In these times, it is even more essential to engage in Academic Conferences to ensure that the collective efforts of individual educators will successfully contribute to the core mission, goals, values, and instructional vision of the school organization. Conferring aligns the efforts of classroom teachers and school principals with the initiatives, vision, and mission surrounding student learning and improving instruction. In many ways academic conferences achieve greater results, since they have the ability to align and integrate all of these educational movements into the culture and core fabric of the school system. Academic conferences should be conducted between principals and teachers, as well as district administrators and principals. Conferencing encourages us to plan and reflect on our professional practices and organizational progress. Just as professional learning communities (PLCs) have supported teachers with horizontal collaboration, academic conferences strengthen both classroom teachers and school administrators with vertical support. They provide a reflective examination of the school's collective purposes, practices, and progress, as well as each individual's own purposes, practices, and progress to achieve the collective educational mission. Conferring together supports interdependent leadership where every educator plays a valuable role in working together to create solutions for kids.

As we embrace the opportunity to work collegially as a team and align our common purposes in our profession, then our students will benefit the most.