Dr. Wanetta Morrow presented at Purdue University's Rural Education Summit this past April, which brought dedicated educators, policymakers, community leaders, and advocates together to share ways to enhance educational opportunities in rural communities. This collaborative space allowed stakeholders to address the unique challenges and strengths of rural education, foster innovation, share best practices, and build a network to support rural students and educators. The keynote speaker was Janet Boyle, who serves as the Director of the Rural Early College Network (RECN), a federal grant project involving 20 rural high schools in Indiana. Several rural districts were featured at the summit, and presentations ranged from 'Immigration Policy and Impact on Communities' to 'Cornfield Collaborations' (which explored how to use community partnerships to help provide access to quality education). 

     Dr. Morrow's session, titled 'Facilitating Collective Teacher Efficacy to Positively Impact Student Achievement in Rural Schools', explored the impact of collective teacher efficacy (CTE) on student achievement, drawing from the research of John Hattie and Albert Bandura. Dr. Morrow discussed the science behind CTE and shared strategies to foster a collaborative, high-expectation culture among educators. The participants learned how to build and sustain shared efficacy, applying Bandura's principles of self-efficacy and social persuasion to strengthen professional learning communities. The session provided actionable tools to enhance teacher collaboration, improve instruction, and drive student success. 

In September, Dr.  Morrow represented Campbellsville University at the Workday Rising conference held in San Francisco, CA. The conference, which was attended by 30,000 participants and featured over 400 sessions, included keynotes from industry leaders along with hands-on labs, workshops, and customer showcases. The conference, which focused on being AI powered, human-centric, and future-ready, allowed attendees to learn more about the latest product innovations, explore emerging trends, and gaining insights into best practices that drive success. Dr. Morrow especially enjoyed the keynote presentation given by author Brené Brown, where she shared the importance of leading with courage and vulnerability in the rapidly changing world of work. The sessions led by Workday CEO Carl Eschenbach, and Workday's co-founder and Executive Chair, Aneel Bhursri, were also very interesting and included ways that Workday is driving business in the age of AI. While at the conference, Dr. Morrow had the opportunity to meet with leaders from Cognizant to discuss training ideas and was also able to have small group meetings with other universities to learn more about their struggles and successes with implementing Workday.