Jim Kestner will present his nationally recognized program in a high-energy session dedicated to helping teachers in their early career years address a wide range of classroom management issues. Teachers who attend will find strategies that lead students to make good choices, replacing controlling behaviors with strategies that lead students to monitor and take responsibility for their own behavior. Specifically, the session will address the following: * Arranging the environment to improve student engagement * Developing and implementing effective classroom policies * Addressing common challenging behaviors * Difference between controlling behaviors and building good decision-making skills * Translating the concept of consistency to a variety of students and settings * Establishing a character-building classroom culture * Teaching self-respect, self-discipline, and responsibility * Self-esteem vs. self-respect * Grading systems that encourage student effort and engagement * Assessing student behavior * Parent and administrator involvement * Keeping and maintaining good records Registration closes 4-5 days prior to the event date. Time will be given for lunch (on your own).

Peg Grafwallner, M.Ed., is an Instructional Coach/Reading Specialist in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, with nearly 30 years of experience. As an English teacher, at-risk educator, instructional coach and reading specialist, she has taught advanced English and developing readers. Currently, Peg collaborates with teachers to seamlessly embed literacy (reading, writing, speaking, and listening) into their discipline without disrupting the integrity of the content.

When collaborating with educators, Peg models, coaches, and assists teachers in creating comprehensive literacy lessons meant to enhance skill-building. As the parent of a son who was labeled “gifted-and-talented” and a daughter who received special education services, Peg offers a unique educational lens that focuses on supporting students of all abilities in realizing their potential in the classroom and beyond.

Peg is a blogger, author, national, and international presenter whose topics include coaching, literacy, pedagogy, and inclusion. Her articles have appeared in Exceptional Parent, The Illinois Reading Journal, The Missouri Reader, The Wisconsin English Journal, and the WSRA Journal. She has written for several websites and blogs including: Edutopia, Cult of Pedagogy, Education Week’s Q&A with Larry Ferlazzo, and many more. She has also appeared on numerous podcasts including: Anchored in Education with Dr. E. Scott England, Class Tech Tips with Dr. Monica Burns, Cult of Pedagogy with Jen Gonzalez, and several others.

 Peg is the author of Lessons Learned from the Special Education Classroom: Creating Opportunities for All Students to Listen, Learn and Lead; Ready to Learn: The FRAME Model for Optimizing Student Success; Not Yet … And That’s Ok: How Productive Struggle Fosters Student Learning and most recently, Clearing the Path for Developing Learners: Essential Literacy Skills to Support Achievement in Every Content Area.

Peg received a bachelor’s degree in English from Cardinal Stritch University and a master’s degree in curriculum and instruction, a mentoring certification, and an alternative education certification from Marian College. In addition, she earned a reading specialist certification from UW-Milwaukee.

Peg Grafwallner was named one of the 20 best teacher bloggers in 2017 by KQED.

• Time will be given for lunch (on your own).

Who should attend? Instructional Coaches, Reading Specialists, RTI/MTSS Coordinators, Curriculum Directors, 4-12 General & Special Educators   Registration closes September 2, 2026 at 12:00pm.

PDC Member District $350.00, Non PDC Member $375.00 (lunch is included on site both days) To be eligible to attend, each participant (initial or retraining) must complete and submit ISBE-required pre-work at least 72 hours (September 4, 2026 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.  Dr. Gary Kelly will be facilitating this session as 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.  Participants will 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 September 1 at 10:00am. Cancellations must be made on or before September 1 at 10:00am or the amount will be non-refundable.  

