“Thriving in Challenging Times:
Advancing Economic Development
Through Career Pathways”

October 1 - 3, 2009

Criteria for Selection

All conference presentations must provide high quality and comprehensive professional development for teachers, counselors, and/or administrators and should meet the following criteria:

• Be consistent with the conference theme
• Demonstrate innovative strategies, best practices, and strong program results
• Provide information that attendees can implement in their states or local districts
• Priority for selection will be given to those who include one or more of the following professional development topics required by the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act of 2006 (Perkins Act).
  • Integration of coherent and rigorous academic standards and career and technical education curricula including joint development
  • Effective teaching skills based on research, including applied learning and other promising practices
  • Training in the use and application of technology to improve instruction
  • Accessing and using data for improvement
  • Effective practices to improve parental and community involvement
  • Meeting the needs of special populations
  • Providing programs of study for students (career clusters/pathways)
  • Planning professional development programs for faculty, counselors, and administrators
  • Supporting partnerships among secondary, postsecondary, business, and other community organizations

Requirement for Presenting

• All presenters are required to register for the conference and pay the registration fee. Registration fees are as follows: Key presenter: $225. Each additional presenter: $375. Student presenter: $75. The deadline for presenter registration is September 4.
• Arrange and pay for your own travel and lodging.
• Agree to present on the day assigned by NCPN.
• Provide handouts (including printouts of PowerPoint presentations). Please be sure the handouts are clear and readable.

Types of Presentations

Forums (60 minutes) and clinics (75 minutes) address topics within the seven program strands. Forums and clinics are intended for audiences of 50 to 100 and may include multiple presenters. Presenters are expected to engage attendees in interactive learning activities, provide handouts (including PowerPoint), and respond to requests for more information.

Roundtables are presented twice within 60- or 75-minute time slots. Each table seats 10 people. These are fast-paced sessions designed to provide much information in a short time. NO EQUIPMENT is provided. Presenters are expected to provide handouts and respond to requests for more information.

Audiovisual Equipment

• Each breakout session will be equipped with
  • an LCD projector
  • flip chart
  • screen
  • podium
  • microphone (if needed),
  No equipment is provided in roundtable sessions.
• NCPN can provide an overhead projector (for transparencies) and/or a DVD/VCR and monitor if requested on the proposal form.
• NCPN does not provide laptop computers. If your presentation involves PowerPoint or other presentation software, you must provide the computer.

For-Profit Presenters

Presentations by vendors or for-profit consultants must include at least one practitioner as co-presenter. Presenters on commercially available products are also required to exhibit.

Workforce/Economic Development Presentations

Presentations in the "Workforce/Economic Development" strand are encouraged to include at least one business partner.