Leadership Retreats

Join Us in Richmond

July 22 – 24, 2024

2024 ALDS Leadership Retreat at the New Community School

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

New this year, we will be offering a Head of School pre-conference that will include a full dinner on Sunday evening and morning  programming on Monday before the conference officially kicks off.  We are pleased to announce that Megan Mann, Chief Legal Counsel for NAIS, will be our keynote speaker and facilitator for this year’s pre-conference.

WHEN:

  • Head’s Only Pre-Conference starting Sunday July 21 at 6:00 PM
  • Full Retreat starting Monday at 4:00 PM (with optional activities Monday afternoon) and ending Wednesday at 3:00 PM

WHERE:

The New Community School — 4211 Hermitage Rd — Richmond, VA 23227

WHAT’S INCLUDED:

  • Monday evening reception with dinner
  • Full day programming Tuesday including lunch
  • Tuesday dinner
  • Full day programming Wednesday including lunch

REGISTRATION:

Click here to complete the online registration form.

ALDS Founding SchoolNon-Member School
Through May 1$250$350
May 2 – May 31 $300$400
After June 1 $350$450
Heads Pre-Conference Add On$75$100

HOTEL INFORMATION:

The Graduate Richmond —

Hotel Information

Booking Link – use this link when booking to receive the discounted rate that includes free breakfast.

INTERESTED IN BEING A SPONSOR?

Please review our sponsorship package and reach out to Cheryl Cook at [email protected].


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 lives by these three rules:

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

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. 


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


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 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® 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 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 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.


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.


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, 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 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 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, 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.