2026 National Title 1, Part C Convocation

Welcome from NASDME President, Juli Auld, State Title I, Part C Director, California

This session will share resources that can be used from the time a family or youth is recruited. Often eligible students are signed up and it can be a bit of time before they are provided beginning services. IDRC has several resources to change this. Recruiters and service providers have a myriad of options that are free and already available. This session will share these resources and examples of how they can be used from the first visit. These include tools like Level All, The Student and Family Learning Portal, Achievery Lesson Plans, online English language apps and tools, and more. Join this session to learn about these tools and how you can access them today. 

Topics: Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment, ESL/EL, Identification & Recruitment, Out-Of-School Youth (OSY), Service Delivery, Summer School, Technology

Target Audience:Administrators, Teachers, Parents, ID&R Staff, Support Staff (record clerks, clerical staff, etc.)

Ser buen padre es el trabajo más difícil del mundo… y el que requiere más preparación. Muchos de nosotros crecimos en hogares donde se hablaba más de lo que se escuchaba, y sin darnos cuenta, repetimos ese mismo patrón con nuestros hijos.

En este taller, los padres explorarán cómo transformar la comunicación en casa comenzando por una habilidad esencial: escuchar con intención. Hablaremos sobre cómo nuestros hijos no siempre necesitan una respuesta inmediata, sino un espacio seguro donde puedan expresarse sin miedo a ser juzgados o corregidos.

Topics: Guidance Counselor Strategies, Parents 

Target Audience: Administrators, Teachers, Parents

This workshop will provide an overview of the 50+ year storied history of the High School Equivalency Program (HEP) and College Assistance Migrant Program (CAMP). Specific factors will be shared that have contributed to the success of these programs in serving migrant and seasonal farmworker students and families. The workshop will also cover recent economic events that have impacted projects, and our Association's response to preserving our programs to continue serving students. Lastly, we will take a look at the future of HEP CAMP.

Topics: HEP/CAMP, Identification & Recruitment 

Target Audience: Administrators, Teachers, ID&R Staff

While some schools close their doors at the end of each academic year, our Title 1-C Migrant Education Program offers four life-changing academic opportunities to students during the summer, to foster learning and help students stay on track.  The Jump Start Summer Program provides preschool children with hands-on activities, guided instruction, and personalized support, centered on Arizona Early Learning Standards. The Close-Up Camp helps students learn firsthand about civics, history and how laws impact society. The Center for Talented Youth Program is a three-week summer residential program at Johns Hopkins University. Students take a university-level course, stay at the dormitories, and engage in learning along with other talented students from across the world.  The Barrett Summer Scholars Program at Arizona State University helps students experience college life by taking a college course, interacting with university professors and living in the dorms for a week.  All of these summer programs bring opportunity for academic growth, career discovery, building agency, student scholarship, and community involvement.

Topics: Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment, Interstate Coordination/Coordination With Other Service Providers, Summer School 

Target Audience: Administrators, Teachers, Parents, Support Staff (record clerks, clerical staff, etc.)

The Innovative Strategies for Out-of-School and Secondary Youth (iSOSY) Consortium has, over the course of its lifetime, produced hundreds of materials and resources designed to connect with, educate, and support migratory students. How does your staff navigate the various choices to maximize helping the students in your state succeed? The iSOSY website Catalog of Resources is organized in nine useful categories to help users sort through materials appropriate for students according to grade level, English proficiency, length of time available, subject area, etc. 

Participants will learn how to assess student needs, sort through the catalog choices according to those needs, and support students using the various materials and the iSOSY Student Portal. They will also be introduced to the dozens of iSOSY’s professional learning tools designed to support staff development and address potential burnout and overall personal wellness.

