Professional Development Opportunities
The CNY Education Conference: Standing Tall
July 21-22, 2026 – 8:30 am – 3:00 pm
Vernon Downs, Vernon, NY
Get ready to Stand Tall this July!
Nationally acclaimed educator, author, and school culture expert "Stand Tall" Steven Bollar is coming to our region for a two-day professional learning experience you won't want to miss. Known for his high-energy keynotes, quick wit, and immediately actionable strategies, Steve has inspired educators across the country to transform their school climate, strengthen their leadership, and rediscover their passion for the work. Day 1 will feature Steve as both keynote speaker and primary presenter, with additional speakers and sessions to be announced soon. Save the date — more details are on the way, and trust us, you'll want to be in the room!
July Workshops
Let Them Talk: The Art of the Socratic Seminar
Your students can recite facts. They can bubble in answers. But can they actually think—analyze complex texts, construct evidence-based arguments, and engage in civil discourse when it counts? Socratic Seminars assess what multiple-choice tests can't: real-time critical thinking and collaborative inquiry.
Let Them Talk puts you in the student seat first. You'll participate in a full Socratic Seminar, then deconstruct what made it work so you can design your own tomorrow-ready assessment. Walk away with protocols, rubrics, sentence stems, and strategies for managing the fears that keep teachers from trying seminars: "What if no one talks?" "What if three students dominate?" "How do I grade a conversation fairly?" This isn't about forcing awkward class discussions—it's about creating the conditions where students want to think out loud, challenge ideas respectfully, and build
understanding together. If NY Inspires demands performance-based assessment, let's give students something worth performing.
A part of the Performance-Based Assessment Design series.
July 29, 2026 – 12:00 – 3:00 pm
Costello Center
Non-Component Registration Link
Getting Your Sundays Back: An A.I. Work Session
Do you miss your Sundays? Would you like to recapture some of your “free” time?
This interactive workshop is designed to meet you where you are in your AI journey. Whether you're brand new and curious, have only dabbled with AI for emails or letters, or already feel comfortable and want to push into lesson design or student feedback, this is your space. You'll receive
personalized guidance as you explore how AI can streamline your planning, instruction, and professional tasks.
The session will be free-flowing and hands-on, with plenty of time to try tools, ask questions, and test ideas. Most importantly, bring something you want to accomplish–a unit you'd like to rework, lessons you need to plan, or student work you want to analyze–and leave with real progress made. All levels of comfort are welcome, and you'll walk away with practical skills you can immediately apply to save time and elevate your work!
July 29, 2026 – 9:00 – 3:00 pm
Costello Center
Non-Component Registration Link
August Workshops
- Hands-on Inquiry based learning!
- Field work at Fort Stanwix, the Oriskany Battle Field, and the Oneida Nation!
- Feel confident in teaching our local history!
- Successful participation will receive:
- 100% funding for FREE field work for your class to Fort Stanwix and the Oneida Nation, including transportation
- Learn how to obtain a class set of text to integrate literacy
- Revolutionary War on Wednesday (Elementary)
- Sophia’s War (Middle and High School)
August 6, 2026 – 8:30 am – 11:30 am
AND
August 7, 2026 – 8:30 am – 3:30 pm
Costello Conference Room