July 9 and 10, 2026
1:00 pm to 4:30 pm
Hanahau‘oli School Professional Development Center, 1922 Makiki Street, Honolulu, HI 96822
$200 per participant
Scholarships available for Early Childhood Educators serving students in preschool through grade 2 – please inquire here
Effective teams are key to transforming schools, and educators today need support working in teams to combat professional isolation, reduce burnout, and improve student outcomes through shared responsibility. Effective teamwork enhances instruction, allows for personalized student support, increases retention, and facilitates collaborative, data-driven decision-making, which are crucial for adapting to modern, complex educational demands. In this two-part workshop series, Dr. Lhisa Almashy will guide teams of participants through her five-part “Open Hand” framework.
Almashy will introduce five key points every educator needs to consider in order to foster positive relationships that are culturally relevant, create a sense of belonging in school teaching or administrative teams, and positively impact the team’s ability to support academic achievement and school culture. Technical points of the framework include intentionality, commitment, and multiple perspectives. The adaptive points are finding your balance and your purpose. This workshop will deepen your understanding of these points and the connections necessary to be more effective, personally and professionally. Teams of participants will also engage in hands-on strategies and reflective exercises. At the end of the workshops, in addition to skills and knowledge, everything your teams need to enhance pedagogy and practice will be right in the palm of your hand.
“Reach out your hand. Hold it open for us and say ‘Hey, I’ll be here for you”. Show us you mean it by being positive and offering to help. Then, I’ll be willing to come to you. If you don’t give me that hand, I just can’t do it by myself.”
- Previous Professional Development Participant
WORKSHOP OBJECTIVES
Participants will:
gain personal and professional understanding of how to lead and learn with “an open hand” – an equity-focused, human-centered design framework.
deepen their learning and build capacity within their teams, learning communities and growth accountability partners.
demonstrate their learning through engagement activities they may genre switch for their classrooms.
WORKSHOP AGENDA
DAY ONE
1:00-2:30: Community Builders and Introduction to Open Hand Leadership and Learning
2:40-3:55: Focused Activities to Deepen Understanding
Intentionality- The “What” of your pedagogy
Commitment- GAP: Growth Accountability Partnerships
4:00-4:30: Closure Full Group (Reflection)
DAY TWO
1:00-2:15: Community Builders and Multiple Perspectives (Four Corners and Cultural Quadrants)
2:20-3:55: Focused Activities to Deepen Understanding
Balance- Self-Awareness, Self-efficacy
Why- Purpose and GAP practice
4:00-4:30: Closure Full Group (Reflection)
ABOUT THE FACILITATOR
Dr. Lhisa Renee Almashy is a bilingual, bi-cultural educator with 30 years of experience in the Palm Beach County School District. She is currently helping to open a new high school, following her role directing the county’s equity department and strategic initiative on equity, access, and cultural competency. Education is her passion, empowering people through her developed framework, Open Hand Leadership and Learning in Action. Her expertise spans teaching English Learners, social studies, professional development, new teacher onboarding, leadership, and team building. A lifelong learner, she values unlearning and relearning, constantly seeking new perspectives through global learning experiences, including as a Fund for Teachers Fellow in Vietnam, which informed her Ambassador Collective. Lhisa has been featured on the UCLA CRESST Center and Fund for Teachers podcasts.
Lhisa is a National Board Certified Teacher. She holds a B.A. in Theatre and History and an M.A. in TESOL from the University of San Francisco, and a doctorate in Leadership and Learning in Organizations from Vanderbilt University’s Peabody College. She presents at local, state, and national conferences, known for her innovative pedagogy. She is a featured speaker for NABE, a Learning for Justice Ambassador Collective member, a mentor for The National Urban Alliance, and co-creator of an ad hoc Equity Advisory Board for New Schools. Currently, she collaborates with Fund For Teachers on advisory boards. She coaches swimming/diving, soccer, and tennis. Her volunteer work includes organizing La Vuelta Palm Beach County, an annual fundraising bicycle ride, and serving as a Carbonell theatre judge. Lhisa seeks opportunities to connect with people and organizations that empower personal and community identities, believing dialogue is key to understanding and fostering inclusive environments where everyone belongs.
THIS WORKSHOP IS INTENDED FOR
Every educator! The human-centered design of this professional development program allows for each person’s expertise and contextual relevance within each of the five points.