Topic: Out-Of-School Youth (OSY)

Target Audience: Administrators, Teachers

This workshop will highlight Oregon’s collaborative approach to implementing residential summer camp programs for migratory students. Co-facilitated by the Oregon Department of Education (ODE), Oregon State University (OSU), and local Title I-C programs, the session will share how middle and high school students from across Oregon participate in week-long residential experiences on OSU campus. During these programs, students engage in academic enrichment and hands-on learning opportunities in areas such as science, engineering, agriculture studies, and leadership development. Presenters will also discuss program coordination, partnerships, and strategies to expand access for migrant students. 

Este taller destacará el enfoque colaborativo de Oregón para implementar programas residenciales de verano para estudiantes migrantes. Codirigido por el Departamento de Educación de Oregón (ODE), la Universidad Estatal de Oregón (OSU) y programas locales de Título I-C, la sesión compartirá cómo estudiantes de secundaria y preparatoria de todo el estado participan en experiencias residenciales de una semana en el campus de OSU. Durante estos programas, los estudiantes participan en actividades de enriquecimiento académico y oportunidades de aprendizaje práctico en áreas como ciencia, ingeniería, estudios agrícolas y desarrollo de liderazgo. Los presentadores también abordarán la coordinación del programa, las alianzas y las estrategias para ampliar el acceso a estudiantes migrantes.

Topic: Guidance Counselor Strategies, Interstate Coordination/Coordination With Other Service Providers, Service Delivery, Summer School

Target Audience: Administrators, Parents, Support Staff (record clerks, clerical staff, etc.)

Farmworker families are the backbone of the nation’s food system, yet the children growing up in these agricultural communities often face complex and largely unseen challenges that can affect their health, safety, education, and long-term opportunities. Children in migrant and seasonal farmworker families frequently live in environments shaped by economic instability, frequent relocation, limited access to healthcare, and exposure to environmental and occupational risks associated with agricultural work.

This presentation will explore the realities facing farmworker children and highlight the social, economic, environmental, and occupational factors that influence their well-being. Attendees will gain insight into the health disparities experienced by children in agricultural communities, including barriers to healthcare, housing and nutrition challenges, and the impact of poverty on children’s development and educational stability.

A key focus of the presentation will be the health and safety risks connected to agricultural environments, including exposure to pesticides and other chemicals, contaminants that can enter the home through work clothing and nearby agricultural activity, and the increasing risks associated with extreme heat exposure. These environmental factors can have significant implications for children’s physical health and long-term development.

The presentation will also examine the financial pressures many farmworker children experience. In families struggling with low and seasonal wages, children often feel a strong responsibility to help support their households. This financial burden can influence important life decisions, sometimes leading children to balance school with work or to enter the workforce at an early age. Understanding this dynamic is essential to recognizing the social and economic realities shaping the lives of many farmworker youth.

In addition, the session will discuss the mental and emotional challenges experienced by many farmworker children, including stress related to mobility, financial hardship, social isolation, and disruptions in education caused by frequent migration. Understanding these pressures is critical for educators, healthcare providers, and community professionals working to support children in agricultural regions.

Through examples and insights from national programs supporting farmworker families, the presentation will shed light on the lived experiences of farmworker children and the systemic issues contributing to health and opportunity gaps. Attendees will leave with a deeper understanding of the risks and barriers facing farmworker youth, as well as practical perspectives on how professionals and communities can better recognize and respond to these challenges.

Topic: Health

Target Audience: Administrators, Teachers, ID&R Staff, Support Staff (record clerks, clerical staff, etc.)

More than half of Migrant Education Programs (MEPs) across the country rely on the MIS2000 data system to support recruitment, service documentation, needs assessments, and required federal reporting. While the system is widely used, programs often utilize only a portion of the features available to them.

Arroyo Research Services staff have worked with MIS2000 across multiple state MEPs and have seen a wide range of ways programs use the system to support their work. Each state implements the system differently, but understanding what is possible within MIS2000 can help programs strengthen data management, improve documentation practices, and support more effective program oversight.

