Skip To Main Content

header-container

logo-container

logo-image

logo-title

right-container

header-portals-nav

District

horizontal-nav

Breadcrumb

Empowering Every Child: Innovating for an Inclusive Future
Thursday, May 15, 2025

5th Annual Conference

Cornelius E. Minor

Keynote presentation by Cornelius E. Minor

What it Means To Be A Community Now: Powerful Teaching and Leading in the Face of Uncertainty

The very foundations of our profession have shifted profoundly in the last half decade. That shift has not been without some pain. We have mourned the losses of familiar routines, and time-honored customs. Curriculum is changing, and we are questioning the ways that we have traditionally served students. In the face of all these transformations, all of us (at some point in this journey) have longed for a return to “normal”.
In this presentation, Cornelius Minor will explore how our nostalgic reverence for life Pre-March 2020 is misplaced… that even though we felt certain about some things, that there were still too many kids, families, and whole communities left at the margins of our work. In this extended study, we will spend time reflecting on the lessons of the last two years, and creating blueprints for the new things that must come next in terms of our teaching and our leadership.

Author and National Presenter

Cornelius Minor is a Brooklyn-based educator and education consultant. He works with teachers, school leaders, and leaders of community-based organizations to support equitable literacy reform in cities (and sometimes villages) across the globe. His latest book, We Got This, explores how the work of creating more equitable school spaces is embedded in our everyday choices - specifically in the choice to really listen to kids.
Dr. Diane M. Wynne

Special guest speaker:

Dr. Diane M. Wynne

Executive Director of the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

New York State Education Department

Conference Schedule

8:30-8:40 AM

Conference opening remarks

8:40-9:10 AM

Special guest speaker:  Dr. Diane Wynne, Executive Director, Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, New York State Education Department

9:10-10:45 AM

Keynote presentation by Cornelius E. Minor

10:45-11:00 AM

Vendor Visit

11:00 AM-11:45 AM

Breakout Session 1

  • LGBTQ 101
  • Navigating Culturally Relevant Pedagogy: Through the Lens of Long Island English and Social Studies Teacher
  • Curating an Affirming Environment Through Student Agency

11:45AM-12:45 PM

Lunch / Networking / Vendor Visit

12:45-1:30 PM

Breakout Session 2

  • Deconstructing Anti-Asian Hate and Islamophobia in the Classroom
  • Empowering Every Child Through Graduation PLUS+ and the I AM, WE ARE Initiative
  • Unlocking the Joy of Math Students with Learning Differences and Neurodiversity

1:35-2:20 PM

Breakout Session 3

  • Understanding the Experiences of Transgender and Nonbinary Students
  • AP is U: A District-Wide Approach to Changing the Narrative
  • From Ideas to Impact: The Art of Building Inclusive School Communities

2:20-2:30 PM

Conference closing remarks
Please register with the BOCES that aligns with the district in which you work.
Those registering from outside the Long Island BOCES region should register with Nassau BOCES.

2025 Event Sponsors

Platinum

NCD Communications          Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

 

Gold

Benchmark Education          Lego          Suffolk Federal Credit Union

 

Lunch

Frontline

Time: 8:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m. *Includes buffet lunch (Total of 5 hours CTLE credit)
Cost: $175 per person
Audience: K-12 Educators and Administrators
Location: Eastern Suffolk BOCES @ Sequoya, 750 Waverly Avenue, Holtsville, NY