Third Annual Transformative Teaching Conference
The Joy of Invention
Conference
Saturday, March 20, 2027
Proposal Deadline
November 20, 2026
We’re excited to launch the third annual Transformative Teaching Conference at Crystal Springs Uplands School!
This year’s conference, The Joy of Invention, will take place on Saturday, March 20, 2027, and will bring together educators to celebrate the creativity, curiosity, connection, experimentation, and possibility at the heart of transformative teaching.
This year, we’re especially interested in the ways educators and students are:
- Creating and bringing new ideas into the world
- Cultivating curiosity and wonder
- Building connections through relationships and collaboration
- Discovering through exploration and authentic experiences
- Experimenting, iterating, and taking meaningful risks
- Developing agency and ownership
- Reimagining curriculum, assessment, technology, artificial intelligence, and the structures of school
We’d love for you to join us as an attendee or a presenter!
About the Center
Center for Transformative Teaching
The Center for Transformative Teaching (CTT) is Crystal’s hub for professional growth and instructional innovation. The Center helps educators design learning that is rigorous, student-centered, collaborative, and connected to the real world. That learning prepares students to think critically, adapt, and lead in a rapidly changing world, including one shaped by artificial intelligence.
The CTT’s work centers on three areas:
- Teaching Fellows, a program that places educators and innovators alongside Crystal faculty to test new approaches in the classroom
- Professional Growth and Mentorship, which supports teachers through coaching, collaborative inquiry, and action research
- Strategic Partnerships, which connect Crystal with researchers, institutions, and educators shaping the future of teaching and learning
Through its annual conference and the TransformED podcast, the Center also shares ideas and practice with the broader education community.
A New Educational Podcast
With your hosts
 Mary Beth Thompson |
 Julia Rubin |
Tune in Everyone!
The wait is finally over—our introductory episode of TransformED is officially live! Join hosts Mary Beth Thompson and Julia Rubin as they kick off this exciting new venture from the Center for the Transformative Teaching.We're thrilled to explore critical conversations about what truly makes a difference in education, and we can't wait to share this journey with you. Our first full episode is coming in a few weeks, but for now, get a taste of what's to come in this short five-minute intro. The link is in our bio—give it a listen!
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Contact
General: info@crystal.org
Admission Questions: admission@crystal.org
Middle School
10 Davis Drive, Belmont, CA 94002
650-645-1000
650-645-1000
Upper School
400 Uplands Drive, Hillsborough, CA 94010
650-342-4175
650-342-4175
Nondiscriminatory Policy: Crystal Springs Uplands School admits students of any race, color, national and ethnic origin to all the rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the school. It does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national and ethnic origin in administration of its educational policies, admissions policies, scholarship and loan programs, and athletic and other school-administered programs.
Website Accessibility Statement: Crystal Springs Uplands School is committed to making this website accessible to visitors with disabilities and is continually working to increase its accessibility and usability. We are on a regular basis seeking opportunities to bring all areas of the site up to the same level of overall web accessibility. If for any reason, you cannot access any of the material on our website, please email webadmin@crystal.org and we will work to resolve the problem as soon as possible.
Website Accessibility Statement: Crystal Springs Uplands School is committed to making this website accessible to visitors with disabilities and is continually working to increase its accessibility and usability. We are on a regular basis seeking opportunities to bring all areas of the site up to the same level of overall web accessibility. If for any reason, you cannot access any of the material on our website, please email webadmin@crystal.org and we will work to resolve the problem as soon as possible.