Summer Educator Academy 2026

PARTICIPANT ONLY WORKSHOP

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Revolutionize Your Classroom with AI

Friday-Saturday, July 10-11 at 8:30 a.m. – 5 p.m. each day

*This workshop is Participant Only and does not require FEPL. ($350)

Join us for a two-day, in-person professional learning experience designed to help educators confidently and responsibly integrate artificial intelligence into teaching and learning.

 

Day 1 focuses on building a strong foundation. Educators will explore what AI is (and what it isn’t), with a clear emphasis on responsible use, student privacy, data security and ethical decision-making in school settings. Participants will examine real classroom scenarios and policies, discuss equity and bias, and learn how to evaluate AI tools through a critical, educator-centered lens. The day also highlights how AI can support planning, organization and instructional design, helping teachers reclaim time while maintaining professional judgment.

 

Day 2 shifts from understanding to application. Educators will dive into the power of AI to differentiate instruction and support diverse learners, including multilingual students, students with disabilities, and those needing enrichment or acceleration. Through hands-on practice both days, participants will use AI to create and adapt lesson materials, design engaging learning activities, generate formative assessments, and provide meaningful feedback to students. Collaboration is front and center as educators share ideas, refine prompts and build resources tailored to their grade level or content area.

Across both days, participants will engage in interactive workshops, guided practice and collaborative problem-solving, ensuring learning is practical, relevant and immediately transferable to the classroom. Educators will leave with ready-to-use tools, adaptable templates and clear implementation strategies that enhance student engagement, improve instructional efficiency and support student achievement—without compromising trust, privacy or professional values.

 

By the end of the two-day experience, educators won’t just understand AI, they’ll also know how to use it thoughtfully, creatively, and confidently to strengthen teaching and learning.

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TRAIN-THE-TRAINER COURSES

We are requiring pre and post attendance, through zoom meetings, to become familiar with your course cohort as well as content. Please note: Certificates of Completion as well as training materials will not be available until all requirements have been met. 

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Prerequisite: Facilitating Equity-Based Professional Learning

Prospective trainers who participate in train-the-trainer courses are required to take the course “Facilitating Equity-Based Professional Learning” in advance. This is a one-time prerequisite for individuals who will be AFT trainers, whether at the national or local level. 

This module focuses on understanding the purpose and value of union-sponsored and union-led AFT professional eLearning offerings and programming, and on understanding the importance of equity-based professional learning and the roles and responsibilities of an effective AFT facilitator of adult learners.

Those who have taken the version of this course after April 2024 are not required to take it at SEA 2026; however, it has been updated as of December 2025, so you may choose to retake the course if you wish. 
 

Beginning Reading Instruction 

Beginning Reading Instruction focuses on how children learn to read and the best ways to teach reading from kindergarten to the end of the primary grades. Because the course contains considerable information on how students develop basic decoding skills, it is also useful for teachers and support staff working with older students who are having difficulty with decoding and fluency. The 45-hour course presents a synthesis of the research consensus for beginning reading instruction, and it provides the most effective instructional strategies—aligned to that research—to help students develop print awareness, phonemic awareness, knowledge of the alphabetical system, phonics/ decoding skills, fluency, vocabulary and comprehension. Grade level K-5.
 

Pre-Virtual Instructional Dates: June 8 – 7 p.m. – 8 p.m. EDT

​Post-Virtual Follow-up: July 23 – 12 p.m. – 1 p.m. EDT

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ELL 101: Introduction to English Language Learners 

Designed for mainstream K-12 educators with limited preparation for working with English learners, ELL 101 builds knowledge of second language acquisition, equity in access to academic content, linguistically responsive instruction, and culturally sustaining practices.
 

Participants will be able to:

• Describe core principles of second-language acquisition and their instructional implications.

• Identify the cultural, linguistic and academic diversity among ELL student populations.

• Apply high-leverage, research-based scaffolds that preserve academic rigor.

• Lead or co-lead this course locally.
   

Pre-Virtual Instructional Dates: June 29 – 6 p.m. – 8 p.m. EDT

​Post-Virtual Follow-up: TBD @SEA

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ELITE: Expanding Literacy Instruction by Tutoring English Language Learners

ELITE prepares facilitators to train tutors (teachers, paraprofessionals or community educators) to deliver one-on-one or small-group literacy tutoring using structured literacy aligned to science of reading research on ELLs.  Grade level K-5.

Participants will be able to:

• Explain and implement evidence-based literacy practices for ELLs (K-5).

• Train tutors to deliver foundational skills, vocabulary instruction, complex text support, academic language, and writing support aligned to research.

• Embed ELITE into school-site Professional Learning Communities and family engagement work.

• Lead or co-lead this course locally.

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Pre-Virtual Instructional Dates: June 9, 10– 6 p.m. – 8 p.m. EDT

​Post-Virtual Follow-up: TBD @SEA

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Foundations of Effective Teaching: Cultivating a Student-Centered Classroom 

Pre-work is required in preparation for all virtual and in-person sessions. Google Classroom will be used to post and submit assignments for the course. Four graduate credits are available through Trinity University for $500.

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Foundations of Effective Teaching is a blended model professional learning course designed to inspire and support educators in becoming reflective practitioners while meeting the highest expectations of the profession. The full course is 45 hours. Grade level PreK-12.

