Assess Before Assessment Season Hits
The 3 Problems Middle Schools Can't Afford to Carry Into the Next Semester
Free Live Webinar | November 11, 2026 | 7:00 PM EST | 60 Minutes
Your school has been working on the problem. Why does it keep returning?
You've reviewed the data. You've provided professional development. You've adjusted interventions, reinforced expectations, and revisited your school improvement priorities.
And yet, some of the same challenges remain.
As January approaches, you may already be thinking about what your leadership team needs to address when the new semester begins.
But before adding another strategy or launching another initiative, consider this: What if your current response isn't addressing what's actually sustaining the problem?
Assessment season rarely creates a school's biggest challenges. It reveals the instructional and cultural conditions that have been shaping student experiences all year.
The next semester shouldn't become the place where unresolved first-semester problems go to live.
Does Any of this Sound Familiar?
1. Quality instruction depends on the classroom students enter.
Students may be working toward the same standards while experiencing very different levels of rigor, opportunities for reasoning, and instructional support.
Your school has invested in strengthening instruction, but the experience remains inconsistent.
2. Your team has the data, but the same learning gaps keep appearing.
Assessment results are reviewed. PLCs meet. Instructional priorities are identified.
Yet the connection between what the evidence reveals and what adults change in the classroom isn't always clear.
3. Your school keeps losing valuable learning time.
Recurring disengagement, redirection, and classroom removals continue interrupting instruction.
Your team has responded, but the pattern remains.
If any of these challenges sound familiar, this conversation is for you.
What if the next step isn't another solution?
When schools experience persistent problems, the response is often to add something: another intervention, another professional development session, another monitoring process, or another set of expectations.
But before deciding what else to do, leaders need to determine whether they're addressing the problem or primarily managing its effects.
That's what we'll examine together.
During our hour, we'll:
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Recognize three recurring problems that can quietly follow a school into the next semester.
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Examine what may be sustaining these patterns, even when schools have already taken action.
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Apply the POWER lens to a common school challenge to consider what leaders may be overlooking.
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Evaluate whether current responses are reaching the underlying issue or simply managing its symptoms.
This isn't about solving every problem in one hour. It's about making sure your next decision starts with a clearer understanding of the problem.
What you'll be able to do after this session...
Identify the Priority
Determine which of three recurring challenges may be creating the greatest vulnerability in your school.
Look Beneath the System
Distinguish what you're seeing from the instructional or cultural conditions that may be sustaining it.
Evaluate Your Response
Consider whether your current strategies are changing the problem or simply helping your team manage it.
We'll also apply the POWER lens to a common school challenge to demonstrate how a more intentional examination can lead to different leadership questions and decisions.
This Is Not Another Test-Preparation Webinar
We're not spending an hour discussing how to collect more data or increase test preparation.
We're examining the problems your school is already experiencing, and whether your current responses are reaching what's actually driving them.
You may already have a school improvement plan, established data processes, and behavior systems in place.
The question isn't whether your school has been doing the work.
The question is whether that work is changing what students experience.
Before the next semester begins, you have an opportunity to examine what's working, what's not moving, and what deserves your leadership team's attention.
Who Should Join Me?
This session is designed for middle school principals and assistant principals who are responsible for leading instructional and cultural improvement.
It's also relevant for superintendents, district leaders, instructional coaches, curriculum leaders, and assessment leaders supporting that work.
If you're responsible for helping educators make meaningful changes in teaching, learning, and school culture, this conversation is for you.
What Leaders Are Saying
Hear from leaders around the world who have experienced the value of Dr Tanji's teachings.
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Keynote Attendee
The conceptual framework—how that relates to text, curriculum, and students’ perspectives—was extremely helpful in understanding the power we hold as educators.
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Keynote Attendee
Teachers have instructional power! Are you a teacher or an educator? Is the affirmation we give reductive or expansive? This challenged me to think differently about my role.
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Keynote Attendee
When Dr. Tanji discussed the conceptual frame of "know, function, engage, and produce." I love how she said, "Every child deserves an excellent equitable education where they are affirmed and where they develop the skills to make meaning from their world."
Meet Your Facilitator
Dr. Tanji Reed Marshall Founder & CEO | Liaison Educational PartnersI work with educational leaders to examine how instructional decisions, power dynamics, and organizational practices shape student learning experiences.
Through Liaison Educational Partners, I partner with schools and districts to move beyond identifying challenges and toward strengthening the practices and conditions that influence student access, agency, and learning.
My work is grounded in a simple belief: The decisions we make as educational leaders shape what becomes possible for students.
This webinar is an opportunity to examine those decisions more intentionally before the demands of the next semester take over.
Next Semester Is Closer Than It Seems
Wednesday, November 11, 2026 | 7:00 PM EST| FREE LIVE WEBINAR
Your leadership team doesn't have to solve every problem before winter break.
But you can begin identifying which problems deserve attention, what evidence needs closer examination, and whether your current response is positioned to create meaningful change.
Don't wait until January to understand the problem your school is already experiencing.
Join me on November 11th. Let's start with the right problem.
Questions? We've Got You Covered.
Who is this webinar for?
This webinar is designed for principals and assistant principals, particularly at the middle school level, as well as district and state leaders. If you are responsible for creating empowering assessment environments, this session is for you!
What if I can’t attend live?
A replay will be available for those who register, so you won’t miss out on any critical insights.
How much does it cost to attend?
This webinar is completely free, but registration is required.
Will I receive materials after the session?
Yes! You’ll receive a downloadable leadership toolkit packed with strategies and resources.
What makes Dr. Tanji the right person to lead this?
With over 30 years of experience in education leadership,curriculum, instruction and culture, Dr. Tanji brings unmatched expertise to support your planning for next semester.
How interactive is this session?
Expect a highly engaging session with Q&A opportunities, discussion, and strategy-sharing among leaders.
Is this just another webinar?
No—this is a leadership strategy session designed to provide immediate, actionable takeaways.
Where Do We Go From Here?
This webinar is the beginning of a larger opportunity to strengthen your school's approach to persistent challenges.
WEBINAR | Identify the Problem
Examine the recurring challenges affecting instruction, student experiences, and learning time.
MASTERCLASS | Decide What to Change First
Move from identifying the problem to building a focused 10-Day Planning Sprint.
DRIVE CONSULTING | Implement and Evaluate
Partner with Liaison Educational Partners to put meaningful changes into practice, examine their impact, and strengthen implementation across your school.