In this session, Arroyo Research Services staff will share examples of how different MEPs use MIS2000 to support ID&R, service tracking, reporting, and program management. Participants will also have the opportunity to exchange ideas with colleagues about how their programs use the system and identify strategies to maximize the value of MIS2000 within their own state programs.

Topic: Identification & Recruitment, Management/Administration, Out-Of-School Youth (OSY), Technology 

Target Audience: Administrators, ID&R Staff, Support Staff (record clerks, clerical staff, etc.)

During these challenging times, it is essential for migratory youth and families to prioritize self-care and emotional well-being. This workshop explores trauma-informed self-care strategies that staff can effectively implement when working with youth and families. Participants will learn practical approaches to support resilience, reduce stress, and foster a sense of safety and connection.

In addition, participants will be guided through the process of creating their own actionable self-care plan. This personalized plan will serve as a model they can adapt and use when supporting youth and families in developing sustainable self-care practices.

Topic: Health 

Target Audience: Administrators, Teachers, Parents, Support Staff (record clerks, clerical staff, etc.)

Are you the recruiter extraordinaire? Join Arroyo Research Services MEP staff to test your skills against your peers in this competition to determine who knows the rules, regulations, and guidance for who qualifies for the MEP. Attendees will compete against each other to answer a series of questions to determine who has the chance to compete for the title of Recruiter Extraordinaire. The contestant will then have to answer a series of questions to earn that title. Of course, the contestant will have the option to wisely use their three lifelines, “Phone-a-Friend,” “50-50,” and “Ask the Audience.” 

By the end of this session, attendees will have learned about MEP eligibility criteria such as basic definitions, COE completion, scenarios and more. 

Topic: Identification & Recruitment, Law/Policy

Target Audience: Administrators, ID&R Staff, Support Staff (record clerks, clerical staff, etc.)

During this session participants will learn about all of the tools readily available to help with the identification and recruitment of eligible students. These include farm listings, ag visualization tools, marketing videos, ag crop timelines, farm maps, farmworker numbers, industry training resources, courses, and more. Join this session to get a thorough walkthrough of all IDRC has available for recruiters to use today. Make your life a bit easier by not trying to re-invent the wheel. The resources are already ready for you!

Topic: Comprehensive Needs Assessment, Identification & Recruitment, Management/Administration

Target Audience: Administrators, ID&R Staff, Support Staff (record clerks, clerical staff, etc.)

Migratory farmworker children and youth can overcome the often-significant educational challenges resulting from a highly mobile lifestyle and economic hardship. The frequent movement to obtain temporary or seasonal employment in agriculture, fishing, meat processing, or dairy work by migratory farmworkers, leads to high residential and school mobility for their children. With each school change, migratory children and youth may face difficulty enrolling in school, experience inappropriate educational placement due to lack of school records and other documentation, suffer educational disruption and loss of academic credit due to the varying curricula used in different school districts, and experience social isolation due to difficulties in adapting to new living and school environments. I invite you to attend this session to learn about migratory farmworker children, youth, and their families, and the intersection of migrant education with McKinney-Vento. How can McKinney-Vento coordinate with Title I, Part C Migrant Education to meet the unique educational needs of migratory farmworker children and youth? Come to this session ready to share stories and creative ways that collaboration can occur.

Topic: Comprehensive Needs Assessment, Identification & Recruitment 

Target Audience: Administrators, Teachers, ID&R Staff, Support Staff (record clerks, clerical staff, etc.)

The Anchorage School District’s Title 1-C Program continues to expand and strengthen both academic and support services to improve student learning outcomes. Key strategies are delivered through a multi-tiered system of support, including Title 1- C staff, targeted academic support for K12 students, engaging student workshops alongside family literacy programs.

Program development is guided by comprehensive data, including assessments, local progress monitoring, surveys, and state reports. Ongoing development and implementation of the Comprehensive Needs Assessment, along with collaboration with the Service Delivery Team, ensure services remain aligned with student and family needs.

