DATAG 2026 Summer Conference: Full Schedule

2:30pm EDT

What’s the FRICCS? – The RIC/BOCES Network Helping Districts Get More from Frontline

Wednesday July 8, 2026 2:30pm - 3:30pm EDT

FRICCS is a collaborative group of New York State’s Regional Information Center (RIC) and BOCES partners, working alongside Frontline Education, to strengthen service delivery and support for New York school districts using Frontline systems. In this interactive session, attendees will learn what FRICCS is, how the group meets and shares practices to support one another, and how that collaboration translates into clearer, faster pathways to help districts. Presenters will also walk through the primary Frontline support options available to districts (within the application and through regional partners) and share practical tips for getting the right help at the right time.

Speakers

Brittany Dogali

Program Specialist II, Nassau Suffolk Boces

Wednesday July 8, 2026 2:30pm - 3:30pm EDT
Alabama

Data and Technology

2:30pm EDT

Women in Technology

Wednesday July 8, 2026 2:30pm - 4:00pm EDT

High Rock

Join us for our Women in Technology joins DATAG! Bringing women from DATAG and across New York State together for a time of connection and conversation. Attendees will hear a few inspiring stories from other women about the challenges and successes they’ve experienced in their careers, participate in an activity, and have some time for networking all while enjoying a snack and some iced coffee or tea.

Speakers

Leah Balldassar

Niagara Falls City School District

Jennifer Impastato

Supervisor, Nassau BOCES

Jennifer Impastato is a Program Coordinator at Nassau BOCES District Management Solutions Department. She offers professional staff development in Renaissance and Frontline Solutions for all Nassau County School Districts. Prior to that, she was part of the Student Management Services... Read More →

Wednesday July 8, 2026 2:30pm - 4:00pm EDT
High Rock

Data and Technology

10:10am EDT

AI on Your Own Terms: Deploying, Querying, and Tuning Open‑Source Models

Thursday July 9, 2026 10:10am - 11:10am EDT

Travers

Enterprises and developers are increasingly faced with a choice: rely on corporate AI services that ship convenience but also data‑exfiltration risk, or host sophisticated models locally for full control and cost predictability. This session walks you through the entire decision‑making pipeline—from hardware sizing to software orchestration—so you can deploy, query, and continuously improve open‑source large language models (LLMs) on‑premise.

Speakers

Nicholas Lastella

Nicholas Lastella is the lead developer for the Nassau BOCES RIC State Reporting and Data Warehouse team, bringing over nine years of experience in software development and technical leadership. After earning his B.S. in Computer Science, he began his career in IT support, assisting... Read More →

Thursday July 9, 2026 10:10am - 11:10am EDT
Travers

Data and Technology

11:15am EDT

Collaborative Data Conversations: Leading Teams Toward Continuous Improvement

Thursday July 9, 2026 11:15am - 12:15pm EDT

City Center 1

Data conversations are powerful opportunities for school leaders, stakeholders, and teachers to work together when done with purpose, intention, and structures. This professional development sessions equips educators with practical strategies to facilitate collaborative data conversations that deepen understanding and drive change. We will shift conversations from "what do the numbers say?" to "what will we do about it?".

Speakers

Laura Zanrucha

Director of Seconday Education, Sullivan County

After spending 16 years in education in the Southern Tier, I've relocated to Sullivan County where I've been the Director of Secondary Education for over a year. I previously was a teacher, instructional coach, and assistant principal and a middle/high school principal.

Thursday July 9, 2026 11:15am - 12:15pm EDT
City Center 1

Data and Technology

11:15am EDT

Is this a big number?

Thursday July 9, 2026 11:15am - 12:15pm EDT

Travers

Numbers help us make sense of the world but understanding what they really mean isn't always straightforward. In this interactive session, participants will explore how context, framing, and human intuition shape our understanding of data. We’ll unpack why some numbers surprise us and learn practical strategies for making numbers more meaningful, communicable, and useful in decision-making.

