Administrators and staff represented the school at three recent conferences.

The spring semester started with a full slate of travel for Texas Tech K-12 administrators and staff. Three separate conferences at the end of January and beginning of February gave the leaders opportunities to participate in professional learning and to educate others about what the school offers. 

Robert Bayard, superintendent; Braxton Allison, principal; Cari Moye, principal of Recruitment, Investment, Strategic Partnerships & Pathways and Engagement; and Samantha Dillard, associate director, Marketing & Communications, attended the Texas Association of School Administrators (TASA) midwinter conference in Austin in late January, with the focus on celebrating 100 years of TASA.

Allison said attendance at TASA is a great opportunity for them as individuals and as a school to stay connected with other administrators around the state. Having a presence there was twofold: Staffing a booth is a chance for other attendees to visit and hear how Texas Tech K-12 can support other schools. As attendees themselves, sessions keep them informed of the latest legislation, education code and best practices for school leadership.

Allison had the opportunity to attend a few sessions on artificial intelligence (AI), which has been a critical point for leadership to address within Texas Tech K-12 over the past couple of years.

“Learning how administrators are increasingly using AI to support consistent communication affirmed its growing role in education,” Allison said. “As educators, our challenge—and responsibility—is to thoughtfully integrate this technology in ways that enhance and empower learning, not impede it.”

The Texas Counseling Association held its 21st annual professional school counselor conference in Fort Worth in early February. Texas Tech K-12 academic counselors Roslen Davis and Sara Hooks attended the event that welcomed school counselors from all grade levels and from across the state.

Davis said for the most part they heard two types of feedback about Texas Tech K-12: People either love the program or have never heard of it. 

Davis also fielded comments from attendees such as, “Texas Tech K-12 does great work,” “People don’t realize the good Texas Tech K-12 is doing behind the scenes,” and, “You guys are such a great resource for counselors to give to parents that are looking for alternative learning opportunities for their children.”

The mixture of reactions helped Davis see clearly the benefit of attending these types of events.

“Getting Texas Tech K-12’s name out there will not only help the organization’s impactful growth but open educational doors for children that many families don’t realize exist,” Davis said. 

The third conference, the Texas Computer Education Association (TCEA), was held in San Antonio also in early February with the theme, “Inspiring Everyday Brilliance.” Keetha Chadwick, Texas Tech K-12 director of Assessment and Accountability, and Luis Martinez, business coordinator in Operations, attended alongside approximately 450 other exhibitors. 

Chadwick said having a booth there was a valuable opportunity for Texas Tech K-12 to strengthen the school’s visibility and impact across Texas and beyond. TCEA brings together approximately 10,000 educators, administrators and IT professionals who are actively seeking innovative, high-quality learning solutions, making it the ideal space to share how Texas Tech K-12 supports diverse learners through rigorous, flexible online education. Exhibiting at TCEA reinforces the district’s role as a trusted leader in online education, builds partnerships and supports long-term enrollment growth and collaboration.

“We were able to connect with education professionals from across the state and country, many of whom had never heard about Texas Tech K-12,” Chadwick said. “This was a wonderful opportunity to build brand awareness and to share about the flexible, high-quality programs that we offer to students.”