We invite you to join this interactive session, which will provide an overview of program services and supports, offer a clear breakdown of coordinated service delivery, and highlight effective, student strategies that promote student success.

Topic: Comprehensive Needs Assessment, Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment

Target Audience: Administrators, Teachers, Parents, Support Staff (record clerks, clerical staff, etc.)

Do you serve migratory students who move to or from Florida? Are you confident in navigating Florida’s academic and assessment requirements? Would you like clearer guidance to help students choose the right courses and stay on track for graduation? If you answered yes to any of these questions, this session is designed with you in mind.

Florida is widely recognized as a sender state, meaning many migratory students and their families consider Florida their home base—and ultimately graduate from Florida’s education system.  Join us for an engaging, easy-to-follow overview of Florida’s graduation and promotion requirements, as well as the academic standards shaping student success.

In this interactive workshop, we’ll unpack real mobility patterns, spotlight the states and regions with the highest interstate enrollment, and explore key state assessments that influence students’ academic progress.  You'll leave with a deeper understanding of the full academic needs of the students we share—and walk away equipped with practical tools and resources you can use immediately to support their achievement.

Topic: Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment, Guidance Counselor Strategies, Interstate Coordination/Coordination With Other Service Providers, Service Delivery 

Target Audience: Administrators, Teachers, ID&R Staff, Support Staff (record clerks, clerical staff, etc.)

This training supports districts in meeting MEP requirements, including the Service Delivery Plan , recruitment logs, and financial documentation.  Participants will review student services and best practices to ensure compliance, strengthen implementation, and prevent monitoring findings. 

Topic: Comprehensive Needs Assessment, Identification & Recruitment

Target Audience: Administrators, ID&R Staff, Migrant staff as Advocates and tutors

To support high quality identification and recruitment (ID&R), the California Migrant Education Program (MEP), has designed and implemented a continuous improvement system that honors the important work done by ID&R professionals and empowers them to strengthen local processes. This system has helped build the capacity of the state’s ID&R professionals, evidenced by high quality COEs and increasing recruitment numbers. A key aspect of this system is a continuous improvement professional learning network (PLN). In collaboration with WestEd’s Migrant Education Services Team, the California MEP designed a PLN that supported ID&R professionals in using improvement science to improve ID&R processes. This session will feature continuous improvement success stories from local MEPs, including profile documents detailing local improvement efforts.

Topic: Identification & Recruitment

Target Audience: Administrators, ID&R Staff

Many English learners come to U.S. schools having faced traumatic experiences that affect their ability to be academically successful. This session will review the types of issues many of these students have faced, the common manifestation of trauma in English learners, and how trauma can impact their learning.  The addressing of trauma within school settings is not only feasible but also fully consistent with and supportive of the primary goals of academic programs. A trauma-sensitive environment is one that is, to the degree possible, safe and attuned to the needs of students, families, staff, and the community.  Such an environment supports the academic competence of all students, whether trauma impacted or not; provides tools to support students and staff with managing emotional and behavioral challenges; supports teachers and other staff in negotiating difficult situations, often reducing stress and burnout among teaching staff; and ultimately, has the potential to increase positive outcomes among English learner and Students with Interrupted Formal Education (SIFE) newcomers.

The presenters will provide examples of several possible observable classroom reactions to stress—fight, flight, or freeze. They will discuss why school can be the right place to address student trauma and give educators and building leaders specific ideas for how to make their schools more culturally and linguistically supportive for English learners. They will emphasize important information all teachers will need to know when providing educators with a training session on trauma. Additionally, they describe the role of empathy in creating a trauma-sensitive classroom.

Topic: Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment,  Interstate Coordination/Coordination With Other Service Providers, Service Delivery

Target Audience: Administrators, Teachers, Parents, Support Staff (record clerks, clerical staff, etc.)

