Join Us for the 5th Annual CBE Summit - May 2026 in St. Louis!

We are excited to invite you to our 5th Annual Competency-Based Education (CBE) Summit, taking place this May 20256 This event is a unique opportunity for educators, administrators, and stakeholders to come together and explore the latest strategies, innovations, and success stories in Competency-Based Education.

Details at a Glance:

📅 Dates: May 27th and 28th, 2026

📍 Location: Ritenour High School, St. Louis, MO

📋 Theme: Just Good Teaching: A Competency Based Approach

We encourage you to mark your calendar and join us for two days filled with insightful sessions, collaborative discussions, and networking opportunities with leaders in the field of CBE.

Tickets

Cost: $300 per person, includes keynotes, breakout sessions, lunch, and refreshments

Call For Proposals

REGISTRATION FEES will be waived with the commitment to present at least one break-out session.

Break-out sessions will be 75 minutes in length. There will be three or four breakout sessions per day.

Sessions Proposals are due by March 30th, 2026, at 4 pm.

We are interested in sessions that connect instructional best practices with Competency Based Education:

• Tell Your Story: What You Tried, What You Found, How You Changed

• Simulating the CBE experience from the student perspective

• Small Group Instruction In A CBE Environment: Data driven instruction

• Instructing with Proficiency Scales: Tracking Progress, Goal Setting, and Celebrating Success

• Assessment and Feedback

• Student Engagement

• The CBE Learning Environment: Procedures and routines to support student efficacy and agency

• Technology Integration

• Empower Playlists

• Empower Learning Manager (Planning Tool)

• Social Emotional Learning in CBE

• Equitable Practices

• Flexible Scheduling

• Grading

• Cumulative Review

• Best practices in whole group instruction

• Getting Ready for the Real Thing: Making an implementation plan

📣 Big News: Connected Learning is Now Leading GEG Missouri!

We are thrilled to share some exciting news! Connected Learning has officially stepped into the leadership role for the Missouri Google Educator Group (GEG Missouri).

For years, Connected Learning has been dedicated to empowering educators through innovation, collaboration, and community. By leading GEG Missouri, we are doubling down on our mission to provide Missouri teachers with the tools, resources, and networks they need to thrive in a digital-first classroom.

What does this mean for you? More localized events, deeper dives into Google Workspace for Education, and a direct line to a community of passionate innovators right here in the Show-Me State. Whether you're a Google Pro or just getting started, there is a seat at the table for you.

Stay tuned for upcoming webinars, "Coffee & Connect" sessions, and hands-on workshops!

Learn more here

INSTITUTE FOR SCHOOL PARTNERSHIP

Save-the-Date: ISP Educator Showcase

The date is set for the Fourth Annual Educator Showcase, from 4 to 7 p.m. on Tuesday, May 5, 2026, in Holmes Lounge on WashU's Danforth Campus. More than 20+ teaching professionals from across the St. Louis region are leading, learning, and growing as they partner with the ISP to research innovative solutions to some of today's most pressing challenges to classroom practice.

You’re Invited: A Special Screening and Conversation with Nine PBS 
Wednesday, May 13 | 6–7:30 pm
Nine PBS Bayer Studio

Join Nine PBS for a special screening and community conversation focused on mental well‑being. The evening will feature an exclusive screening of an upcoming episode of Things We Don’t Talk About on Nine PBS, followed by a moderated panel discussion and audience Q&A. 

The episode explores Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), highlighting lived experiences and expert insight. Series host Aisha Sultan, a nationally syndicated columnist and features writer based in St. Louis, will lead a candid conversation exploring these themes:

• ADHD is often invisible in classrooms, especially when students or teachers are well-behaved or high-achieving.

• Educators with ADHD bring unique insight into how attention, movement, and learning work.

• Emerging neuroscience is reshaping how we understand ADHD and how medication supports the brain.

This event is part of the Nine PBS Mental Well‑Being Initiative, which partners with trusted organizations to support kids, caregivers, and educators through culturally relevant content and courageous conversation. 

We hope you’ll join us for this meaningful and informative evening. 

Hello Educators,

I wanted to share an early heads-up about a conference coming up right here in St. Louis, and make sure our local Missouri and Southern Illinois school districts hear about it first.

The A4LE Midwest Great Lakes Regional Conference will be in St. Louis June 1–3, 2026, and we’re hoping to see strong participation from districts across our region.

Save the Date

June 1–3, 2026
Sheraton Westport Chalet Hotel – St. Louis

This note is going only to local districts as a first notice, before we open things up more broadly. Our goal is to get Missouri and Southern Illinois schools involved early and well represented.

Call for Speakers

We’re opening our Call for Speakers, and this is a great opportunity for districts to share what you’re working on.

If you or someone on your team has experience to share — whether it’s a project that went well, a lesson learned, or something you’d do differently next time — we’d love to hear from you.

