Though “communication” and “collaboration” are prominently featured in educator evaluation rubrics, we rarely practice the skills at the heart of those valued ideals. Through a series of interactive and familiar exercises, the session will provide participants with a framework and vocabulary through which they might approach their complicated workplace conversations.

As schools work to recognize students’ full linguistic and cultural identities, the Seal of Biliteracy offers a powerful opportunity to promote equity, student achievement, and global readiness. This session introduces the Seal of Biliteracy Outreach Toolkit, developed to help educators raise awareness, engage families, and increase equitable access. Presenters will share replicable outreach strategies, customizable materials, and student-informed insights to help districts strengthen participation in this meaningful recognition of multilingual learners.

During this presentation, participants will find out the best classroom practices that are research-based and will give teachers ways to proactively strengthen their Tier 1 instruction. By the end of this session, participants will:

1. Understand the PBIS Framework: Explain the core principles of PBIS and how classroom practices fit into the larger PBIS structure.
2. Develop and Communicate Clear Behavioral Expectations: Create classroom-specific behavioral expectations that align with school-wide PBIS goals and learn methods for teaching and reinforcing these behaviors.
3. Establish a Positive Classroom Environment: Implement strategies to create a welcoming, respectful, and inclusive environment that promotes positive student behaviors.
4. Reinforce Positive Behaviors: Learn how to use a system of acknowledgments, rewards, and praise to encourage appropriate behavior, while also setting up systems for consistent and fair consequences.
   
5. Use Data for Behavioral Decision-Making: Understand how to collect and use behavioral data to track

All employees have basic rights in the workplace, and understanding your rights is critical to your employment. In this session, participants will learn about employment laws and issues they might encounter. From collective bargaining agreements to first amendment rights to dangerous behavior and prevention laws and more, you will learn how these critical laws and statues impact your work and what your rights are in each of these situations.

Brianne Lolar, a citizen of the Panawahpskek Nation part of the Wabanaki Confederacy, works to bring others together through the Wabanaki Studies learning journey. The intent of this professional development is to establish a vision and a plan that will set the future direction for a coordinated and consistent integration/ weaving of Wabanaki Studies that will lead to Indigenous cultural awareness, sensitivity, and understanding for all across Wabanaki homelands. This is meant to support learners in transforming the way we work with and support Indigenous and non-Indigenous children and families. There is not one way of knowing – this requires that we move away from normalizing a Western approach to knowledge acquisition to accepting and respecting that other knowledges and ways of knowing are a part of the learning experience.

The Maine Department of Education (DOE), in partnership with I’m Your Neighbor Books, introduced the Pine Project to provide Maine public schools with 30 picture books highlighting immigrant and new-generation family experiences. These books come with discussion materials to help educators facilitate conversations about diverse perspectives.

The initiative aims to foster connection through storytelling, with books housed in mobile carts designed by Nomak Design and manufactured by Orion Woodshop for easy sharing across schools. The Pine Project supports creating inclusive learning environments where all students feel valued. Maine DOE offers free professional learning opportunities for educators, grounded in the CASEL framework, to integrate social-emotional learning (SEL) into teaching through literature. This training focuses on SEL core competencies: self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision-making. Session Objectives:

• Introduce the Pine Project and its impact.
• Explore the Welcoming Library: Pine Collection.
• Overview of professional development training.
• Discuss the collection’s classroom impact.
• Engage in a “book walk” to experience SEL discussions.

Join this interactive session to learn how Maine DOE supports educators in welcoming new neighbors through storytelling.

Your contract is more than just words on paper—it’s the key to understanding your rights, pay, and benefits. In this interactive session, we’ll dive into how collective bargaining, or negotiating a contract shapes your compensation and working conditions. After a brief overview of key contract elements, you’ll embark on a fun scavenger hunt within your own contract to discover essential clauses and rights. By the end, you’ll not only know how to spot a strong contract but also feel confident about what to do if an issue arises. We’ll bring you a copy of your contract so you’ll be ready to explore!

Behaviors occur, and while we can’t control every root cause, we can make adjustments and use interventions to support student regulation. In this training, participants will identify a challenging behavior they are facing, determine what is within their control, and use a fishbone protocol to pinpoint the root cause. This process helps in identifying ethical interventions to achieve behavioral goals.

Everyday attendance requires clear expectations, explicit teaching, practice, acknowledgment, effective interventions, and regular progress monitoring. Review tiered strategies for supporting student attendance fit right into a MTSS framework. Explore tools and resources to make your attendance improvement efforts more effective.

In this session participants will explore presuming competence and adopting an asset-based approach for students with disabilities. The course covers recognizing and leveraging students’ unique strengths, understanding disability language choices, and the impact of person-first and identity-based language. Additionally, participants will learn about anti-ableist language to create inclusive and affirming environments.

