Bright Futures: A Summer Gathering for Educators
Join fellow middle and secondary educators for Bright Futures, a two-day in-person conference designed by teachers, for teachers, along the Maine coast. Hosted by Baxter Academy of Technology and Science and the Center for Artistry and Scholarship, this gathering focuses on student-driven, real-world learning that connects classrooms to communities.
Through hands-on workshops, collaborative inquiry, and community exploration, participants will build a collective toolbox of practical strategies and curricular resources. Modeled on Baxter Academy’s ethos of connecting learning to students’ lived experiences and passions, the conference will help educators develop approaches that foster students as makers, thinkers, and change agents.
WHAT YOU’LL GAIN
Participants will learn to:
Coach students to be active community agents
Anchor learning in real-world, complex problems
Create learning experiences that build social, aspirational, and financial capital
Bring academics alive through summative assessments that highlight individual student voices
Align project-based STEM work with standards across ELA, math, science, social studies, and the arts
Practice concrete routines to help students take responsibility for their learning
Introduce community-based learning strategies, even in traditional classrooms
When: June 30–July 1, 2026 | 9:00 AM – 3:00 PM
Where: Baxter Academy, 185 Lancaster Street, Portland, ME
Who: Teachers of grades 6–12
Register Today: Early bird pricing available through March 15, 2026!