2026 Leadership Summit
January 29-31, 2026
Miami, Florida
Join us for a deep dive into current STEM-related topics hosted by the largest university in the country. Look for Florida International University to guide us to groundbreaking research. We expect 50-70 leaders from the top STEM high schools and districts around the U.S.
Accommodations*
(305) 477-5580
*NCSS contracts with the hotel to receive a special rate based on minimum bookings; therefore, attendees are encouraged to book at our summit hotel for $189/night by Thursday, January 8th, 2026, to help us meet our contractual obligations.
Theme: “Collective Agency: Empowering Students and Educators as Catalysts for STEM Innovation”
Join school leaders from across the nation for three transformative days dedicated to reimagining how we cultivate agency throughout our STEM learning communities. This year’s summit explores the powerful intersection where student empowerment meets educator innovation—creating educational ecosystems where everyone becomes an agent of meaningful change.
In today’s rapidly evolving technological landscape, tomorrow’s challenges will require more than technical proficiency; they demand creative problem-solvers who can navigate complexity, drive innovation, and lead collaborative solutions. Our STEM schools are uniquely positioned to develop these capacities—but only if we move beyond traditional models that limit agency to a select few.
This year’s Leadership Summit invites you to explore how collective agency—distributed across students, educators, administrators, and community partners—creates the conditions for transformative STEM education.
We will collectively reimagine how agency—intentionally cultivated and equitably distributed—can transform STEM education into an engine for innovation and impact.
2026 Agenda At A Glance:
Thursday, January 29
5 p.m.: Attendees picked up at hotel
5:30-7 p.m.: Reception at FIU Wall of Wind
7 p.m.: Attendees return to hotel
Friday, January 30
7 a.m.: Attendees picked up at hotel for visit to Miami Coral Park High School
7:30-9:30 a.m.: School tour
9:30 a.m.: Attendees depart for FIU
10 a.m.: Welcome at FIU
10:45 a.m.-Noon: Sustainable Transformation: From Individual Agency to Institutional Change
12:10-12:55 p.m.: Lunch and Student Panel: Future Innovators: Students Shaping Success Through
1-2:30 p.m.: FIU Campus tours
2:35-3:45 p.m.: Afternoon concurrent sessions
3:45-4:15 p.m. Wrap-up and afternoon refreshments
Saturday, January 31
8-8:30 a.m.: Welcome
8:30-9:15 a.m. Reflective activity
9:15-10 a.m.: Interactive poll/pair-share
10-10:15 a.m.: Break
10:15-11 a.m. Action planning
11-11:30 a.m.: Sharing and group feedback
11:30 a.m.: Leadership Summit concludes