• Speaker submissions are open through January 30

• Breakout sessions will focus on real work happening in schools and districts

• It’s a great way to highlight your district and connect with peers across the region

If presenting has ever crossed your mind, this is a good chance to raise your hand.

School Tours

We’re also beginning to look for schools to tour as part of the conference.

Tours can include:

• New school buildings

• Renovations or additions

• Projects currently under construction (including hard-hat tours)

If your district would be interested in hosting a tour, please note that tour sites will need to be within approximately a one-hour driving radius of the conference hotel.

These tours are always a highlight of the conference and a great way to showcase real work happening in local districts.

What’s next

We’ll be sending more details as the conference takes shape. For now, I just wanted to:

• Get this on your calendar early

• Invite local districts to be among the first involved

• Encourage you to consider submitting a speaker proposal or hosting a tour

Conference details and the Call for Speakers can be found here:
Conference Registration

More to come soon. Hope to see a lot of familiar Missouri and Southern Illinois faces in 2026.

St. Louis Arts Ed Collaborative

R.S.V.P. June 9, 2026 - 10am-3pm

You are invited to attend a special gathering of those who love the arts and arts education in St. Louis. Join us June 9 on the lawn of the Loretto-Hilton Theatre as an honored guest of the Missouri Alliance for Arts Education and the Opera Theatre of St. Louis. Festivities begin at 10am with a "Bring your own picnic" party and networking opportunity. This segment concludes at 11:45am, and guests will be invited to attend the rehearsal/performance of "Romeo and Juliet." 

The favor of a reply is requested by May 25, 2026. 

Seating for the performance is limited to 75 patrons, so REGISTER TODAY!

Questions? Contact: Phyllis Pasley, MAAE Executive Director at director@moaae.org or 314-306-7575.

June 12, 2026 | 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

Powder Valley Conservation Nature Center, Kirkwood, MO (11715 Cragwold Rd, Kirkwood, MO 63122)

A professional development opportunity for school leaders about nature, health, and academics. Access to nature boosts student well‑being, strengthens educator resilience, and improves outcomes across school communities. This symposium brings Missouri education leaders together to explore evidence-driven, cross‑sector strategies that support healthier, more effective learning systems. The Missouri Department of Conservation created this event to serve the educational community in accordance with MDC’s strategic plan to optimize health and wellness for all living beings. By integrating nature with education, we hope to provide benefits to students’ mental and physical health that will encourage a lifelong connection to the outdoors.

The Goal: 
This event, hosted by MDC and Missouri Conservation Heritage Foundation (MCHF), is envisioned to incorporate a wide range of information toward cultivating healthier children, adults and communities by inspiring practical action partnerships within educational communities.

Intended Audience:  
School superintendents, school administrators, curriculum coordinators, principals, teachers, education professors, community leaders, nonformal educators, etc.

Sessions will cover connecting outdoor learning with curriculum goals across subjects; creating safe and healthy outdoor spaces; supporting students with diverse needs; resources for linking nature, mental and physical health, and education; and more! A boxed lunch is included with your registration.

Featured Speakers:

• Dr. Margie Vandeven, Education Branch Chief, Missouri Department of Conservation

• Dr. Maya Moody, MD Pediatric Medicine Missouri Baptist Medical Center and Mercy Hospital St. Louis.

• Dr. Sharonica L. Hardin-Bartley, PhD, PHR Superintendent, The School District of University City.

African and African American Studies (AFAS) at Washington University in St. Louis is now accepting applications for the 2026 Black Studies Summer Institute for High School Educators, July 13-17 and July 20-22, 2026.

The Institute is open to high school administrators and teachers from the St. Louis metropolitan region who incorporate aspects of Black culture, history, and literature in their curriculum or teach AP/African American Studies. The Institute centers St. Louis as the focal point for exploring various themes related to African and African American Studies and aims to create a network of high school educators dedicated to the teaching of these topics.  

Upon completion of the Institute, participants will gain the distinction of becoming Institute Fellows, granting them invitations to engage in year-round activities. There is no cost for the Institute.

The application deadline is Friday, May 8th, 2026.  More information about the Institute and the application can be found at here.

Questions or inquiries can be directed to Gabrielle Weeden, at weeden@wustl.edu.  

• Podcast: “Shell Game” - Season 2 - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/shell-game/id1753117762

• Make Screen Time Worth Something - https://classroominthefuture.substack.com/p/make-screen-time-worth-something?r=2r5mjt&utm_medium=ios&triedRedirect=true

• “A Week at Apple Learning Academy" - https://netasite.org/?p=10421

• Super hard recall game I’m terrible at: https://dialed.gg/

• The Fabulous Engineering and Design of Duct Tape

• The Case for Doing Nothing

• Slide Slam 2026: World Championship of PowerPoint Karaoke | Boom Chicago - this would be a fun activity

• Window Swap - look out the window somewhere in the world

• ‘Reverse-gentrify the country’: how Black and Indigenous intentional communities are reclaiming land | US news | The Guardian