The Migrant Student Information Exchange (MSIX) application offers numerous services to the Migrant Education Program (MEP), including support for enrollment, placement, secondary credit accrual towards graduation, and MEP participation. This presentation will give an overview of the MSIX application and its utilization by recruiters, MEP coordinators, data entry specialists, MEP liaisons, and State MEP administrators. Key topics will include the Minimum Data Elements (MDEs), the best practices for Move Notices and Data Requests, and how to use data in MSIX.

Topics: Interstate Coordination/Coordination With Other Service Providers, Management/Administration, Technology

Target Audience: Administrators, ID&R Staff, Support Staff (record clerks, clerical staff, etc.)

Immigrant students, English Learners, and Migratory Students often face barriers in gaining entry to public schools and participating in school activities. This workshop will discuss what public schools can and cannot require of students. Topics for the session include Social Security numbers, immigration documents, birth certificates, immunization records, and access to school lunch and breakfast programs. The workshop will also cover the rights of English Learners and their parents in public schools. Practical examples will be provided. Additional topics to be covered very briefly include Special Education and English Learners, as well as Access to Post- Secondary Education for immigrant students.

Topics: Law/Policy

Target Audience: Administrators, Teachers, Parents, ID&R Staff, Support Staff (record clerks, clerical staff, etc.)

This session focuses on the important role families play in their children’s education. As the Migrant Program seeks to support families, we recognize that a child’s first school is the home. Together, we will explore how educators can empower families to support literacy and math learning in meaningful ways.

Participants will learn simple, practical strategies for strengthening family engagement and sharing learning tools that families can easily use at home. From a teacher’s perspective, the session will highlight realistic and effective ways to build partnerships with families, communicate learning goals, and encourage everyday reading and math experiences outside the classroom. Our goal is to help staff support families so that learning continues beyond the school day.

Topics: Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment, ESL/EL, Parents

Target Audience: Administrators, Teachers, Parents, ID&R Staff, Support Staff (record clerks, clerical staff, etc.)

Participants will examine opportunities to collaborate with the Texas Migrant Interstate Program to reduce the effects of educational disruption that Texas’ mobile, migratory students often face as they migrate both intrastate and interstate. Partnerships including summer opportunities and out-of-state STAAR/EOC testing will be discussed, and post-secondary resources and the migratory parent/family hotline and resources will be examined. Participants are encouraged to navigate the TMIP website on their own devices to explore the many great resources TMIP has to offer.

Topic: Interstate Coordination/Coordination With Other Service Providers

Target Audience: Administrators, Teachers, ID&R Staff, Support Staff (record clerks, clerical staff, etc.)

En este taller, los padres de familia recibirán información, orientación y herramientas prácticas para aprender a navegar el sistema educativo de este país. Los estudiantes migrantes y sus familias enfrentan retos únicos debido a la movilidad constante por motivos laborales y a la falta de información adecuada, lo cual puede afectar significativamente el desempeño académico de los estudiantes.

A lo largo de la sesión, se presentarán estrategias claras y accesibles que permitirán a los padres comprender mejor el sistema escolar y las oportunidades educativas disponibles. Mediante ejemplos prácticos, información relevante y el intercambio de experiencias, los participantes aprenderán cómo involucrarse de manera activa en la educación de sus hijos.

Como resultado, los padres desarrollarán la confianza y el conocimiento necesarios para convertirse en el principal apoyo en el camino educativo de sus hijos. Al informarse y participar de manera proactiva, podrán contribuir de forma significativa a que sus hijos alcancen sus metas académicas y así tengan más oportunidades de acceder a una educación universitaria.

Topic: Parents

Target Audience: Parents

This workshop will help the participants discover how young children develop deep mathematical thinking through everyday play and exploration. This hands-on workshop introduces key concepts from Big Ideas of Early Mathematics by the Erikson Early Math Collaborative, focusing on nine math topics, including number sense, counting, patterns, geometry, and more. Participants will learn culturally responsive strategies to support early math learning through engaging activities, meaningful conversations, and intentional teaching. Participants will explore how to use high-quality children’s books to promote mathematical concepts. This workshop is perfect for early childhood educators and parents looking to boost confidence and creativity in math instruction. The outcomes of this session include: 

1. Participants will apply culturally responsive and developmentally appropriate strategies to support young children’s understanding of nine foundational math concepts essential in the early years.

