Pennsylvania Migrant Education Program Conference 2025: (Deadline 17 November, 2024)

Applications are open for the Pennsylvania Migrant Education Program Conference 2025. The Pennsylvania Migrant Education Program Conference, Education Without Borders: Building Global Leaders, is a unique learning opportunity to advance the quality of educational experiences for migrant education and English learner students and families.

The Conference Committee seeks high-quality sessions that draw connections between current trends, research, equity and inclusion, and best practices for the educational support of migrant students in school and out-of-school time.

Thematic Areas

The committee is particularly interested in session proposals that address the following themes:

Early Childhood (EC)

• Accessing and using OCDEL services.
• Developmental milestones and referrals through OCDEL or other organizations.
• Promising practices in early childhood education, birth to age 5.

English and Multilingual Learners (EL/ML)

• Effective instruction for English and multilingual learners in the classroom and out-of-school time settings.
• Interpreting and using WIDA ACCESS scores for English language students.

Family (FAM)

• Family engagement and community partnerships.

Identification and Recruitment (IDR)

• Best practices for identifying and recruiting migrant families in urban settings, addressing the unique challenges of high mobility and diverse populations in cities.
• Effective methods for recruiting in rural areas, focusing on the challenges of geographic isolation, limited access to services, and establishing trust with migrant communities.
• Innovative outreach techniques to raise awareness about the Migrant Education Program in various communities, including partnerships with schools, employers, and community organizations.
• Using geographic information systems and other mapping tools to locate housing and employment sites for migrant populations and improve strategic recruitment planning.
• Utilizing data analytics and tracking tools to identify eligible migrant students, monitor recruitment efforts, and ensure accurate and up-to-date information.

Mental Health (MH)

• Engaging with mental health and trauma therapy providers.
• Supplemental program guidelines and requirements (e.g., special education, school-based MTSS support).
• Trauma-informed practices, including identifying trauma-based needs, appropriate grievance strategies, and pathways for conflict resolution.

Out-of-School Time (OST)

• Academic best practices for implementation in the classroom and out-of-school time settings.
• Out-of-school time and community programming that are available to migratory students and parents.
• Teaching basic math skills in the classroom and out-of-school time settings.

Out-of-School Youth (OSY)

• Digital tools for out-of-school youth.
• Engagement and retention of out-of-school youth.
• Information on out-of-school youth pathways for returning to school or attaining high school equivalency 

School (SCHOOL)

• Enrollment and placement rules for students without school transcripts or missing records.
• Pennsylvania graduation requirements.
• Post Migrant Education Program transitions for students and parents.
• Preparing for post-secondary education and career options.

Unaccompanied Minors (UM)

• Effective strategies for working with unaccompanied minors, including available resources for minors and sponsors.

Costs

• There is a limited budget available to hold this event. If travel costs would preclude you from submitting an application, the conference committee will consider requests to support travel expenses including transportation, lodging, and meals. Honorariums for speakers are available on a limited basis. You are able to request help with possible travel expenses or a possible honorarium within the application.

Eligibility

• Open to Pennsylvania educators working in school districts, charter schools, career and technology centers, intermediate units, private schools, and non-public schools, LEA administrators, community organizations and agency staff;
• Be working with English learners and/or migrant students and their families, parents and other English Language Development stakeholders, and migrant education program staff.

Application

If you are co-presenting a session, decide who will be the point of contact for your proposal. Complete only one application.

Before starting your application, have the following co-presenter information available.

• First and last name.
• Email address.
• Names of conferences that co-presenters have presented at in the past two years (if applicable).
• ADA accommodations (if applicable).
• Their understanding and agreement to the following terms:
  • No Promotion of Products and Services
  • Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
  • Photography, Audio Recording, and Videography

Click here to apply

For more information, visit PA MEP Conference.