Conferences & Seminars

MASSP Spring AI Lab for School Leaders

MASSP is partnering with Gruvy Education to offer a FREE Monthly AI Lab for School Leaders.

Each Lab will focus on 4-5 specific, real-world ways school leaders use AI right now to save time and make better decisions. These strategies come from Gruvy’s view of how AI is most effectively used by superintendents across the over 300 schools they works with.

Sessions are hands-on and concrete. Participants see exactly what to type, how to give good context, and how to quickly edit AI output so it sounds like them. Every session includes ready-to-use prompt templates and simple guardrails for safe, responsible AI use in schools.

Members will receive an email from MASSP to sign up for these labs. See below for more details on each lab.

May Lab

Date: May 12, 2026

Time: 8:30 am CT

Title: Using AI for Data Analysis

Description: This session shows you how to use AI for data analysis while following student data privacy laws. You will walk away with a library of prompts that you can use at your school to make more data-driven decisions. We will then go over how to take your data and turn it into a ready-made slide deck for your school board. You’ll leave with workflows to move from drowning in data to clarity.

June Lab

Date: June 4, 2026

Time: 9 am CT

Title: Build a Custom AI Assistant for Your School or District

Description: This session shows school leaders how to correctly create a Gem or Custom GPT. You will learn how to build one around your school or district context, provide clear instructions, and use it for tasks such as drafting communications, answering policy questions, supporting staff, and handling repeat work more quickly. By the end, you will have a clear path to building a tool your team can use, rather than starting from scratch every time.

July Lab

Date: July 7, 2026

Time: 9 am CT

Title: Create Repeatable AI Workflows for Your School or District

Description:Most school leaders use AI one prompt at a time and waste time rebuilding the same work over and over. This session shows you how to create repeatable workflows your school or district can use for communication, planning, document review, staff support, and other recurring tasks. You will leave with a clearer way to use AI more consistently, save time each week, and make it easier for your team to get useful results.

MASSP Summer Pre-Conference

Monday, June 15th, 2026
12:30-3:30pm
Breezy Point Resort

Hosted By The Women’s Leadership Network and Facilitated by Dr. Stephanie (Stevi )Shively from the University of Minnesota Bakken Center. Get ready to recharge, reconnect, and have a little fun along the way! This Pre-Conference is all about finding your balance while embracing joy, laughter, and a well-deserved pause from the everyday hustle. You’ll leave with practical strategies for well-being—but also memories made, because sometimes the best way to restore balance is to breathe deep, soak up the sunshine, and remember—you deserve this.

Dr. Stephanie (Stevi) Shively is an instructor at the Earl E. Bakken Center, where she teaches courses on narrative & wellbeing and executive function, and in addition, through Universe, Inc., delivers wellbeing programming. Dr. Shively is a Licensed Professional Counselor who specializes in clinical burnout, perfectionism, academic/occupational distress, self-compassion, and neurodivergence (particularly late-diagnosed ADHD), and is currently working toward her clinical counseling license.

This will be a three-part session:

Caring for the Leaders: How to create balance and manage stress through self-leadership
Weaving Wellbeing Into Your Everyday: Practical tips for promoting sustainable resilience
Renovate your Relationship with Self: Compassionate Recharge and Play

MASSP Summer Conference

June 15 – 18, 2026
Breezy Point Resort, Brainerd, MN

Housing

Join MASSP at Breezy Point Resort to revitalize your leadership skills by taking a few days to focus on your learning and well-being. MASSP’s Summer Conference will feature:

- Aspiring Leaders Workshop during the conference (Tuesday)
- Keynote Speakers
- Concurrent sessions
- Networking
- Ignite Program
- Celebrating Members

Fees: Registration Fee

- Member $295.00
- Non-Member $395.00

June 16th – Keynote Speaker: Dr. Tron Young

Be the Thermostat, Not the Thermometer

It is crucial to be intentional and purposeful in setting the culture of your school or classroom. We have to be the Thermostat and not the thermometer. There is a clear and distinct difference. The thermometer reads what is going on, how the students interact, what the parents say, and how the building/classroom flows. The Thermostat transforms what is going on, sets expectations, continues adjusting for student interactions, informs parents of what is going on, and initiates actions to set the culture of the building or classroom.

Ask yourself, are you the THERMOSTAT or the THERMOMETER? If you are ready to be the thermostat, Dr. Young will inspire you with stories and action steps to help you BE THE THERMOSTAT in your classroom and school.

June 17th – Keynote Speaker: Matt Mervis

Beyond the Bot: Leading Your School into the Intelligence Age
Artificial intelligence is no longer a “next year” problem. For school leaders the challenge is moving past the novelty of chatbots to build a coherent, human-centered strategy for their buildings. This session strips away the jargon and provides principals with a clear five-pillar framework.

