Leadership Retreats

The LD Schools Leadership Retreat has been an opportunity for leaders to connect, recharge, and learn for many years. We hope you can join us for this exciting and fulfilling opportunity to share insights, learn, and grow alongside other LD school professionals as we work to build the next generation of leaders serving students with learning disabilities. With the formation of ALDS, the Leadership Retreat will continue to serve that purpose for years to come. The mission and vision of the retreat remains the same.

Mission:

Building the next generation of leaders serving students with learning differences.

Values:
  • Leadership Development
  • Connecting as a Community
  • Recharging

Join Us in Seattle

July 20 - 23, 2025

Call for Papers

ALDS is looking for volunteers to present on International level at our 2025 Leadership Retreat. Our 2025 theme is set as Building a Sustainable Future. Using the feedback from the 2024 post retreat survey as well as information gathered from ALDS member schools, the team has identified the following topics for this year’s gathering: 

  • Assisting schools in defining their unique value proposition to stand out amidst growing competition.
  • Crafting and executing marketing plans tailored to the evolving needs of parents and students.
  • Developing targeted strategies to cultivate leadership skills in current and future leaders.
  • Fostering a thriving school culture that engages students, parents, faculty, staff and/or administrators while aligning everyone around the school’s mission.
  • Building a sustainable financial future through enrollment management, alternate revenue streams, fundraising and strategic budgeting.

All presentations should be interactive and engaging to participants. To meet this goal, we ask that presenters have an audience participation element embedded in their presentation.

For more information, please see our official Call for Papers. If you would like to present during the retreat, please submit your proposals by February 17, 2025 via this online form.

2025 ALDS Leadership Retreat at the Hamlin Robinson School

The Leadership Retreat Task Force has been working hard to plan an amazing 2025 Retreat. Registration for the event will be open next month, but here are some highlights:

  • Sunday, July 20th

  • Monday, July 21st 
    • Heads Only Pre Conference
    • New this year - School Leaders Pre Conference (for non-Heads)
    • Evening Kickoff Event for all Retreat Attendees at Hamlin Robinson School

  • Tuesday, July 22nd
    • Full Day of Learning and Collaborating
    • Evening Dinner Cruise

  • Wednesday, July 23rd
    • Full Day of Learning and Collaborating
    • OPTIONAL - Evening Tour - Best of Seattle

INTERESTED IN BEING A SPONSOR?

Please review our sponsorship package (COMING SOON) and reach out to Cheryl Cook at ccook@ldschools.org.

MEET OUR 2024 SPONSORS

Platinum Level Sponsors

Superpower Mentors is a pioneering mentorship program tailored for youth and young adults with learning differences. We pair neurodiverse individuals with neurodiverse mentors who share similar interests and passions while also having gone through comparable challenges. This approach creates a unique bond, allowing mentees to connect with mentors who feel like an older version of themselves, providing both inspiration and guidance.

With over 8,000 sessions completed, thousands of mentorship hours logged, and hundreds of students impacted globally, our program emphasizes the strengths of each mentee, helping them navigate and overcome obstacles. We are dedicated to empowering the next generation of neurodiverse thinkers to confidently succeed in any environment.

Gold Level Sponsors

MISBO, founded in 1976, is a non-profit, professional association of 400 independent schools in over 25 states throughout the US. MISBO provides its members opportunities for collective purchasing, professional development, and valuable best practices and information sharing.

MISBO, founded in 1976, is a non-profit, professional association of 400 independent schools in over 25 states throughout the US. MISBO provides its members opportunities for collective purchasing, professional development, and valuable best practices and information sharing. MISBO lives by these three rules:

  • Lead with Empathy
  • Make it Easy
  • No More than One Battle per Day

The Lab School of Washington, where students with language-based learning differences, such as dyslexia and ADHD, thrive in an environment designed for them.

It’s different here. Creative energy permeates the air. Vibrant artwork is everywhere. Gardens cultivate curiosity. Hammers and 3D-printers in makerspaces bring ideas to life.

At traditional schools, students with language-based learning differences, such as dyslexia and ADHD, may feel alone, misunderstood, and even embarrassed. At The Lab School of Washington, these students enter an environment designed for them to thrive.

And that changes everything.


Carney, Sandoe & Associates, helping schools recruit and retain exceptional faculty and leaders since 1977.

At Carney, Sandoe & Associates, we believe there is nothing more important than helping schools recruit and retain exceptional faculty and leaders.

Since our inception in 1977, we have worked successfully with over 1,800 independent, private, boarding, and charter schools in 48 states and 32 countries to provide exceptional faculty recruitment, head of school searches, and strategic consulting services.

In addition to assisting schools, we help teaching, administrative, and coaching candidates find their dream jobs. Over the past four decades, we have facilitated more than 33,000 hires all over the world. Just this past year, we placed more teachers, coaches, and school leaders than any other recruitment firm in the world.

Silver Level Sponsors

Landmark School, a haven for students with dyslexia and other language-based learning differences just 30 miles from Boston.

