The Arkansas Department of Education (ADE), the Arkansas Parenting Education Network (APEN), and the Arkansas Child Abuse & Neglect Prevention Board will sponsor the 11th Annual Arkansas Conference for Parent Education & Parental Involvement: “A Season to Share”. The statewide conference will be held November 16-18, 2009, at the Hot Springs Convention Center located at 134 Convention Boulevard in Hot Springs, Arkansas. A post-conference workshop will be held on November 18, 2009.
This conference will provide assistance to Local Education Agencies (LEA) in addressing the Title I, Part A parental involvement requirements, as well as Ark. Code Ann. § 6-15-1701 mandates all schools shall establish a Parental Involvement Plan, as well as Ark. Code Ann. § 6-15-1703 requires no less than two (2) hours of professional development opportunities for teachers and three (3) hours for administrators.
All school parent involvement facilitators, parent center coordinators, and administrators are encouraged to attend. Concurrent sessions and keynote speakers will be scheduled throughout the three days. The conference brochure, which includes detailed information and a registration form, has been attached to this Commissioner’s Memo. Also, participants are encouraged to view the Center for Effective Parenting website at www.parenting-ed.org for the latest conference and registration information. The deadline for registration is October30, 2009.