A WORKING CONFERENCE FOR MIDDLE AND HIGH SCHOOL TEACHERS
The New ELA: Building Classrooms That Matter to Teens
A Design Lab Powered by Zinc
What would it take to make ELA class a place where teenagers develop not just stronger reading skills, but a deeper sense of motivation, agency, and purpose?
Join middle and high school teachers and instructional coaches eager to address today’s classroom realities and turn our collective ideas into classroom practices.
Not ready to register yet? Get on our mailing list and we’ll send you conference details and updates.
WHEN
February 19 - 20
2027
WHERE
New Orleans,
LA
REGISTRATION
Through December 4: $499
After December 4: $599
The real classroom challenges.
A room full of teachers ready to take them on.
How do we get teens to awaken from their screens, take on challenging texts, sustain attention, write, and discover what truly motivates them?
The Design Lab brings educators together to work through these questions, drawing on reading/writing best practices, motivation research, and the expertise of the people in the room.
Bring a challenge you’re navigating, a strategy to share, or a problem to solve. We’ll pool ideas and resources and build solutions worth testing.
What We’ll Explore
What helps students take on challenging reading?
The comprehension habits, confidence, and persistence that help students make meaning from challenging texts.
How do we design for the realities of teen motivation?
Classroom conditions where students reclaim their attention in a world designed to steal it—become capable readers and escape into a book.
How do we make grade-level texts accessible without lowering rigor?
Supporting multilingual learners and students below grade level while keeping deep thinking at the center.
What teaching moves deepen comprehension and keep students engaged?
Questions and responses that move students beyond vague answers and back to the meaning of the text.
Come ready to
contribute.
This is a working community. Participants’ questions, classroom experiences, and ideas will help shape the conversation.
Practicing teacher leads, small group conversations, and breakout sessions will help us connect research to real teaching challenges and collaborate on practical next steps.
Leave ready to try something new.
Design strategies to test in your classroom and share with colleagues.
Share ideas and resources and learn from other secondary educators’ practice.
Build a shared playbook that can keep growing after the Design Lab.
Grow your ideas and get feedback as you create.
Plan Your Participation
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The Zinc ELA Classroom Design Lab is for middle and high school teachers, instructional coaches, and instructional leaders who want to help adolescents become stronger, more motivated readers. Bring your classroom challenges, ideas, and curiosity—and join colleagues asking the same hard questions.
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Expect teacher voices, practical classroom examples, and time to work together. We’ll explore reading and motivation, share what’s working, and build solutions worth testing in your classrooms and schools.
Friday, February 19th-1:00-5:00pm, reception to follow.
Saturday, 9:00-5:00pm, breakfast at 8:00am.
Use the form below to get updates and registration details. -
Registration includes sessions, materials, meals, and any follow-up resources.
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Learning alongside colleagues creates opportunities to bring ideas back to your school together.
For group registration information, contact leah@zinclearninglabs.com.
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Cancel by January 10th for a full refund.
Registration may be transferred to another colleague up to February 2nd.
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Contact Laurie Flynn at laurie@zinclearninglabs.com with questions about the Design Lab or registration.
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No. Whether you use Zinc or are joining us for the first time, bring your experience and questions. Our shared focus is on reading, motivation, and the realities of today’s secondary classrooms. Access to a limited version of Zinc will be considered for teachers and leaders new to Zinc.
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A practical playbook for thinking about reading motivation, classroom strategies and shared resources, and ideas you’ve developed with other teachers and coaches.
You’ll also leave with a community of educators you can continue to develop ideas with. The goal is to leave with something worth trying—and a clearer sense of why it could help your students.
JOIN THE DESIGN LAB
Bring your questions.
Help shape the answers.
Make time to work alongside other secondary educators and build approaches you can take back to your classroom.
February 19 - 20, 2027 | New Orleans, LA
Early registration (through December 4): $499
Regular registration (after December 4): $599
Interested in joining us? Register now, or use the form to sign up for conference updates and a reminders.
THE MOTIVATION BEHIND ZINC
We teach teens what to DO when reading.
Most reading programs for middle and high schoolers give students texts and test whether they understood them.
Zinc teaches students how to build meaning as they read—so they can understand more deeply, tackle harder texts, and build the confidence that comes from experiencing reading success.
Explore our site to learn how Zinc helps schools and districts with reading growth.