There’s a haven just 30 miles from Boston on the rocky coast of the Atlantic Ocean where students in grades 2-12 with dyslexia and other language-based learning differences flourish. Landmark School is designed for the difference.

We meet our students where they are and individualize a program just for them. With opportunities to learn inside and outside the classroom, challenging college-prep academics, robust athletics and extracurriculars, and an impactful boarding program—Landmark graduates are prepared for what’s next.


Charles Armstrong School, unlocking the unique potential of students with dyslexia and related learning differences since 1968.

Charles Armstrong School unlocks the unique potential of students with dyslexia and related learning differences, changing the trajectory of their lives.

We have been providing immersive remediation, differentiated instruction, and robust explorative specialty programs for students with dyslexia in the San Francisco Bay Area since 1968.

Our research-based, time-tested approach is multi-sensory and experiential to meet students with dyslexia where they are, help them understand how they learn best, and develop the confidence to thrive in school and beyond.


Wilson Language Training®, a leading provider of professional learning and research-based reading and spelling curricula.

Wilson Language Training® is a leading provider of professional learning and research-based reading and spelling curricula for all ages. Its multisensory structured literacy programs, Fundations®, Just Words®, the Wilson Reading System®, give educators the highly effective resources they need to help their students become fluent, independent readers.


Slingerland Literacy Institute, providing classroom teachers with the training to meet today’s learners.

Slingerland Literacy Institute is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization founded to provide classroom teachers with the training and preparation to meet today’s learners.

The Slingerland® Approach adapts and adds to the Orton-Gillingham 1-to-1 technique for a whole-classroom setting. Our multi-sensory, structured literacy approach begins with oral language and leverages that learning to build other literacy skills.

The Slingerland® Approach can be utilized across an entire educational curriculum, not just reading and writing instruction, and it is adaptable to most materials used at any school. It is effective for general education classrooms and particularly effective for struggling readers.


The LD Expert, offering specialized interventions and tailored support for students with learning differences.

The LD Expert serves both schools and families to bring the best reading intervention and educational support to students in need. Their mission is to empower students with learning differences by offering specialized interventions and tailored support delivered by fully certified teachers and therapists.

We know that certified practitioners are not available in all areas of the country. By providing online intervention, The LD Expert allows families to give their child the best instruction without the proximity limitations. They are also here to support schools who struggle to find quality part-time educators to meet their Special Education needs.


Southern Teachers Agency, serving schools nationwide with integrity and devotion to quality since 1902.

ST Search, ST Consulting, ST Athletics, and the ST Teacher Job Board are divisions of Southern Teachers Agency. We serve schools nationwide with the same integrity and devotion to quality that we’ve embraced since 1902.

Their longstanding mission is to help member schools offer their students the best possible education and experience by providing search and consulting services delivered with skill, care, and integrity.


True Progress, providing LD-friendly assessments to understand and support students who learn differently.

At True Progress, we understand your dedication to uplifting your school as a beacon of hope for students who learn differently. Traditional assessments often fail to capture the true abilities and progress of LD-students, leading to frustration and confusion. Our LD-friendly assessments are specifically designed to address this challenge, providing you with the tools to understand and support your students. By implementing our assessment solutions, you can gain a clearer picture of your students’ progress and needs to help them succeed and thrive.

Bronze Level Sponsors

The Roig Academy, a specialized IB school in Miami, Florida, for students with language-based disabilities such as dyslexia.

The Roig Academy, a specialized IB school in Miami, Florida, for students with language-based disabilities such as dyslexia, fosters a nurturing and empowering environment. Our ROIG approach (Reflect, Observe, Inquire, Grow) promotes student achievement and the development of essential 21st-century skills, including collaboration, problem-solving, and critical thinking.


Finalsite, the first Community Relationship Management platform for K-12 schools.

Finalsite is the first Community Relationship Management platform for K-12 schools. All the smart tools you need to attract students, engage families and build community. Their community relations management platform includes services in Websites, Communications, Mobile Apps, Enrollment and Marketing. Better tools. Stronger schools.


Pathlitics, a transition planning platform for high school students with learning differences.

Pathlitics is a transition planning platform for high school students with learning differences and their support team. We have an advanced searchable database of postsecondary options, first-hand reviews of lived experiences from young adults with LDs, and the ability to bridge 1:1 connections for follow-up questions. The platform effectively captures alumni pathways and feedback while strengthening alumni connections.


AIM, including AIM Academy and the AIM Institute for Learning & Research, founded in 2006.

AIM, which was founded in 2006, includes AIM Academy, the Philadelphia area’s largest school for children with language-based learning differences, and the AIM Institute for Learning & Research, which collaborates with researchers to provides evidence-based professional training to educators and leaders around the country and the world. AIM was created with the belief that children with language-based learning disabilities can and will thrive in a rigorous academic setting when they are taught by a highly committed, experienced and creative faculty who have ongoing access to the latest research, best practices and technological resources. We dedicate ourselves to putting research into practice every day.