2. Participants will examine key ideas within each math concept and use them to design integrated learning experiences that connect mathematics with young children’s diverse identities and backgrounds. 

3. Participants will implement effective teaching and hands-on activities through using high-quality, culturally diverse children’s literature to promote children’s mathematical thinking and learning across all nine concept areas.

Topic: Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment, Parents

Target Audience: Teachers, Parents

Effective ID&R systems answer two questions: What have recruiters done? And what should the recruiter do next?  

Recruiters utilize a range of data sources to inform their outreach plans, including personal experience, farm lists, migrant housing lists, and other relevant information. Recruiters’ time is most usefully spent making phone calls and visiting potentially eligible migratory agricultural workers and fishers. ID&R coordinators ensure that recruiters have the necessary information to conduct ID&R efficiently, and effective ID&R coordinators understand that providing information to recruiters rather than having them search for it maximizes their time for active outreach. An efficient ID&R planning system provides recruiters with the necessary information, enables them to document their efforts, and informs future ID&R planning efforts.

This session will demonstrate the MEP Outreach Planner that Arroyo Research Services MEP staff use when they conduct ID&R efforts. Participants will gain practical ideas for improving outreach planning, documentation, and follow-up within their own ID&R systems.

Topic: Identification & Recruitment, Management/Administration, Out-Of-School Youth (OSY), Technology

Target Audience: Administrators, ID&R Staff, Support Staff (record clerks, clerical staff, etc.)

Migratory students often experience frequent mobility and inconsistent access to high quality instructional materials. The Midwest Migrant Education Resource Center (MMERC) addresses these challenges through a nationwide lending library designed specifically to support students eligible for Title I, Part C. This virtual session will introduce attendees to the MMERC membership model and demonstrate how states can expand instructional capacity, reduce resource inequities, and strengthen their Title I, Part C services. 

Participants will explore MMERC’s collection of more than 11,000 supplemental materials, including Academic Resource Kits, STEM and robotics resources, English language development tools, bilingual instructional supports, culturally relevant materials, math manipulatives, SEL kits, literacy resources, and the LEGO StoryStarter program. The presenters will also highlight membership services such as professional development, customized resource curation, customer support, monthly newsletters, access to the CHAT mentoring program, and exclusive previews of new materials. 

This live, online workshop will include demonstrations, success stories from member states, and interactive opportunities for attendees to ask questions and consider how MMERC can enhance their state’s Title I, Part C planning and implementation. Participants will leave with clear membership options, contracted service details, and practical steps to partner with MMERC to support migratory students.

Topic: Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment, Guidance Counselor Strategies, Interstate Coordination/Coordination With Other Service Providers, Management/Administration, Service Delivery, Summer School, Technology 

Target Audience: Administrators, Teachers

Math anxiety often starts young and is widespread. This workshop empowers educators with research-based strategies to share with students and parents to foster positive attitudes toward mathematics. Participants will learn how to begin to shift negative math attitudes and anxiety to curiosity and enthusiasm. We will explore how to create a "mathematical mindset" at home using games and family time to build a supportive environment that encourages persistence, problem-solving, fun and laughter.

Topic: Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment, Parents, Service Delivery

Target Audience: Administrators, Teachers, Parents

What happens when educators come together with a shared commitment to migrant students and families? In this session, we share the story of a regional collaboration that transformed professional isolation into a vibrant community of support. Through intentional relationship-building, educators across districts began learning from one another, sharing strategies, strengthening their programs, and growing their collective capacity to serve migrant learners. Along the way, the collaboration also fostered encouragement, reflection, and personal resilience, reminding participants that meaningful change happens when we work together. Join us to explore how professional communities can strengthen migrant education while sustaining the educators who make this work possible.

