Pop-Up Playbook: A Replicable System to Spark Leadership, Belonging, and Innovation

Outline

1. Welcome + Set the Stage (5 min)
Quick intro to the pop-up concept and today’s session flow

2. LIVE POP-UP EXPERIENCE (20 min)
Participants engage in a simulated student-led pop-up event, featuring digital creativity tools (e.g., Book Creator, Canva). The session is tied to a theme (identity, voice, belonging) and is based on real pop-ups from our district.

3. Reflection + Debrief (10 min)
Group discussion: What did this feel like as a learner?
Key takeaways about identity, agency, collaboration, and tool use
Share quotes, photos, or short videos from your district’s actual events

4. Behind the Scenes: The Model in Action (10 min)
Walk through how your team built this model
Show examples of teacher/student roles, monthly themes, planning tools
Share evidence of increased tool use and leadership development

5. Design Your Own Pop-Up Plan (10 min)
Participants work individually or in pairs to sketch out a pop-up they could run in their school using a provided template (station ideas, leadership roles, equity themes, tools).

6. Share + Q&A + Call to Action (5 min)
Invite a few participants to share pop-up ideas
Offer a starter toolkit and access to planning docs
Final takeaway: “Start small, start joyful—just pop up and go!”

Outcomes

After this session, participants will be able to:
Experience a student- and teacher-led pop-up model firsthand and reflect on how creative, culturally relevant tech use can foster agency and belonging.

Analyze how this model increased tool adoption, built leadership capacity, and transformed school culture in a real district implementation.

Design their own low-to-no-cost pop-up events using provided templates and planning tools—tailored to their unique students, staff, and school goals.

Empower students and educators to co-lead engaging, identity-driven learning experiences using existing technologies.

Build a culture where creativity, leadership, and digital learning are accessible, inclusive, and community-driven.

Supporting research

ISTE (2023). ISTE Standards for Students, Educators, and Leaders.

Gay, G. (2018). Culturally Responsive Teaching: Theory, Research, and Practice (3rd ed.).

Fullan, M. (2019). Nuance: Why Some Leaders Succeed and Others Fail.

Culturally Responsive-Sustaining Education Framework – NYSED (2019).

Kraft, M. A., & Papay, J. P. (2014). Can Professional Environments in Schools Promote Teacher Development? Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis.

Ladson-Billings, G. (2021). Culturally Sustaining Pedagogies in the Classroom.