Join fellow educators at the 2024 MEA conference
Education Minnesota members and college students studying to be educators are invited to attend our annual MEA conference. This conference, held on the third Thursday in October, is the biggest professional development event for educators in Minnesota. It will be held at the St. Paul RiverCentre in downtown St. Paul on Oct. 17.
Attendees can earn continuing education credits for attending the workshops offered at MEA. Participants will receive a certificate of attendance at the end of each workshop they attend, but local continuing education committees determine whether to approve the credit.
In addition, some sessions may help fulfill state relicensure requirements in reading instruction, identifying early-onset mental illness in students, cultural competency, positive behavioral interventions, English language learners and suicide prevention. Check with your district’s continuing education committee on whether you will receive credit.
One question we are often asked is why the MEA conference is held in October instead of over the summer when schools are not in session. MEA is held in October for several reasons: it allows educators to immediately begin using the skills they’ve learned, which provides the greatest benefit for student learning, and it allows more educators to attend. Many educators spend their summers either taking continuing education courses to stay current in their field or working to supplement their salaries. Holding MEA in the fall allows more educators to take advantage of this professional development opportunity.
Fortunately, most school districts choose to make MEA day a non-school day, although some districts do not. Some districts may require local training on MEA day, so check with your district to see what their policy is.
Education Minnesota offers free childcare for conference attendees. This service is open to children from ages six months to 10 years and will be available from 8 a.m. to 4:45 p.m. on site at the St. Paul RiverCentre. Attendees should register for childcare when they register for the conference.
Can’t make it? No problem!  Courses are available to members year-round through Education Minnesota’s MEA Online portal. Both the conference and MEA Online are free of charge but are only open to members of Education Minnesota.
Advance registration is required to attend the MEA conference and the registration link will open towards the start of the school year. Learn more at www.educationminnesota.org/events/annual-events/mea-conference.