• Develop strategies to adopt an asset-based mindset and presume competence, fostering inclusive educational practices that enhance the participation and development of all students, particularly those with disabilities;
• Apply a capacity-building framework to transform educational practices and narratives, enhancing the recognition and utilization of the inherent strengths and contributions of students with disabilities;
• Critically examine the impact of ableist language and practices on perceptions and treatment of students with disabilities, fostering awareness and proactive change in educational settings; and
• Explore and implement strategies for employing respectful and empowering language that acknowledges disability as an integral and valued aspect of human diversity, thereby challenging systemic ableism in education narratives and interactions.

Story Telling Strengthen Our Union will focus on telling individual stories to aid organizing conversations, build relationships and shared values on the job as well as sharing our collective story about organizing to build hope and motivate workers to action.

This yoga session is for all levels. This gentle yoga class emphasizes slow, mindful movement, breathing, and relaxation. We’ll focus on connecting with the body, improving flexibility, and reducing stress. Modifications and props will be offered to ensure a comfortable and safe practice. Mats and blocks are available if needed.

Navigating the legal landscape of special education can be challenging for educators. This session will provide a foundational overview of key laws and regulations governing special education, including the Individuals with

Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Participants will gain a clear understanding of their legal responsibilities in supporting students with disabilities, from the development of Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) to ensuring compliance with procedural safeguards and accommodations. Designed for educators and school staff at all levels, this session will empower attendees with the knowledge needed to advocate effectively for students while staying aligned with federal and state mandates.

This session will address the critical aspects of implementing effective multilingual programming, PreK-12, by first reviewing the legal and policy frameworks that shape our responsibilities and then exploring state-level guidance and resources to ensure equitable and impactful instruction for multilingual learners (MLs). 

A cornerstone of successful instruction for MLs lies in understanding the process of language acquisition. This session will illuminate the various stages of language development and provide practical insights into how this knowledge can directly inform instructional planning. We will explore how to differentiate instruction and tailor activities to meet learners where they are in their language journey, addressing the essential roles of both language and content development. 

Participants will leave with concrete resources they can utilize to enrich their instructional practice and build capacity within their schools and districts. 

In an increasingly diverse and interconnected world, educators must be equipped to meet the needs of all students. This interactive session will empower participants to cultivate culturally responsive, inclusive, and equity-centered classrooms. Together, we’ll explore actionable strategies and policies that sustain cultural identities, dismantle systemic barriers, and foster safe, affirming learning environments. Attendees will leave with practical tools and a renewed commitment to equity-driven teaching and leadership. 

Executive functions are a set of mental processes that allow us to connect past experiences to present and future action. Executive functions also help us plan, organize, strategize, focus, remember, manage time and space, and regulate emotions and impulses. Students with strong executive functioning perform better in school, have better attendance and behavior, and are more likely to achieve long-term goals they set for themselves. This workshop provides tools and strategies to help teachers systematically improve students’ executive functioning skills at all grade levels. 

Designed to create safer learning environments for both students and staff, Maine’s Dangerous Behavior Prevention and Intervention Law outlines clear procedures for addressing dangerous incidents in schools. This session will provide an overview of the unified guidance developed by MEA in collaboration with other educational organizations*, aimed at ensuring effective implementation of the law. Participants will learn what is classified as a dangerous behavior, understand the protections the law offers, and explore the necessary protocols that labor-management teams should establish. Additionally, attendees will be guided through the reporting, review, and individualized planning processes to ensure proper response and intervention in such incidents. 

*Maine School Management, Maine School Superintendents Association, Maine Principals Association, and Maine Administrators of Services for Children with Disabilities

In this hands-on training, Teaching with Purpose: Developmentally Informed Practices for Education Technicians, participants will explore effective, evidence-based strategies that align with the developmental needs of students across various age groups. Designed specifically for education technicians, this session offers an overview of how to implement developmentally appropriate teaching practices that support student learning, engagement, and social-emotional growth. 

This training is designed for all school staff. It will provide a foundational understanding for those who are new to working with LGBTQ+ youth, as well as updated and in-depth information for those who are looking for a refresher. During this training participants will review: terminology and pronoun usage; risk and protective factors, supporting transgender and gender-expansive youth, student rights, intervening in harmful behavior, and creating an inclusive classroom. 

What does it do? What is it made of? Is it sticky? Does it smell? Can I eat it? Will it burn? What even is it?  

These are some of the questions that you might want to ask. Or not. We don’t know yet. What we do know, for sure, is that anytime Object-Based Inquiry is going on, the questions start flying! What’s more, with this approach, everyone is welcome, everyone contributes, everyone is essential – and everyone is learning. Come join in the fun, mess about with new ideas, and experience how Object-Based learning sparks curiosity and inclusive education.  

This approach not only aligns with the Maine Learning Standards, but also fosters an inclusive and equitable environment where every student can thrive. Through Object-Based Inquiry, learners build vocabulary, deepen comprehension, and strengthen critical thinking – laying the groundwork for success both in school and in life.  

Participants are asked to bring a cell phone, iPad, or laptop for object research.