Target Audience: Science/Social Studies Educators (General Inquiry Teachers), Admins, Instructional Coaches
Stop teaching—start investigating! Inquiry in Motion gives you the tools to design lessons that move students from passive to powerful thinkers. Leave with ready-to-use inquiry units and strategies that transform student learning. Get ready to set your classroom in motion!
This dynamic professional development experience is designed for social studies, science, and general educators who want to spark curiosity, deepen thinking, and empower students to take charge of their learning.
Through hands-on exploration of the Inquiry Design Model (IDM), participants will learn to craft compelling questions, design meaningful inquiry tasks, and implement strategies that move students from passive listeners to active investigators. You’ll dive into questioning techniques, scaffolding strategies, and practical tools that make inquiry accessible, engaging, and transformative for every learner.
By the end of the day, you’ll leave with a ready-to-implement inquiry unit, practical strategies to ignite curiosity, and a classroom culture buzzing with questions, exploration, and discovery. Step into the flow of learning—get your classroom moving with Inquiry in Motion!
PD/EILA Available
Contact sherra.caudill@ckec.org with questions.
Target Audience: 6-12 Teachers (Social Studies) & Instructional Coaches
Join fellow social studies educators for a dynamic four-part virtual book study of Inquiry-Based Practice in Social Studies Education by S.G. Grant, Kathy Swan, and John Lee. In this interactive professional learning series, participants will unpack the Inquiry Design Model (IDM) to reimagine teaching and learning through meaningful questions, authentic tasks, and rich sources.
Each one-hour session explores key chapters of the text and offers practical, classroom-ready strategies to design and implement inquiry-based instruction that deepens understanding and student engagement.
Walk away with inquiry blueprints, adaptable templates, and a clear plan for transforming your next unit into an authentic, student-driven investigation of the world.
January 14, 2026; February 25, 2026; March 25, 2026; April 15, 2026
No Fee: Please note that this is a bring-your-own-book book study. Books can be found here: https://www.amazon.com/Inquiry-Based-Practice-Social-Studies-Education/dp/1032202351/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0
PD/EILA Credit Available
Contact sherra.caudill@ckec.org with questions.
Target Audience: K-12 Teachers, Special Education Teachers, Instructional Coaches, Administrators, Curriculum Coordinators
This 3-day session equips teachers with easy-to-use tools to improve student writing in any subject at any grade level. Based on Judith Hochman’s The Writing Revolution, this session covers clear, step-by-step methods for building sentence and paragraph writing skills. Teachers will learn ways to help students express ideas clearly, understand content better, and gain confidence in their writing. By the end of the session, participants will have a toolkit of effective, research-based strategies to transform writing instruction and boost student success.
One registration for all sessions.
February 24, 2026; March 5, 2026; April 14, 2026
The registration fee provides each participant with a copy of The Writing Revolution 2.0.
For more information, contact Tabor Placido at tabor.placido@ckec.org.
Target Audience: DSC, School Administrators, Instructional Coaches
This professional learning series is designed for district and school leaders responsible for curriculum, instruction, and assessment. Through a sequence of collaborative sessions, participants will explore how to effectively implement and maximize their High-Quality Instructional Resources (HQIRs) to drive improved student outcomes.
Using the Curriculum Implementation Framework as a guide, leaders will learn how to develop and refine a local curriculum document, utilize the Pedagogical Practices Mapping Tool, and align learning targets, standards, lessons, and assessments to ensure coherence across their instructional system.
Each session will balance learning, reflection, and collaboration, providing opportunities for participants to:
- Examine tools and processes that strengthen curriculum implementation;
- Apply learning to their own district or school context;
- Engage in meaningful discussion and problem-solving with peers; and
- Hear from other districts about their implementation successes and challenges.
By the end of the series, participants will leave with actionable tools, aligned curriculum structures, and strategies to ensure improved teaching and learning across classrooms.
One registration for the following dates:
January 22, 2026
February 19, 2026
March 19, 2026
April 16, 2026
Contact heather.brown@ckec.org with questions.