We will dive into:

Pedagogy over Platforms: How to choose tools that actually drive learning, not just digital noise.
The Guardrails: Navigating the messy world of policy, governance, and strategic planning.
The New Skills Economy: Understanding the shifting labor market and what it means for your students’ future.
Leading the Human Side: Supporting your staff through the anxiety of rapid change with empathy and clarity.
Reclaiming Your Calendar: Realizing operational efficiencies that act as your personal “Chief of Staff.”

The Hands-on Nugget

We will wrap up with a custom administrator bot on your phone that acts as a shortcut to smarter decisions and instant time-savings.

Service Award

Form

At the MASSP Summer Conference, during the Recognition Banquet and Awards Program on Tuesday, June 16, we will be giving special recognition to members who have served in an administrative position for 15, 20, 25, 30 years, or who are retiring. Click the button to fill out the form.

- Due: May 1st, 2026

Aspiring Leaders Summer Workshop

June 16, 2026

Aspiring Leaders are invited to this one-day conference at Breezy Point Resort. They will get the opportunity to listen to Keynote Speaker Dr. Tron Young and attend concurrent sessions to learn side-by-side with current principals and school leaders. Participants are welcome to stay at Breezy Point and attend the Wednesday general session.

Schedule at a glance:

8:30 AM: Keynote Speaker – Dr. Tron Young
10:30 AM: Concurrent Sessions
11:30 AM: Concurrent Sessions
12:30 PM: Lunch
1:30 PM: Concurrent Sessions
2:30 PM: Aspiring Leadership Forum Discussions with MASSP Executive Director Bob Driver
3:30 PM: Closing Remarks

Registration Fee: $95

MASSP New Administrators Launching Program

A program designed for first- and second-year school administrators.

2026 TBD

Join a cohort designed to guide new administrators through the critical early years of school leadership. This program addresses the essential knowledge and skills every new administrator needs. Participants will join the cohort of fellow new principals and be paired with experienced mentors-building a strong network of connection, collaboration and ongoing support throughout their leadership journey.

MASSP Student Discipline Workshop

2026 TBD

Roger Aronson, MASSP Attorney/Lobbyist is one of the most highly regarded experts in school law in the State of Minnesota. This workshop will explore legal implications and the administrator’s role including provisions you may not know about. Find out what is new for school administrators in multiple areas of student discipline. Information is practical and may offer guidelines for policy development.

MASSP/MESPA Empowering Leaders

TBD 2026-2027

The Empowering Excellence Series, brought to you by MESPA and MASSP, is a four-part professional learning experience designed to support principals throughout the year. Each session builds intentionally—from understanding leadership identity and foundational learning organization principles to applying that knowledge in real- time through focused action and relationship-building. Leaders will explore how their strengths, personal attributes, and leadership styles influence school culture, systems, and learning outcomes while providing practical strategies and leadership moves to enhance their effectiveness. The Empowering Excellence Series culminates in a reflective look at leadership impact and a forward- thinking approach to sustaining growth, equipping leaders with the clarity, confidence, and connections needed to lead with purpose throughout the year and beyond.

As the series unfolds, participants will dig deeper into the heart of impactful leadership: creating hope, fostering growth, and reflecting on purpose. Through practical tools, reflective practices, and collaborative learning, the Empowering Excellence Series helps leaders stay grounded in their “why” while advancing their effectiveness and clarity. The journey concludes with a celebration of leadership impact and a forward-focused lens to carry momentum into the future.

MASSP School Law Seminars

Fall 2026

MASSP Attorney/Lobbyist Roger Aronson is conducting one-day seminars throughout the state presenting the most up to date information on school law. Roger is one of the most highly regarded experts in school law in the State of Minnesota. Find out what is new in school law, have your legal questions answered and gain valuable insight.

MASSP Winter Conference

2027
Minneapolis Marriott City Center Hotel

MASSP Student Handbook Workshop

2027

The Student Handbook is one of the most important administrative tools in guiding and reinforcing legal policies and school procedures and practices within a school is the student handbook. Furthermore, by including pertinent information within the handbook, districts can avoid both time and money in litigation costs.

Sign up for this interactive workshop designed to highlight the value of a strong, well-crafted student handbook and the essential components every school should consider including. Participants are encouraged to bring their current school handbook for hands-on review and revision. You will leave prepared to refine, update, and confidently present your handbook to your school board prior to the start of the next academic year.

Presenters: Roger Aronson, MASSP Attorney/Lobbyist; Erich Martens from MSHSL; and Terry Morrow from MSBA.

If you would like to join any of these events, please see our calendar.