Kathleen Sande, Institution Education & Title I D Program Supervisor Washington State Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI)

 Overview  Annual meetings of single programs  Joined programs with similar focus  “serving at-risk youth”  Added programs each year  Listened to participant feedback  Grew from

 Planning  The Venue  Where will conference be located?  How far will participants need to travel?  What time of year is best for max attendance?  Participants  Who is the target audience?  How many attendees are anticipated?  What do they want/expect in a conference?

 Marketing  How will you get the word out to participants?  What is the theme of the conference?  Who has input to the content and planning?  Finances  Where will financing come from?  Are there stipulations on how the funds are used?  How much will participants be charged?

 Details  Who will be included in a conference committee?  How will speakers/keynotes be selected?  How many sessions/breakouts will fit?  What are session topics?  What is the timeline? (plan 6 month calendar)  Vendors-How much space is available?  Keynotes-How much will they cost?

 Quarterly Meetings  Once a year is simply not enough  Title I D Updates  Networking  Sharing best practices  Legislative agendas  Discussions on issues

 Clock hours  College credits  Raffle tickets given in exchange for conference evaluations  Popular keynote and entertainment on final day of conference  Survey to address specific program needs

 Networking –sharing personal views  Best Practices –gain state outlook  Keynote Speakers –gain national outlook  Collect data from facilities as part of grant process  Grantees give examples of how teachers use conference trainings in the classrooms

 Advance planning is vital!  Don’t do it alone; partner for success!  Open communication with partners is necessary; be flexible  Conference planning is a continuous quality improvement process  Read feedback-allow participants a voice to shape their professional development

 NDTAC: “Six Tips for Planning a Successful Statewide Conference” delinquent.org/nd/resources/spotlight/spotlight200704b.asp delinquent.org/nd/resources/spotlight/spotlight200704b.asp  Washington Institutional Education/Title I D web site: 