Sue Ann Highland
National Education StrategistSchool SpecialtyDr. Sue Ann Highland is an educational leader, national speaker, and author of Reimagining Learning Spaces: Designing Educational Environments for a New Generation. With more than 30 years of experience in education, she has served as a Principal, Director of Curriculum and Instruction, Federal Programs Director, and Career and Technical Education Director, leading improvement initiatives in schools and districts across the country.
Currently the National Education Strategist for School Specialty, Dr. Highland partners with districts and educators nationwide to align instructional vision, culture, and physical learning environments. Drawing on her background in Industrial/Organizational Psychology, she focuses on the human side of educational systems — how space, culture, and leadership decisions influence collaboration, belonging, engagement, and performance.
As the author of Reimagining Learning Spaces, Dr. Highland challenges schools to think beyond furniture and floorplans to design environments that intentionally support how people learn, connect, and work together. Her work bridges real-world leadership experience with research-informed strategies that help schools create spaces where both students and educators thrive.
A dynamic and engaging presenter, Dr. Highland speaks nationally on leadership-driven design, CTE learning environments, belonging and culture in schools, and the role of physical space in shaping human behavior and learning.
Beyond Flexible Seating: Evidence on How Classroom Space Shapes Engagement, Agency, and Learning
This session shares findings from a year-long case study examining how classroom furniture and spatial arrangement influenced student engagement, coll…This session shares findings from a year-long case study examining how classroom furniture and spatial arrangement influenced student engagement, collaboration, self-efficacy, and teaching practices in two secondary classrooms. Using surveys, focus g…This session shares findings from a year-long case study examining how classroom furniture and spatial arrangement influenced student engagement, collaboration, self-efficacy, and teaching practices in two secondary classrooms. Using surveys, focus groups, observations, and administrative data, the study provides post-occupancy insights into how physical learning environments shape human experience, instructional flexibility, and student agency.This session shares findings from a year-long case study examining how classroom furniture and spatial arrangement influenced student engagement, collaboration, self-efficacy, and teaching practices in two secondary classrooms. Using surveys, focus groups, observations, and administrative data, the study provides post-occupancy insights into how physical learning environments shape human experience, instructional flexibility, and student agency.Show MoreClick the title to see all details
GENERAL SESSION: Colleagues of the Round Table: Addressing Wicked Problems in Learning Design
Education is not short on ideas — it is short on aligned action and honest conversation. “Colleagues of the Round Table” is a live, participatory foru…Education is not short on ideas — it is short on aligned action and honest conversation. “Colleagues of the Round Table” is a live, participatory forum designed to surface the real conversations education leaders need but rarely have in public settin…Education is not short on ideas — it is short on aligned action and honest conversation. “Colleagues of the Round Table” is a live, participatory forum designed to surface the real conversations education leaders need but rarely have in public settings. This session dissolves the traditional boundary between panel and audience, inviting participants into a structured experience of peer-to-peer dialogue, challenge, and debate. Using pre-session in…Education is not short on ideas — it is short on aligned action and honest conversation. “Colleagues of the Round Table” is a live, participatory forum designed to surface the real conversations education leaders need but rarely have in public settings. This session dissolves the traditional boundary between panel and audience, inviting participants into a structured experience of peer-to-peer dialogue, challenge, and debate. Using pre-session input from attendees, the session centers on authentic tensions shaping future-ready learning: innovation versus accountability, AI acceleration versus instructional readiness, and student well-being versus performance pressures. Participants engage in facilitated roundtable discussions, followed by cross-table exchanges that disrupt echo chambers and broaden perspective. Structured debate protocols guide participants through positioning, evidence-building, counterargument, and perspective-shifting, ensuring rigor and equity of voice. Rather than seeking premature consensus, the session prioritizes clarity — helping leaders identify what they believe, where tensions persist, and what that means for action. Leave with a co-developed Future-Ready Learning Blueprint, including design principles, priority tensions, and immediate next steps. More importantly, they leave with sharper thinking, grounded in the collective intelligence of their peers.Limited capacity. RSVP required.Show MoreClick the title to see all detailsShow More
WORKSHOP: From Spec to Student
What happens between design intent and the finished classroom? This session explores the critical journey from specification to installation, and why …What happens between design intent and the finished classroom? This session explores the critical journey from specification to installation, and why it matters. When dealers, A&D professionals, manufacturers, educators, and students collaborate …What happens between design intent and the finished classroom? This session explores the critical journey from specification to installation, and why it matters. When dealers, A&D professionals, manufacturers, educators, and students collaborate effectively, the result is not just a better process, but the creation of learning environments that meaningfully impact student engagement and outcomes. This interactive session will feature students…What happens between design intent and the finished classroom? This session explores the critical journey from specification to installation, and why it matters. When dealers, A&D professionals, manufacturers, educators, and students collaborate effectively, the result is not just a better process, but the creation of learning environments that meaningfully impact student engagement and outcomes. This interactive session will feature students and educators, providing firsthand perspectives on how learning environments support engagement, focus, and overall classroom experience. Attendees will gain direct insight into how spaces are experienced in real time, and how decisions made along the way influence the final learning environment. Through a collaborative format, participants will explore how stronger alignment across stakeholders can improve both process and outcomes.Show MoreClick the title to see all detailsShow More
