Theme-based tracks allow participants to concentrate on a set of five or more related workshops organized around a single educational issue. Participants are invited to attend all the workshops in a track or to "mix and match." 

Assessment and Accountability
The Assessment and Accountability track is designed to make the complicated issues of testing more accessible to teachers by de-mystifying the language and mathematics involved in large-scale testing; providing hands-on opportunities for teachers to use testing data to inform classroom practice; focusing attention on assessing special populations (English language learners, special education students, and high school literacy); and providing a forum for participants to voice their opinions about NCLB, including its accountability mechanism, the adequate yearly progress (AYP) formula, and to offer their solutions for fixing the law.

Early Childhood Education
It's a fact—children perform better in school when they have high-quality early childhood education. So what are the features of a high-quality program? How is Kindergarten-Plus doing? Get answers to these questions and also learn about what it takes to make preschool universal, efforts to organize child care workers, and the latest research for building young children's language and literacy skills.

Effective Classroom Management
Learn practical strategies all teachers can apply to establish an orderly classroom, maintain high levels of student engagement, and deal effectively with disruptive students. Topics include everything from planning for the first day of school to instructional techniques that keep students on task. Learn how to minimize misbehavior—and maximize student learning—throughout the year.

English Language Learners
Whether you have students who are English language learners for the first time in your classroom or you are looking for more ways to help these children succeed, we will provide you with helpful tools. Come and learn about new instructional resources the AFT is unveiling to help educators be more effective, as well as research-based best practices, how to tackle assessment challenges and implement strategies to improve academic performance and graduation rates.

Language Matters
What is the impact of language on teaching and learning? Sessions in this track will help educators better understand the challenges students face depending on the breadth of their language acquisition or whether their home language differs from school language. Presenters will share insights, show the many ways language matters, and provide strategies to facilitate student success.

No Child Left Behind
The NCLB track will cover specific areas of the law that are of concern to AFT members and over which they have some control. There will be sessions on assessment and instruction on English language learners and students with disabilities. Learn about the sanctions that accompany not making adequate yearly progress, focusing on implications for teachers and schools. Finally, join us for an interactive discussion about the troublesome aspects of the law's implementation and help shape AFT policy around these issues.

Reading
Reading achievement is critical to school success. This track will provide insight into the research as well as strategies and interventions relating to literacy acquisition. Learn how to apply what we know works to help young children as well as adolescents be successful readers.

Redesigning Schools To Raise Achievement
Improving high-need schools and student achievement has become the major district, state and community challenge as magnified by state accountability measures and  No Child Left Behind. Learn how the AFT, working with many of its state and local affiliates and community constituents, is achieving results through partnerships and teamwork in designing and implementing research-based programs and practices that affect policy, contractual and budget decisions.

Secondary Schools
Secondary schools continue to be challenging places to reform. Hear from teachers and union leaders about their successes with students who are below grade level and implementing school, district and state policies that support positive change. Get an update on the research and data for promising programs for middle and high schools.

Special Education
Within this track, participants will learn about the new IDEA regulations and assessment issues affecting students with disabilities. Hear from researchers and practitioners as they share strategies for successful inclusion, non-biased identification and placement and working with medically fragile students.

Teacher Quality
Teachers are required to do and know more than ever before. Districts with unions as their partners are paying more attention to recruitment and retention issues. Hear from teachers about being a mentor or protege, setting up a program using online professional development, discuss the issues we are facing with teacher evaluation and seniority.

Teaching Mathematics
Does AYP have you looking for ways to help more students learn more math? Are you working hard but spinning your wheels? Learn what works in these interactive workshops on deepening mathematics understanding. Examples span all grade levels.

Additional Workshops
In addition to our theme-based tracks, we will offer workshops on such topics as Internet resources for teachers, serving as a union-sponsored supplemental service provider, communicating with parents, grant writing and more.