The Oregon Trail Regional Educator Network (REN) offered a robust Professional Development Summit on Friday, October 13th, which was the Oregon Department of Education’s State In-Service Day. About 425 educators attended the event from about 20 school districts in eastern Oregon.
The event was held at Pendleton High School and offered 111 sessions with 80 presenters. The wide variety of sessions included topics like the science of reading, effective writing instruction, data-driven teaching, trauma-informed practices, content-specific PLC (professional learning community)/networking groups, core equity competencies, culturally responsive practices, bias and identity, technology sessions on Promethean TVs, Google Classroom and AI integration and more.
The educator presenters were from school districts in Pendleton, Milton-Freewater, Elgin, Pilot Rock, North Powder, Hermiston, Morrow County, La Grande, Cove and Stanfield. There were 15 presenters from IMESD.
Dave Williams, IMESD Director of School Improvement, said, “We have amazing educators in our region and great things happening in our schools. It’s very impacting to have those same educators present and share with their peers at this event.”
In addition, 24 community partner/agency presenters offered sessions. These were Eastern Oregon University, Oregon Data Suite, Outdoor School partnership with OSU, Carolina Biological, Community Counseling Solutions, GO STEM, Oregon Jewish Museum and Center for Holocaust Education, Umatilla County Health Department, Confedered Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation (CTUIR), Right Time Coaching, Westerberg Educational Consultancy, WestED. Williams said IMESD and the Oregon Trail REN are very grateful for the support of county and community agencies in their willingness to partner with this event.
The Professional Development Summit offers something for all educators – administrators, teachers and counselors. Williams said this is the ninth year of the summit, which originally started as a small partnership between IMESD and the Pendleton School District in the first year, evolving to include nearly all districts in the region.
“The Summit is truly educator-led,” said Williams. “It is a continuation of using amazing regional resources – mainly teachers – to present and support other teachers in the region.”
The event’s keynote speaker was Beth Houf, international presenter and consultant and co-author of Lead Like a Pirate: Make School Amazing for Your Students and Staff. During her presentation, she shared insights on fostering a healthy school culture and climate to create inclusive and supportive educational environments.
The Professional Development Summit was free for educators, breakfast and lunch were provided and teachers could earn PDUs (Professional Development Units) for attending.
The Oregon Trail REN seeks to build systems of recruitment, retention and support for our regional educators. It is one of 10 RENS across Oregon, organized through the Educator Advancement Council (EAC).
