Events

What does it take to be a great leader? What should good leaders DO—from a practical, rather than theoretical, perspective? Which leadership roles are most important to you in your job? Do you have a plan to excel in those roles? This is an interactive session, with small group, large group, and individual activities. You will leave with a personal checklist of your top leadership roles, and a ready-to-implement action plan. The facilitator, Dr. Dave Heth, retired after 24 years as SIUE Finance Director. He previously worked at McDonnell Douglas Corporation/Boeing and Deloitte. Dave has delivered a variety of leadership workshops for organizations such as SIU, MDC, American Red Cross, Alton Memorial Hospital, USAF, and several professional associations. More than 1,000 SIU employees at the Edwardsville, Carbondale, and Springfield campuses have taken his workshops, rating them an average of 4.9/5 and describing them as fun, useful, and engaging. Participants included non-supervisors and supervisors at all levels—from department, building and central office levels.  Registration closes 4-5 days prior to the event date unless tickets are sold out.

PD Co-op member districts $185.00, Non PD Co-op Districts $200.00 (lunch included on site) Administrators who evaluate teachers must demonstrate a high rate of inter-rater reliability and communicate evaluation outcomes in constructive and supportive ways. Administrators who evaluate teachers must also recognize and control for bias when conducting an evaluation and determining results. School districts in Illinois must provide professional development to administrators to strengthen these skills on a sustained basis. This course focuses on Domains 2 and 3 of the Charlotte Danielson 2013 Framework for Teaching. This course requires participants to view teaching, record data according to the Professional Practice rubric, and craft evaluation conferences that are both constructive and supportive. Participants will also be expected to have a high degree of inter-rater reliability when they determine a final rating based on the evidence gathered during the observations. Attendees will need to bring a fully charged device to this academy.  The application/dissemination must be submitted prior to departure on 4.7.25. Registration closes 4-5 days prior to the event unless tickets are sold out. Cancellations must be made 48 hours in advance, or the event is non-refundable.

Thanks to the Illinois Masonic Foundation this workshop is free.  You only have 30 seconds to make a first impression! Communication in and out of the classroom and school setting is important in order for students to learn effectively. Positive body language in a classroom setting also has the ability to motivate, inspire and engage. It can not only give you the confidence you need to teach but can also reassure your students that you actually know what you’re talking about. Whether you are working in the classroom or in the office, whether you are in years 1-5 or beyond, this training will provide you with excellent ways to engage your students and co-workers in a dynamic way. Registration closes 4-5 days prior to the event.

This virtual session is free thanks to the Illinois SLD Project. Throughout this session, K-2 educators will be equipped with essential strategies for fostering the growth and development of emergent writers in early childhood settings.  Participants will explore evidence-based approaches to nurturing writing skills, from pre-writing activities to guided writing techniques. Through interactive discussions and practical examples, attendees will gain insights into building a supportive writing environment and scaffolding instruction to meet the diverse needs of young learners throughout multiple stages of writing development.  A virtual link will be sent prior to the event date. Registration closes 4-5 days prior to the event unless tickets are sold out.

Join Dr. Jeff Spencer (Science Instructional Coach, ROE # 17) in this engaging workshop designed to help educators gain a deeper understanding of the Illinois Learning Standards for Science, with a focus on the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS). Teachers will begin with an interactive introduction that sets the stage for meaningful reflection on hands-on science activities, helping them see how these standards come to life in the classroom. Participants will explore key NGSS principles—such as three-dimensional learning, scientific practices, and crosscutting concepts—through collaborative discussions and guided reflection. The session will highlight strategies for integrating NGSS into everyday teaching, providing practical tools to support inquiry-based learning and foster student engagement. By the end of the workshop, teachers will have a stronger grasp of how to effectively implement NGSS in their own classrooms, with resources to support their ongoing professional growth. Teachers will be provided 35 minutes for lunch and are encouraged to bring lunch to this event. Registration closes 4-5 days prior to the event unless tickets are sold out.

PD Co-op member district $50.00, Non PD Co-op district $75.00, lunch is included on site. Administrators can earn pd credit OR academy credit.  Teachers can attend and earn pd hours, social workers/counselors may attend and earn ceu's. In this academy, school leaders will learn the importance of self-care while building their understanding of the role they play in creating a culture that supports staff wellness. School leaders will work to assess their own levels of compassion satisfaction and compassion fatigue. Based on this assessment, leaders will focus on their individual self-care plan that promotes compassion resilience. In addition we will focus on assessing and building a culture for supporting staff wellness while utilizing the core components of a multi-tiered system of support. This flexible framework will guide administrators in promoting wellness for all through the use of data, systems and practices. School leaders will leave with a plan on how to engage existing teams to promote and prioritize a culture of staff wellness. The application/dissemination must be completed and submitted at the conclusion of the event. Registration closes 4-5 days prior to the event.

Do you have students who have trouble adding and subtracting within 10 and 20? Regrouping within 100 and 1,000? Do you have students who guess at operations when solving word problems, have trouble making sense of the numbers, and struggle with 2-step and comparison problems?

Then join Greg Tang for his grade K-2 Best Practices workshop. Greg will share his “less is more” approach to teaching critical concepts and skills. Learn firsthand his progression of concrete, pictorial, and abstract models (C-P-A) that gives kids a deeper, more connected understanding of number, operations, and word problems.

We will build number sense with Unifix Cubes and ten frames, use number bonds to make short work of regrouping, and use part-whole and tape diagrams to make sense of all 15-word problem types.

In addition to best teaching practices, we will also explore best ways to practice. We will solve cleverly designed problems that develop reasoning and logical thinking skills and are perfect for math talks, math centers, and independent practice.

As an added bonus, every teacher who attends will receive access to Greg’s elementary math curriculum, including his incredible, online teaching tools, practice materials, games, and math centers.

  Time will be given for lunch (on your own). Registration will close 4-5 days prior to this event unless tickets are sold out.

Do you have students who still have trouble mastering their basic math facts? Students who struggle with all four operations and are confused by fractions and decimals? Students who have trouble making sense of word problems – especially multistep and comparison problems?

Then join Greg Tang for his grade 3-6 Best Practices workshop. Greg will share his “less is more” approach to teaching critical concepts and skills. Learn firsthand his progression of concrete, pictorial, and abstract models (C-P-A) that gives kids a deeper, more connected understanding of number, operations, and word problems.

We will use number bonds and area models to make sense of all 4 operations, tape diagrams to model multiplicative comparison problems including fractions, ratios, and unit rates, and progressions of word problems to develop the proportional reasoning skills that are the key to higher math.

In addition to best teaching practices, we will also explore best ways to practice. We will solve cleverly designed problems that develop reasoning and logical thinking skills and are perfect for math talks, math centers, and independent practice.

As an added bonus, every teacher who attends will receive access to Greg’s elementary math curriculum, including his incredible, online teaching tools, practice materials, games, and math centers.

Time will be given for lunch (on your own), registration closes 4-5 days prior to the event unless tickets are sold out.

This Administrator Academy is free for all to attend. Academy credit or professional development hours can be issued. Note this academy will be held at the Center for Academic & Vocational Excellence ("CAVE") 7645 Magna Drive, Suite 1 Belleville, IL 62223. Breakfast 8:00-9:00am, Academy 9:00am-12:00pm. This course provides information to school administrators on standards for the conduct, ethics and rights of school personnel. This course discusses the various standards an administrator needs to be aware of in the everyday course of doing their job; including laws, regulations, and mandates for the management of school personnel. Registration closes 7.31.25 at 12:00pm.