Failing Forward:
A School Leader’s Journey to STEM Innovation
February 6-8, 2025, New York City
As leaders of STEM schools, we frequently find ourselves facing the unknown, where the only certainty is the unpredictability of innovation. The 2025 NCSSS Leadership Summit will offer current and aspiring leaders an opportunity to celebrate our successes, our bold attempts, our stumbles, and our lessons learned in the pursuit of progress.
History is filled with examples of scientists and innovators who failed forward—from Thomas Edison’s unsuccessful attempts at inventing the light bulb to the early challenges in rocketry that laid the groundwork for humanity’s launch into space. These stories remind us that failure is a necessary step on the path to discovery.
As we explore the challenges of innovation within our own schools, let’s embrace the complexity of the scientific process, where every ‘failure’ sheds light on a new path forward.
Summit Details
Participants will engage in a dynamic exchange of ideas and experiences with fellow STEM school leaders, interact with distinguished members of higher educational institutions, and immerse themselves in the thriving learning environments of two successful New York City schools: The Bronx High School of Science and Stuyvesant High School. In addition, Columbia University School of Engineering will be hosting attendees on Saturday, February 8.
This conference offers a unique opportunity to learn directly from educational trailblazers about their personal journeys from setbacks to success, providing growth opportunities through shared challenges and triumphs. By fostering a spirit of camaraderie and mutual learning, attendees will collaboratively explore innovative solutions and strategies, equipping themselves with actionable ideas to bring back and implement in their own institutions.
The Leadership Summit isn’t just about sharing stories of failure; it’s a collective effort to create resilient, forward-thinking STEM educational ecosystems based upon lessons learned from one another’s experiences.
Keynote Speaker
Dr. Xiaodong Lin Siegler
Cleveland E. Dodge Professor in Cognitive Science and Education
Director of Education for Persistence and Innovation Center
Director of Institute for Learning Technologies
Teachers College, Columbia University
Dr. Xiaodong Lin is the Cleveland E. Dodge Professor of Cognitive Science in Education and the Founding Director of the Education for Persistence and Innovation Center (EPIC) at Teachers College, Columbia University. She specializes in motivating individuals to succeed despite encountering obstacles in their work and personal lives. Her interdisciplinary research integrates motivational psychology with computer technology, cross-cultural comparisons, and clinical interventions. Dr. Lin’s work demonstrates that transforming failures into success and personal growth often requires changing strategies and sometimes even goals. A key theme in her research is using emotional failure stories of world-recognized role models, such as Albert Einstein and Marie Curie, to help individuals overcome failures in STEM learning.
About the Keynote Address:
Dr. Lin will dive deep into the emotional and cognitive toll that failures impose on students—and the stark reality that our current educational system is not equipped to handle it. In her talk, Dr. Lin will reveal how to reshape the narrative around failure, empowering students to “fail forward” and turn failures into successes. She’ll share proven, practical strategies for principals and teachers to help students embrace challenges and thrive in the demanding world of STEM.
Summit Schedule
Click here for a printable view of the schedule
(Updated 10/17/2024; All times tentative)
|
Day |
Activities |
Location |
|
Thursday, February 6 |
||
|
6-7 pm |
Opening Reception for Conference Attendees |
TBD |
|
Friday, February 7 |
||
|
9-10 am |
Welcome by Todd Mann, NCSSS Executive Director Keynote Address by Dr. Xiaodong Lin Siegler Host School Presentation by Rachel Hoyle, Principal, The Bronx High School of Science |
The Bronx High School of Science |
|
10 am-12 pm |
School Tour and Panel Discussion |
The Bronx High School of Science |
|
12-1:00 pm |
Bus Ride & Box Lunch |
Bus |
|
1-1:30 pm |
Welcome by Todd Mann, NCSSS Executive Director Sponsor Presentations Host School Presentation by Seung Yu, Principal, Stuyvesant High School |
Stuyvesant High School |
|
1:30-3:30 pm |
School Tour and Panel Discussion |
Stuyvesant High School |
|
3:30/4 pm |
Bus returns to hotel / |
Bus |
|
Saturday, February 8 |
||
|
9-10 am |
Panel |
Columbia University School of Engineering |
|
10-11 am |
Session Share Outs/Reflections “What do you want to bring back to your community? Large group share out |
Columbia University School of Engineering |
| 11-12 pm | Campus Tour | Columbia University School of Engineering |
|
12-1 pm |
Lunch & Closing Thoughts |
Columbia University School of Engineering |
|
1 pm |
Summit Concludes / Bus returns to hotel |
Bus |
About the Leadership Summit
The annual Leadership Summit brings together current and aspiring administrators and heads of school in STEM education to share best practices and collaborate with other STEM professionals. Throughout the Summit, you and your peers will discuss key issues impacting STEM schools today and tomorrow.