2026 Conference Archive

Format

Individual Presentation

First Presenter's Institution

Westbury Union Free School District

First Presenter’s Email Address

dzimbler@westburyschools.org

First Presenter's Brief Biography

David Zimbler has been an educator for over 30 years. He has served as a middle and high school Principal for 18 of them. Under his leadership, his schools have been recognized with the United States Department of Education School of Excellence Blue Ribbon School, a New York State Education Department High Performing/Gap Closing School, and by the New York State Education Department for its Graduation Rate for Young Men of Color. He has also received the National Association of Secondary and Elementary School Principals Salute to Leadership Award.

Second Presenter's Institution

Westbury Union Free School District

Second Presenter’s Email Address

dfaulkner@westburyschools.org

Second Presenter's Brief Biography

Deadra Faulkner has held the position of Vice President for three years as an Executive Board Member for the Westbury Association for Administrator and Supervisors. She Currently serves as an Executive Board Member for the Nassau Counselors Association, Nassau County representative for the Long Island Higher Education Regional Advisory Council, District Liaison for Nassau BOCES Mental Health Consortium, New York State School Counselors Association, the New York State Association for Women Administrators, and serves on several local college advisory boards. She is the recipient of several Nassau County Legislative Proclamations and awards as well as local, state and national recognition as a Leader of Excellence recognized by Nassau BOCES (2018) Princeton Review (Top 20 School Counselor Leaders who make a difference, 2019),The Eta Lambda Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity (2021) and the New York State School Counselors Association (2022).

Submitter

I am submitting this proposal as one of the presenter(s)

Location

Vernon

Strand #1

Head: Academic Achievement & Leadership

Strand #2

Heart: Social & Emotional Skills

Relevance

Westbury High School incorporates “Head” and “Heart” strands into our daily operations in building a progressive and high performing school culture that supports all stakeholders, specifically our students.

Brief Program Description

How do you build a school-wide culture that supports students and motivates staff on a social/emotional and instructional level? This workshop will include strategies on Leadership, Culture/Social Emotional State, Programs with Data/Results that will assist in obtaining this achievable goal! Work with a Director of Guidance and Principal that have accomplished this important goal.

Summary

Together Everyone Achieves More (TEAM) Approach to Building a High-Performance School Culture

The Tools to Establishing a Culture of Leadership: A Multi-Tiered Process to go from Good to Great by Self Reflecting and Developing a Plan of Action in Supporting the Cultural, the Social/Emotional, and Academic State of Your School.

Westbury High School is a Data-Driven School that serves a diverse student population within the suburbs of Nassau County. What makes us unique is the multicultural community that encompasses over nineteen spoken languages.

Changing the Narrative…. Collaboratively, with Head (Academic Achievement & Leadership) and Heart (Social & Emotional Skills), our high school has had a significant increase in graduation rate and within graduation cohorts such as the ENL Cohort and the Special Education Cohort.

How was it done? Audience members will be immersed in practical models, programs, and strategies that can be implemented with fidelity such as….

  • The Harvard Data Wise Improvement Process

  • The Building Assets Reducing Risks Program (BARR) in 9th and 10th Grade

  • Professional Learning Communities (PLC)

  • Diversity Equity Inclusivity Practices

  • Social Emotional Learning and Extra Curricular Activities

  • Creation of Collaborative School Based Committees

  • Family and Community Based Organization Partnerships

This work has also resulted in Westbury High School being recognized by the New York State Education Department for its graduation rate for young men of color. You will leave these sessions with ideas and strategies that can be used immediately in addition to assisting in strategic planning over the long term.

Evidence

  • The Harvard Data Wise Improvement Process

  • The Building Assets Reducing Risks Program (BARR) in 9th and 10th Grade

  • Professional Learning Communities (PLC) - DuFour and DuFour Model

  • Diversity Equity Inclusivity (DEI) Practices

  • Dare to Lead by Brene Brown

Learning Objective 1

Participants will be able to interpret and create their own data cycles to improve learning outcomes.

Learning Objective 2

Participants will be able to describe the differences between data, information, and knowledge.

Learning Objective 3

Participants will be able to create supportive social emotional and cultural experiences that benefit all students.

Keyword Descriptors

Students, Data, Success, Leadership, Passion, Collaboration, Access, Equity, Excellence, and Vision

Presentation Year

2026

Start Date

3-2-2026 2:45 PM

End Date

3-2-2026 4:00 PM

Download

Files over 10MB may be slow to open. For best results, right-click and select "Save as..."

Share

COinS
 
Mar 2nd, 2:45 PM Mar 2nd, 4:00 PM

Together Everyone Achieves More (TEAM) Approach to Building a High Performance School Culture

Vernon

How do you build a school-wide culture that supports students and motivates staff on a social/emotional and instructional level? This workshop will include strategies on Leadership, Culture/Social Emotional State, Programs with Data/Results that will assist in obtaining this achievable goal! Work with a Director of Guidance and Principal that have accomplished this important goal.