The University of Delaware College of Education & Human Development (CEHD), School Success Center (SSC) and the Partnership for Public Education (PPE), in partnership with the Delaware Department of Education and Delaware Association of School Administrators, are proud to announce Delaware’s Conference on Public Education to be held on Wednesday, June 17, 2026 at Dover High School.

This conference is the premier event for education leaders in Delaware and surrounding areas, and is attended annually by over 600 teachers, school leaders, district leaders, board members, education policymakers, and Department of Education staff.

24th Annual Policy & Practice Institute

Wednesday, June 17, 2026

8:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.

Dover High School, Dover, Delaware

Registering for the Conference

General Registration

Registration is $125 per participant and includes snacks, lunch, and all professional learning and networking sessions. If you are registering a group of 5+ attendees, please contact Colleen at Ctuozzol@udel.edu for assistance.

Cancellation Policy

Registration is open through June 8, 2026, or until all tickets are sold. Registrations received by 6/8/2026 are guaranteed a seat. Please contact ctuozzol@udel.edu to inquire about late registration after June 8th.

Cancellations eligible for a refund are available through June 3, 2026 (two weeks before the event) and must be requested by emailing dasl-info@udel.edu.

Registration Transfers

You may transfer your registration to another person at any time before the event by emailing dasl-info@udel.edu.
Technical Support.

Technical Support

For assistance with the registration website, please contact Colleen Tuozzolo, UD Conference & Event Services, at ctuozzol@udel.edu

REGISTER NOW!

Call for Proposals

Share Your Work at the 2026 Policy & Practice Institute: Delaware’s premier annual conference on public education will take place Wednesday, June 17, 2026, and will welcome more than 600 teachers, school and district leaders, and education policymakers from across the state and region. Proposal submissions are due by April 6, 2026

Call for Proposals

Delaware’s education practitioners, leaders, policymakers, and researchers are invited to submit proposals to share a poster presentation, breakout session, or Delaware TIDE Talk at the event. Presenters should ensure their presentations support one of the content strands listed below.

Interested presenters must complete the Call for Proposals form by April 6, 2026, for consideration by the conference planning committee. The committee will prioritize presentations that a) demonstrate collaboration either as school/district teams or between organizations (e.g., school administrator and researcher, community organization and teacher), b) are closely aligned to the conference strands, c) are evidence-informed, and d) promote participant learning by sharing both practices and outcomes of the work.

The committee will review a maximum of two proposals per presenter. Any vendors submitting a proposal must partner with a Delaware educator(s) as co-presenters.  Please note that sessions designed as part of a series will not be accepted. 

All applicants will be notified of the committee’s decision by April 30, 2026. Please note that all presenters and co-presenters of accepted proposals must register for the conference. All presenters/co-presenters must be included in the proposal.

Presentation Format

  • Poster Presentation: Poster presentations are best for sharing research, information, resources, or strategies that don’t require a full workshop or presentations that are less interactive. A poster presentation is a printed 36×48 document providing an overview of your work using text and images. Posters are generally displayed in a common area for attendees to browse. When attendees stop by your poster, presenters normally spend 5-10 minutes sharing an overview of their work and engaging in informal Q&A. 
  • Breakout Session: A breakout session is a 45 minute innovative workshop that is engaging for adult learners. Breakout sessions often include presentations, discussions, and other activities that support learning and leave participants with actionable ideas and strategies to take back to their organization.
  • Delaware TIDE Talks: Trailblaze, Innovate, Discover, Empower: TIDE Talks will be featured in a GENERAL SESSION for all conference attendees—think inspiration, innovation, and telling our story while learning from educators across Delaware.

Poster Presentation

Poster presentations are best for sharing research, information, resources, or strategies that don’t require a full workshop or presentations that are less interactive. A poster presentation is a printed 36×48 document providing an overview of your work using text and images. Posters are generally displayed in a common area for attendees to browse. When attendees stop by your poster, presenters normally spend 5-10 minutes sharing an overview of their work and engaging in informal Q&A. 

Breakout Session

A breakout session is a 45-minute innovative workshop that is engaging for adult learners. Breakout sessions often include presentations, discussions, and other activities that support learning and leave participants with actionable ideas and strategies to take back to their organization.

Delaware TIDE Talks

Trailblaze, Innovate, Discover, Empower: TIDE Talks will be featured in a GENERAL SESSION for all conference attendees—think inspiration, innovation, and telling our story while learning from educators across Delaware. There are two ways to participate:

Path 1: Live TIDE Talk (PowerPoint Presentation)

Live TIDE Talks are fast-paced, creative, and story-driven. Presenters deliver a five-minute talk using 20 PowerPoint slides, with each slide advancing automatically every 15 seconds. Presenters are encouraged to use strong visuals (lots of pictures) and very little text to bring their message to life.

Path 2: Video Submission

Prefer to present by video? Video submissions are welcome! Submit afive-minute, engaging video that captures your story, innovation, and key takeaways—so your work can still be shared with the full conference audience during the General Session. Check out an example here!

Who Attends?

The annual Policy & Practice Institute: Delaware’s Conference on Public Education is the premier event for education leaders in Delaware and surrounding areas, attended annually by over 600 teachers, school leaders, district leaders, board members, education policymakers, and Department of Education staff.

  •  Educators
  •  School – district – charter leaders
  •  University faculty & students
  •  Education policy leaders

Event Hosts

The Policy & Practice Institute: Delaware’s Conference on Public Education is hosted in partnership by the University of Delaware College of Education and Human Development (CEHD) and the University of Delaware’s School Success Center (SSC) and Partnership for Public Education (PPE)

For additional information about The 24th Annual Policy & Practice Institute, contact ssc-info@udel.edu.