NNSP Annual Conference

Dates: Wednesday, January 28 – Friday, January 30, 2026 | Schools attending with a cohort of students will need to arrive on Tuesday, January 27.

Cost: $1495 per educator. This includes hotel accommodations, all sessions, presentations, and lunches.

Conference & Hotel Location: Arlington, VA. The conference and hotel accommodations have been arranged as a campus of hotels. All hotels are conveniently located within walking distance of one another. Specific room details will be provided closer to the start of the conference.

REGISTER >

Interested in bring a student cohort on the concurrent NAIS Student Civic Leadership Summit? Learn more!

There are ample opportunities during the conference to network with like-minded professionals and grow both your cross-sector understanding and your appreciation for the value of this work. The 2025 NNSP Annual Conference culminated with students from the NAIS Student Civic Leadership Summit sharing their vision and strategies for how to make a difference in their communities.

Sample Conference Sessions:

• Principles of Good Practice: Participants learn about Charlotte Latin School’s Principles of Good Practice for Community-Engaged Learning, how they align with the school’s Core Values, and their application within a K-12 setting. Attendees gain insights into key takeaways, guiding questions, and ways to leverage these principles for student engagement, fostering stronger alignment within their school community. This case study offers a model for scholars and practitioners to consider for initiating or advancing similar conversations in their institutions.
• Expanding Purpose: Amidst societal and environmental shifts, independent schools are reevaluating their role and impact, focusing on student learning and well-being. This workshop explores actionable strategies to utilize schools’ resources for the common good, empowering educators to translate aspirations into tangible change within their schools and communities.
• Science of Reflections: Whether starting a new program or aiming for improvement, effective service-learning reflections reinforce learning concepts through real-world service experiences. By examining hundreds of reflection questions from successful programs nationwide, we address timing, theme, and clear expectations as essential elements.

Sample Keynotes: 

• Alice Siu, Associate Director, Deliberative Democracy Lab at Stanford University: “AI for Good: Empowering Student Changemakers in Social Impact and Community Engagement”
• Nathan Dietz, Associate Research Professor, Do Good Institute, University of Maryland: “Data-Driven Transformation: Unleashing the Potential of Social Impact Programs”
• Ross Wehner, Founder, World Leadership School: “Is Purpose the Future of Learning?”