional unless specified):

  • First Name: required for everyone
  • Middle Initial
  • Last Name: required for everyone
  • Honorific — PhD, MEd, etc.
  • Email Address: required for everyone
  • Home/Cell Phone
  • Membership Status
  • Position/Job Title
  • School Grade Levels
  • Speaker Bio — to be used for the conference program; required for everyone.
  • School/Organization Name: required for everyone
  • School/Organization Phone Number
  • School/Organization Website URL
  • Personal Photo — a high resolution photo (4MB) of yourself (in .jpg or .png format) and any co-presenters.


Terms and Conditions

You must indicate that the presenter and any co-presenters agree to all of the terms and conditions in order to submit your proposal.


Confirmation

The last step of session submission involves reviewing what you have entered and pressing "Confirm and Submit" to receive a confirmation email message.



Mark Your Calendar

June 22-25, 2026

Virginia Middle and High School Principals

Conference & Exposition

Opportunity Awaits - Discover '27


Celebrating 250 years of America in Virginia


No place like it in 1776. No place like it now.


Williamsburg

"That the future may learn from the past."

VASSP is a proud Commemorative Partner.

 

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www.vassp.org