Target Audience: Administrators and Principals
With Kentucky schools looking for more ways to engage students in authentic and meaningful learning experiences, teachers must consider how to create these experiences and assess Portrait of a Learner competencies such as collaboration, communication, and higher-order thinking skills. This in-person session will focus on formative and summative assessments for these competencies, developing performance tasks, and engaging students in feedback protocols. Time will be devoted during the session for participants to workshop and plan a performance task for their classrooms.
Participants will receive a copy of Designing Authentic Performance Tasks and Projects: Tools for Meaningful Learning and Assessment by Jay McTighe, Kristina J. Doubet, and Eric M. Carbaugh.
Fee: $25.00 for Member Districts, $125.00 for Non-Member Districts
6 hours PD/EILA will be provided.
Contact holly.lawrence@ckec.org with questions.
Target Audience: Grade 6-12 Teachers, Instructional Coaches, Literacy Specialists/Coaches
Books, Brews, & Bold Conversations for Secondary Classrooms ☕📚
Join us at CKEC’s Harrodsburg location for a one-day professional development experience designed for 6–12 ELA teachers who want to infuse their classrooms with curiosity, conversation, and connection. Imagine your classroom as a lively coffee shop—where essential questions spark curiosity, sustained inquiry fuels deep discussion, and whole-class novels become the rich blend that keeps learning steaming hot. Together, we’ll explore how to make books, questions, and conversations the heart of your teaching, all while aligning with the Kentucky Academic Standards (KAS) for Reading and Writing.
During this interactive session, you’ll:
- Brew powerful essential questions that spark curiosity and conversation;
- Stir up strategies for creating a culture where dialogue thrives;
- Connect inquiry and rich conversations directly to the KAS for Reading and Writing;
- Discover how whole-class novels can build a foundation for dynamic student-led book clubs; and
- Taste-test approaches to enhance engagement and critical thinking.
Leave with your own personalized recipe for bringing books, questions, and conversations to life in your classroom. The first 20 participants will receive a free copy of Whole Novels for the Whole Class by Ariel Sacks and A Novel Approach by Kate Roberts—your perfect blend for an engaging school year.
6 Hours PD/EILA Credit
Contact sherra.caudill@ckec.org with questions.
Target Audience: General Education Teachers, Counselors, Administrators, Special Ed
CKEC and SESC invite you to partner with us for the Virtual Parent & Family Engagement Cadre.
Join us virtually from 9:00–10:30 am EST on 10/23/25, 11/20/25, 12/18/25, 1/22/26, 2/26/26, 3/26/26, and 4/23/26. Together, we will explore resources and share ideas to strengthen the inclusion of parents and families in students’ school experiences. Sessions will feature guest speakers who are experts in family and community engagement, as well as opportunities to connect with participants across the region to highlight and learn from practices that are working in schools.
Target Audience: General Education Teachers working with students with IEPs, Co-Teachers, Interventionists, Instructional Coaches, Resource Teachers
Unlocking Literacy: Strategies for Powerful Vocabulary– This is the next in the Unlocking Literacy series for our middle and high school students. Vocabulary is the key to deeper comprehension across all subjects. This session offers research-based strategies for teaching word meanings in ways that stick and transfer to new learning. (This is part of the Unlocking Literacy Series for our middle and high school students.)
Two hours of PD credit will be awarded for participation in this virtual session. For questions, contact erica.price@ckec.org.
Target Audience: General Education Teachers working with students with IEPs, Co-Teachers, Interventionists, Instructional Coaches, Resource Teachers
Unlocking Literacy: Helping Students Read It, Think It, Write It– This session is the next in our Unlocking Literacy Series for Adolescent Readers. Reading and writing work best when connected. In this session, discover strategies that help students turn what they understand from text into strong, thoughtful written responses.
Two hours of PD credit will be awarded for participation in this virtual session. For questions, contact erica.price@ckec.org.
Target Audience: General Education, Special Education, Instructional Coaches, Math Interventionists, and Administrators
Join us for an energizing, six-hour in-person, professional development focusing on creating learning experiences for all students across all least restrictive environments (LRE). Together, we’ll explore what vibrant learning is, how it can come alive in daily routines, and how rich tasks and project-based learning can spark engagement, equity, and joy in every classroom. Leave with practical strategies and fresh ideas to transform learning so that every student can experience vibrant learning!
Contact maryruth.hertweck@ckec.org with any questions.
