Beyond Rigor: Redefining What Deep Learning Looks Like

Wednesday, March 25th, 2026 
3:00 PM - 3:45 PM (ET) 

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Rigor isn’t about more work. It’s about deeper thinking.

Across schools, educators are reimagining rigor through inquiry, creativity, and authentic problem-solving—designing learning experiences amid layered expectations that cchallenge students to analyze deeply, ask meaningful questions, and create original work.

Join us for the first session of our Future-Forward Leader Dialogues, hosted by Educate’s Development Partner Kyle Liao and Partnership Specialist Emily Duball.

In this 45-minute virtual conversation, we’ll explore how Deeper Thinking & Learning comes to life in real classrooms.

This dialogue brings together education leaders to examine how reflection and evidence move us beyond compliance-driven definitions of rigor — making cognitive growth visible, measurable, and sustainable.

Voices of Innovation

  • CEO, Smartlab

    With nearly 30 years of leadership and innovation in K–12 education. Holding a Doctorate in Organizational Change and Leadership from USC, she has led initiatives at Kaplan and After-School All-Stars focused on bridging the gap between classrooms and the future workforce. She is a dedicated advocate for high-impact STEM and career-focused learning.

Hansen_Lawrence_Principal

  • Principal of St. Joseph Hill Academy

    With over two decades of experience in Catholic education. A former ELA specialist and prestigious Curran Fellow, he is the first male principal in his school’s 100-year history. His leadership focuses on balancing rigorous academic standards with deep, meaningful community relationship building and student-centered instructional growth.

Tarek_Alamarie_Principal

  • Principal, Richmond Hill High School

    With 18 years of service in New York City public schools. He has led the transformation of Richmond Hill into six career-connected academies, significantly increasing graduation rates and attendance. Through 15 college partnerships, he provides students with dual-enrollment opportunities to earn over 60 college credits before graduation.

What You'll Explore

Through leader perspectives, reflective prompts, and practice-informed scenarios, this session will examine:

  • How deeper thinking shows up across classrooms and grade levels — and how leaders recognize it

  • How inquiry- and problem-based learning support critical and creative thinking at scale

  • How educators and leaders use reflection and evidence to understand and strengthen instructional depth over time

Grounded in the Innovation Spectrum, the conversation offers a shared language for naming practice, reflecting on growth, and strengthening deeper learning across schools.

Who Should Attend

  • District leaders, principals, and assistant principals redefining rigor across systems

  • Instructional coaches and curriculum leaders supporting inquiry-based practice

  • Teachers exploring deeper learning and authentic assessment

Why attend?

This is not a presentation—it’s a conversation.

You’ll hear directly from educators leading this work, gain practical insights you can apply across your school community, and leave with clearer language to support conversations about rigor, learning design, and student thinking.

If you’re asking, “What does real rigor look like today?” — this dialogue is for you.

Live session with recording available to all registrants.

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