Monday, Sept. 14, Sept. 21, Sept. 28 & Oct. 5 - 4:00-5:00 PM State standards require teachers at nearly all grade levels to ensure that students learn to write narratives, informational, and argumentative/opinion pieces.  The standards, however, don’t explain how to reach those goals. K-12 teachers and students need a roadmap, and that’s just what The Writing Revolution (TWR)—also known as The Hochman Method—provides.  This 2024 update to the 2017 original discusses deliberate practice of specific techniques (including some connections to grammar too).  The Writing Revolution’s method enables educators to teach writing skills and content simultaneously. There’s no separate writing class. Teachers of all subjects adapt the strategies and activities to preexisting curriculum and weave them into their content instruction.  Join Jennifer Jacknewitz, Belleville #118 Literacy Instructional Coach, who will facilitate virtual meetings to discuss what we have learned.   Who should attend?  General and special education teachers of all subjects and instructional coaches.  Participants must attend all 4 sessions and complete the required reflections and activities to earn the full 12 pd hours; partial pd hours will not be issued.  If you are not able to attend all 4 sessions, please do not register.  Attendees will have to purchase a copy of the book independently; however, the ROE will be raffling off several free copies. Registration closes September 4, 2026 at 10:00am unless it sells out (participants will be notified on this day if they have won a copy of the book; if attendees who receive the book do not successfully complete the requirements, the cost of the book must be reimbursed to the ROE.) Cancellations must be made no later than September 8, 2026 at 10:00am. The Google Meet link will be emailed prior to the first session; the reading schedule will be discussed then as well.

Discover the 7 Commitments that great teams must make to build trust, foster connection, overcome adversity, and achieve extraordinary success. The 7 Commitments of a Great Team is an interactive program facilitated by Dr. Kelly D.  Stewart, IASA 2014 Illinois Superintendent of the Year,that gives leaders and teammates the tools they need to build a great team together. Participants will learn: 

• The secret to building unshakable trust.
• Why positive leadership is the competitive advantage. 
• The best way to hold your team accountable. 
• The formula for giving your best. 
• How to turn challenges and change into growth. 
• The mindset shift that leads to long-term success

Registration closes 4-5 days prior to the event date. Note: any/all leaders may attend this session, it is not limited to just building principals.

Ready to transform your classroom into an interactive learning adventure? This workshop, facilitated by Emily Flach, from the Illinois LTC, will explore the powerful impact of integrating game elements into your teaching. We'll demystify the difference between gamification (adding game-like elements to existing lessons, like points and badges) and game-based learning (using actual games as the core instructional tool, like simulations or role-playing). Discover how both approaches can boost student motivation, foster collaboration, and enhance learning outcomes across any subject area, K-12. We'll delve into the psychology behind these strategies and explore practical tools and platforms that can help you implement them effectively. Leave inspired and equipped with actionable strategies to introduce game-based principles into your daily lessons, making learning more fun and effective for everyone. Participants should bring a fully charged device to this session.   Registration closes 4-5 days prior to the event date.

Discover the 7 Commitments that great teams must make to build trust, foster connection, overcome adversity, and achieve extraordinary success. The 7 Commitments of a Great Team is an interactive program facilitated by Dr. Kelly D.  Stewart, IASA 2014 Illinois Superintendent of the Year,that gives leaders and teammates the tools they need to build a great team together. Participants will learn:

• The secret to building unshakable trust.
• Why positive leadership is the competitive advantage.
• The best way to hold your team accountable.
• The formula for giving your best.
• How to turn challenges and change into growth.
• The mindset shift that leads to long-term success

Registration closes 4-5 days prior to the event date. Note: any/all leaders may attend this session, it is not limited to just building administrators or directors.

Engagement 2.0 - Minds ON Are you frustrated because your students do not think critically and have difficulty problem-solving?  Are they disengaged?  If so, this is the workshop for you!  Dr. Kelly Stewart will help define critical thinking and cognitive engagement based on Rebecca Sobaugh’s book 50 Strategies to Boost Cognitive Engagement: Creating a Thinking Culture in the Classroom. These strategies will be modeled throughout the workshop and suggest ways they can be used in the classroom. This will be a hands-on workshop where you can participate in using these strategies first-hand. Walk away with useful strategies at your fingertips to encourage students to think and problem-solve and be actively engaged in their learning.   Registration closes September 23 at 10:00am.

This academy is being presented by the Illinois Masonic Foundation at a discounted rate of $50.00 per person(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. Participants should bring a fully charged device to this session. The application/dissemination must be completed and submitted at the conclusion of the event. Registration closes Wednesday, September 23 at 12:00pm.  Cancellations must be made by Wednesday, September 23 at 12:00pm or the amount paid is non-refundable.

Registration closes 4-5 days prior to the event date.