Events

PDC Member District $350.00, Non PDC Member $375.00 (lunch is included on site)

To be eligible to attend, each participant (initial or retraining) must complete and submit ISBE-required pre-work at least 72 hours (December 5, 2025 3:00pm) before the training. Registrants will receive handouts and detailed instructions for the pre-work at least one week prior to the workshop. 

Participants will need to bring a fully charged laptop to this academy.  Attendees will synthesize the School Leader Paradigm to understand the personal intelligences, knowledge, and skills necessary for school leaders to effectively lead a learning organization; evaluate the research base to communicate the impact that effective school leaders have on a learning organization; analyze the School Leader Evaluation Plan to discern how the process grows school leaders' personal intelligences and leadership skills that actualize school improvement and student growth goals; and critique Professional Practice and Student Growth Cycles of Inquiry to assess the approaches of each to a school's Problems of Practice.

The Illinois Performance Evaluation Advisory Council (PEAC) selected the School Leader Evaluation Plan as the state’s new default principal and assistant principal evaluation plan beginning July 1, 2024. Developed by the Illinois Principals Association in collaboration with 13 other state principals’ associations from across the United States, the School Leader Evaluation Plan (based on the School Leader Paradigm) was developed to assist school districts with the implementation of a school leader evaluation system that is relevant and useful. While Illinois school districts have the opportunity to choose whether to adopt the School Leader Evaluation Plan to evaluate their principals and assistant principals, the state-required principal and assistant principal evaluator training has been rewritten and will focus on the School Leader Evaluation Plan.

Starting on July 1, 2024, this two-day, in-person academy (AA#4050) will serve as the official training for educators seeking initial training qualification or retraining to be legally qualified to conduct evaluations of principals and assistant principals. The previous principal evaluator training (#2000, #1865, and #3000) will be discontinued as of June 30, 2024.

Registration closes Friday, November 28, 2025. Cancellations must be made on or before Tuesday, December 2, 2025 or the amount will be non-refundable.

Welcome to 2026! As you begin the new year how can you continue to build trust, connections, and respect with your staff? We know that great leadership begins with truly knowing your team. This interactive workshop is designed for assistant principals, deans, and directors/specialists, etc. or any leader who is ready to deepen their understanding of staff motivation, communication preferences, and what it takes to build lasting trust.

Through a blend of practical strategies, live interviews, collaborative reflection, and real-world documentation, participants will explore:

• What Drives Your Team: Learn how to uncover the individual motivators and values that influence how your staff shows up and performs.

• Communicating with Purpose: Discover high-impact communication methods—texts, notes, conversations—that make staff feel seen, supported, and valued.

• Trust-Building in Action: Explore tangible strategies for establishing and maintaining mutual trust and respect across all roles and departments.

• Respect You Can See: Engage in authentic documentation through shared notes, messages, and interview excerpts that highlight what mutual respect looks like in everyday practice.

• Live Interviews & Insight-Gathering: Participate in and observe real-time interviews with educators and support staff, modeling how to ask the right questions and truly listen.

Whether you're managing a large team or leading in a smaller school setting, you’ll leave this workshop with a toolbox of ideas and practices you can immediately implement to elevate your team culture and deepen staff relationships.

Registrations close 4-5 days prior to the event unless tickets are sold out.

In today’s educational landscape, positive home-school connections are more essential than ever. This workshop equips participants with real-world strategies to build trust, foster collaboration, and navigate challenging conversations with confidence and empathy.

Participants will:

• Learn high-impact communication tips that make parents feel heard, valued, and included

• Hear first-hand success stories that illustrate how proactive communication and consistent relationship-building pay off

• Practice responses to real-life scenarios through “How Would You Respond?” exercises

• Explore proven strategies that encourage parent participation and involvement in both academic and social aspects of school life

• Receive tools to diffuse conflict and manage difficult conversations while preserving respect and partnership

• Reflect on their own communication styles and develop actionable next steps to improve engagement with families

Presented by a veteran principal with years of hands-on experience, this engaging and practical session is designed to help leaders and educators cultivate strong, respectful, and lasting partnerships with parents and guardians.  Whether you're working with reluctant caregivers or looking to deepen already strong relationships, this workshop offers both the mindset and methods to help your school become a place where families feel like true partners in the learning journey.

Registration closes 4-5 days prior to the event date unless tickets are sold out.

Join District Math Consultant Kelly Green in this full-day session that will support teachers in shifting toward student-centered mathematics instruction. Together, we’ll explore mindset shifts, build strategies for creating strong mathematical communities, and learn how to use instructional and language routines that promote discourse, reasoning, and access for all learners. Teachers will engage in hands-on experiences, collaborate with peers, and leave with practical tools to launch meaningful math learning in their classrooms. The ROE will be raffling off copies of the book  5 Practices for Orchestrating Productive Mathematics Discussions. Time will be given for lunch (on your own).

Registration will close January 27 at 12:00pm.

Join District Math Consultant Kelly Green in this hands-on session. Who should attend? Instructional Coaches, Content Specialists, Interventionists & any related support personnel. As math instruction continues to evolve, instructional coaches play a key role in leading the shift toward student-centered learning. In this session, grounded in Diane Sweeney’s Student-Centered Coaching model, you'll learn how to structure coaching cycles that focus on student outcomes. We’ll explore setting meaningful goals, unpacking standards, and using engaging math tasks through modeling, co-teaching, and planning. You’ll also have time to collaborate with fellow coaches to share ideas and build capacity. Leave with practical strategies and a supportive network to lead impactful, student-driven coaching in mathematics. Various copies of the book: Teaching Student Centered Mathematics (K-2), (3-5) & (6-8) will be raffled off to attendees. Registration will close January 28 at 12:00pm, time will be given for lunch (on your own) the day of the event.

This course will allow participants to learn effective skills and strategies for using Charlotte Danielson’s Instructional Framework in an evaluation setting in order to more effectively: 1. Identify evidence at the component level during formal and informal observations; 2. Use evidence, with minimal bias, to effectively rate staff on the levels of performance for each component in domains 2 and 3; 3. Increase inter-rater reliability in all phases of the evaluation process; 4. Acquire strategies to support effective collaborative conferencing around formal and informal observations; and 5. Learn techniques, strategies, and protocols to use when conferencing with staff to promote improvement in instructional practice. Attendees can earn pd credit, academy credit or ceu credit.  Participants should bring a fully charged laptop to this event, additionally the application/dissemination must be submitted prior to departure on the day of the event. Registration closes January 30 at 3:00pm, cancellations must be made by Friday, January 30 at 3:00pm or the event is non-refundable.