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• Section A: Re-Envisioning the Learning Environment consists of three modules: Transforming Your Teacher Identity, Creating Class Community and Facilitating the Learning Environment. These elements combined promote a climate and culture where teacher and student identities are celebrated and affirmed, social-emotional learning is intentionally planned for and integrated into the classroom ethos, and student agency is supported through equitable, responsive classroom management systems co-created to provide the necessary structure students need to thrive.
   

• Section B: Re-Envisioning Engagement and Instruction consists of four modules: Engaging Every Learner, Principles of Instruction, Feedback for Deeper Learning and Maximizing Learning Time. Participants will investigate foundational research and engage in practical learning experiences designed to increase student interest and engagement, foster autonomy and choice, and activate deeper learning using culturally responsive cognitive and instructional processes and feedback. This section concludes with a culminating module that pulls together all the big ideas and themes from the full course to support participants in creating local plans for maximizing learning time inside and outside of the classroom.

Pre-Virtual Instructional Dates: June 23, 25, 30 — 4:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. EDT

​Post-Academy Requirements:

• Virtual Office Hours Coaching Session with Facilitators (late August/early September)

• 3-hour Virtual Course Completion - Module: Maximizing Learning Time (mutually agreed/late September)

• 1 Choice Board Classroom Application Assignment (Due October 30, 2026)

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Managing Behavior in School Communities

This course provides effective strategies for managing challenging behavior across a variety of school settings. Examining and exploring root causes of challenging and disruptive behaviors requires different skill sets: pedagogy grounded in trauma-informed and restorative practices, navigating physical and virtual environments, and straddling your own personal and professional demands and their influence across learning communities. This is a 40-hour train-the-trainer course that offers two hours of graduate credit through Trinity Washington University. Additionally, this course may be accessed virtually with a live trainer or virtually through a combination of synchronous and asynchronous learning. Grade level K-12.

 

Pre-Virtual Instructional Dates: June 11, 18 — 6 p.m. – 7 p.m. and June 30 – 5 p.m. – 6 p.m. EDT

​Post-Virtual Follow-up: Aug. 6, Aug. 20 — 5 p.m. – 6 p.m. and Sept. 10 – 7 p.m.-8 p.m. EDT

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Strategies for Student Success: The Student-Centered Classroom

Creating a student-centered classroom involves recognizing and responding to the diverse cultural, cognitive and motivational needs of all learners. Through Culturally Responsive Pedagogy, educators explore the connection between culture and learning, employing strategies such as cultural competency, high expectations and critical consciousness to build student self-efficacy and engagement. Differentiated Instruction ensures that varying learning styles, interests and readiness levels are addressed through models like Tomlinson’s tiered lessons, Conklin’s choice boards, and Sternberg’s triarchic model. Finally, Inquiry-, Problem-, and Project-Based Learning shifts the focus from compliance to curiosity, empowering students to explore, question and create as they construct knowledge in meaningful ways. Together, these approaches cultivate inclusive, engaging and personalized learning environments where every student can thrive. Grade level PreK-12.

 

Pre-Virtual Instructional Dates: June 9, 16, 30—6 p.m. – 8 p.m. EDT 

​Post-Virtual Follow-up: TBD @SEA

 

Thinking Mathematics 3-5

Designed for the upper-elementary grade band, this course focuses not only on research findings about how children learn multiplication and division of whole numbers but also on the struggles students have with fraction concepts and computation. Logically extending concepts learned in whole number work to fractions can lessen the cognitive load and help students make sense of them. The course begins with a brief introduction to the Ten Principles of Thinking Mathematics instruction because using these principles leads to a better understanding of mathematics by all students. It focuses on the mathematical practices (habits of mind students develop and use as they learn math) that are now part of nearly all rigorous mathematics standards, including the Common Core State Standards for Mathematics. Multiple representations and strategies are used to develop a deep understanding of multiplication and division. As the distributive property becomes visible, students make connections to the traditional algorithms. Participants learn ways to help students understand fractions as single numbers that can be represented on the number line. This helps them to develop a sense of fraction magnitude so they can make sense of problems and whether answers are reasonable. Grade level 3-5.

 

Pre-Virtual Instructional Dates: June 3 — 6 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. EDT

​Post-Virtual Follow-up: September 30 - 6 p.m. – 8 p.m. EDT

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Understanding Dyslexia

This course equips educators with a comprehensive and practical understanding of dyslexia as a neurobiological-specific learning disability. Although teachers cannot diagnose this condition, you will gain essential knowledge of evidence-based strategies and best practices to support students effectively. Grade level K-12.

 

Participants will:

1. Explore the common signs, characteristics, and co-occurring conditions of dyslexia across various age groups.

2. Utilize case studies to delve into instructional methods and implement appropriate classroom accommodations that promote access and equity.

3. Examine multisensory teaching techniques designed to enhance reading, writing and spelling skills, and analyze how structured literacy benefits all learners.

 

You will leave the course with a ready-to-use lesson plan template, actionable classroom strategies, and practical talking points for effective communication with parents.
 

Pre-Virtual Instructional Dates: June 4 — 7 p.m. – 8 p.m. EDT

​Post-Virtual Follow-up: July 23—6 p.m. – 7 p.m. EDT