Elevate PD Conference-1/16/26
Hunterdon Central Regional High School is hosting the Elevate Professional Development Conference on Friday, January 16, 2026 from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. (with check-in starting at 8:30 a.m.). This year’s theme, “Elevate,” reflects on effective strategies, best practices, and innovative tools to elevate learning to the next step in an ever-evolving educational landscape. This conference is open to K-12 educators, administrators, and support staff from any school district in Hunterdon County, including Hunterdon Central, or our neighboring counties.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
REGISTRATION:
Registration is only required for attendees that are not employed by Hunterdon Central Regional High School District. CLICK HERE TO REGISTER.
For any inquiries, please contact Dr. Matthew Hall, Director of Curriculum & Instruction at Hunterdon Central Regional High School, at matthew.hall@hcrhs.org.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
LIST OF SESSIONS - YOU PICK YOUR OWN TOPICS!
We invited passionate K-12 educators, researchers, administrators, and education technology specialists to submit proposals for presentations that align with our "Elevate" theme and offer valuable insights and actionable takeaways for their peers.
To further refine our conference theme, approved sessions were divided into several conference strands:
- Serving All Students: Differentiated instruction, MTSS supports, speech therapy, case manager support, personalized learning pathways
- Best Practices: Project-based learning, inquiry-based learning, interdisciplinary approaches, or designed with specific disciplines in mind
- Tech Integration: Blended learning, flipped classrooms, AI, organizing yourself digitally for success, virtual reality, digital literacy, and home instruction
- Wellness: Social and Emotional Learning, self-care for educators, trauma-informed practices, mindfulness, fostering resilience, decision-making, and building strong home-school partnerships, culturally responsive teaching
- Leadership: building positive classroom communities, leveraging data for instructional improvement, mentorship programs, leadership opportunities/pipeline within schools, effective collaboration, cultivating student leadership, service learning
CLICK HERE FOR A LIST OF SESSION TOPICS BEING OFFERED. Some are being offered across multiple time slots so people don't miss out.
Utilize Notebook LM to narrow down your choices!
Sample prompt to help you find sessions based on your interests: I am a (insert job title) attending this conference, and I'd like a personalized schedule of what I should attend based on my interests and growth goals. Can you build me an itinerary of options that include (insert interests), and organize it sequentially?
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Schedule for the Day
Attendees will rotate through four sessions of their choosing.
| 8:30 a.m. | Check-in begins |
| 9:00 - 9:25 a.m. | Keynote Speaker (in Auditorium) |
| 9:30 - 10:10 a.m. | Session 1 |
| 10:15 - 10:55 a.m. | Session 2 |
| 11:00 - 12:00 p.m. | Lunch |
| 12:00 p.m. - 12:40 p.m. | Session 3 |
| 12:45 - 1:25 p.m. | Session 4 |
| 1:35 - 2:03 p.m. | Closing Session (in Auditorium) |
Keynote
26 WAYS TO ELEVATE AS AN EDUCATOR IN 2026 by Brad Currie, Assistant Superintendent for the Chester School District in Chester, New Jersey
Brad Currie has been in the field of education for over 25 years as a coach, teacher, and administrator. He currently serves as the Assistant Superintendent for the Chester School District in Chester, New Jersey. Brad is the 2017 NASSP National Assistant Principal of the Year, the first Assistant Principal in New Jersey ever to receive this distinct honor. He is also the 2017 NJPSA Assistant Principal of the Year and part of the ASCD Emerging Leaders Class of 2014. He co-founded and co-moderated a weekly Twitter discussion for educators called #Satchat that took place every Saturday morning. Brad authored five books, including All Hands on Deck: Tools for Connecting Educators, Parents, and Communities. He presents nationally on leadership, innovation, and technology. Brad also served as an adjunct professor at Rider University and Drew University, teaching classes on educational technology. He is a Google Champion for Education and Certified Trainer. Brad was the Founding Partner of Evolving Educators LLC for close to a decade, supporting educators across the world with thriving in the digital world. Brad grew up in Lambertville, NJ, and currently resides in Flemington, NJ, with his wife and two children.
Sponsors
The Elevate PD Conference is sponsored by:
Thank you to our sponsors!
