“I have been an EL/Bilingual teacher for 28 years. Today was, BY FAR, the most productive and inspiring PD I have ever attended.”

EmpowerCon 2023 Attendee

“This was a great event! I truly enjoyed collaborating with other professionals, exchanging ideas and networking to keep in contact with new friends during the school year. I am looking forward to presenting my staff with new ideas on how to assist our ELs in becoming academically successful and move towards English proficiency. Thank you!”

EmpowerCon 2023 Attendee

“To the point, hands on, extraordinarily relevant sessions. I was happy to be there and I wasn’t in any hurry to leave. I felt appreciated and welcomed that
match few PD events I have attended.”

EmpowerCon 2023 Attendee

Since January 1, 2012, the Illinois Resource Center (IRC), a division of The Center: Resources for Teaching and Learning, has been providing professional learning services to our state’s educators through contracts from the Department of Multilingual at the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE).  These professional learning opportunities, offered in a variety of formats, focus on English Learners (ELs) and are provided free to Illinois school district educators. Workshops and webinars are led by IRC’s education specialists and are sponsored by ISBE.

The IRC offers both in-person and virtual workshops. Participants earn two professional development credits for a virtual workshop or webinar. Some in-person workshops have resumed, and are held at different locations throughout the Chicagoland area as well as downstate, including at universities, school districts, community centers, and other similar venues. Participants will be offered 2-5 PD credits for participation in an in-person workshop. Please check the event listing of the workshop you wish to attend to confirm if it is in-person or virtual. Some workshops will also be offered as a series over time.

Webinars are live online presentations on various topics allow participants from a wide geographic area to become familiar with foundational issues, strategies, and resources for ELs. During the year, webinars are delivered on various topics including Administrator Academies provided in conjunction with the Illinois Principals Association.

Registration
Individuals interested in attending any professional learning event will need to pre-register as enrollment in all sessions is limited. Please click here to register online.

If you are unable to participate once you have registered, please provide at least 72 hours notice so that another person may take your place. Failure to do so may affect your attempt to register for future events.

Evidence of Completion of Professional Development Certificates are available for all workshops and webinars. Certificates are issued and distributed to participants at the end of these professional learning offerings. Please note that contact hours cannot be adjusted to meet individual needs.

Photo: IRC Education Specialist Michele Yanong addresses the class during a workshop.

A woman in a blue dress stands at a high stand at the front of a classroom. A laptop is in front of her and a project is to her left. A white board with notes written on it is visible in the background.