Speakers

Whitney McHenry

Manager, Data Services, WNYRIC/Erie 1 BOCES

Whitney McHenry is the Manager of Data Services at the Western New York Regional Information Center (WNYRIC). With 20 years of experience at WNYRIC, Whitney has worked in programming, data analysis, and assisting districts in implementing state guidelines for compliance with reporting... Read More →

Thursday July 9, 2026 11:15am - 12:15pm EDT
Travers

Data and Technology

2:35pm EDT

Creating Dynamic Dashboards from an Excel Dataset

Thursday July 9, 2026 2:35pm - 3:35pm EDT

City Center 1

In this workshop, participants will learn how to transform raw Excel data into clear, interactive dashboards that support meaningful analysis and decision making. The session covers effective dashboard planning, building and structuring PivotTables, and creating interactive PivotCharts with slicers and filters. Attendees will leave with practical techniques they can immediately apply to create dynamic, user friendly dashboards in Excel.

Speakers

Christopher Dorr

Program Specialist, Nassau BOCES

Christopher Dorr has been serving as a Program Specialist for Nassau BOCES since 2017. In this role, he provides support for SchoolTool and has previously offered expertise for PowerSchool and Infinite Campus. Chris holds teaching certifications in both Elementary Education and Secondary... Read More →

Thursday July 9, 2026 2:35pm - 3:35pm EDT
City Center 1

Data and Technology

2:35pm EDT

Data Detective: Using AI to Assist with Data Issues

Thursday July 9, 2026 2:35pm - 3:35pm EDT

Broadway 1 & 2

AI tips and tricks: using Visual Studio Code and GitHub Copilot to assist with everyday data troubleshooting.

Speakers

Sam Schrecengost

Supervisor, Erie 1 BOCES

Thursday July 9, 2026 2:35pm - 3:35pm EDT
Broadway 1 & 2

Data and Technology

3:40pm EDT

The Missing Data: Using AI to Capture and Act on Student Engagement in Real Time

Thursday July 9, 2026 3:40pm - 4:40pm EDT

City Center 2

Districts have robust assessment data but limited insight into what students actually experience during instruction. This session introduces LessonLoop, an AI-powered professional learning tool that generates real-time engagement data from a single lesson—capturing student understanding, motivation, and productive struggle. Grounded in research and aligned to Portrait of a Graduate outcomes, participants will see how engagement data can inform instruction, professional learning, and district decision-making while maintaining responsible AI and data privacy practices.

Speakers

Nona Ullman

Founder and CEO, LessonLoop

Ms. Nona Ullman, CEO of LessonLoop, is a former teacher, district administrator, and management consultant with 30 years of data, technology, and program evaluation experience with over 50 state and local educational agencies in 22 states. She has spent the last 10 years providing... Read More →

Thursday July 9, 2026 3:40pm - 4:40pm EDT
City Center 2

Data and Technology

3:40pm EDT

Think Before You Share: Key Principles of Education Law § 2-d and Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act

Thursday July 9, 2026 3:40pm - 4:40pm EDT

Travers

Protecting student data is everyone’s responsibility. This session distills the core requirements into clear and practical actions. The participants will learn how to avoid common missteps, strengthen compliance, and prevent breaches. Learn how a simple pause before sharing can make all the difference in safeguarding student information.

Speakers

Raheela Baig

Coordinator, Data Privacy & Security Services, Lower Hudson Regional Information Center

Raheela Baig is a Coordinator at Lower Hudson Regional Information (LHRIC), where Raheela leads data privacy and security initiatives for school districts. Raheela specializes in implementing Education Law 2-d, ensuring compliance, training staff, and developing policies to protect... Read More →

Thursday July 9, 2026 3:40pm - 4:40pm EDT
Travers

Data and Technology

2:30pm EDT

2:30pm EDT

10:10am EDT

11:15am EDT

11:15am EDT

2:35pm EDT

2:35pm EDT

3:40pm EDT

3:40pm EDT

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