Topic: Interstate Coordination/Coordination With Other Service Providers

Target Audience: Administrators, Teachers

Too often, family engagement becomes a one-way conversation, but real connection doesn’t happen through lecturing; it happens through meaningful dialogue, trust, and a shared voice. Ernesto Mejia challenges traditional approaches to family engagement and introduces a more human-centered strategy grounded in conversation, relationship-building, and authentic connection. You will experience practical, ready-to-use strategies that shift family engagement from passive attendance to active participation, making families and caregivers want to come back. By blending inspiration with actionable tools to help schools move beyond compliance-driven events and toward meaningful, lasting relationships with families across all grade levels, you will learn how to create spaces where families feel heard, valued, and empowered as partners in their child’s education.

Topic: Guidance Counselor Strategies, Out-Of-School Youth (OSY), Parents, Service Delivery 

Target Audience: Administrators, Teachers, Parents

Every family has a story, but as the Recruiter or Reviewer, you are the Director deciding what makes the final film. This session takes you through a "Screening Room" of challenging scenarios, from the suspense of a short-distance move to the drama of a worker who hasn't arrived yet. We will break down the "Script" and compare it to the "Action" on the screen. Participants will learn to edit the facts, identify the "Plot Holes" in eligibility, and ensure every COE is a "Blockbuster" that stays with you long after the credits roll.

Topic: Identification & Recruitment

Target Audience: Administrators, ID&R Staff, Support Staff (record clerks, clerical staff, etc.)

Esta presentación equipa a los educadores con estrategias prácticas para proteger a los estudiantes y a sus familias frente a posibles acciones de cumplimiento migratorio. En un momento en que las redadas y deportaciones afectan comunidades en todo el país, los educadores son con frecuencia el primer punto de contacto para las familias que buscan orientación y apoyo.

Los participantes aprenderán cuáles son los derechos constitucionales y legales que tienen las personas independientemente de su estatus migratorio, incluyendo el derecho a no ser detenidas sin causa legal suficiente y el derecho al debido proceso. La presentación también abordará el papel de los educadores como defensores informados dentro de los límites de su función profesional.

Además, los participantes recibirán información sobre cómo apoyar a las familias en la elaboración de planes de preparación familiar, incluyendo la designación de cuidadores de emergencia para los hijos y la identificación de recursos legales comunitarios. 

Topic: Health, Law/Policy

Target Audience: Administrators, Teachers, Parents, ID&R Staff, Support Staff (record clerks, clerical staff, etc.)

In construction, a single wrong measurement can compromise an entire structure. The same is true for the Migrant Education Program. This session provides a blueprint for navigating MEP data and ID&R using an electronic COE. We will focus on "measuring" our data points before they are "cut" into the state database. Participants will learn how the Recruiter, Reviewer, and Data Specialist act as the master builders of program sustainability, ensuring every student record is level, accurate, and built with precision.

Topic: Identification & Recruitment, Management/Administration

Target Audience: Administrators, ID&R Staff, Support Staff (record clerks, clerical staff, etc.)

UNFORTUNATELY, THIS SESSION HAS BEEN CANCELED. 

The Oregon Migrant Education Program underwent significant monitoring and compliance challenges beginning in 2021–22, when an extensive review of 381 retrospective family re-interviews in one district revealed that nearly one-third of students had defective eligibility—primarily due to the absence of a qualifying move or qualifying work, along with widespread documentation errors and lack of family awareness of enrollment. This led to halted recruitment, a high-risk designation, intensified monitoring, staffing changes, and required financial recovery of overallocated funds. From 2023–24 onward, the program focused on recovery through strong oversight, technical assistance, and statewide reforms, resulting in improved data accuracy, reduced discrepancies, and a lowered “heightened risk” status. The experience highlighted the critical importance of rigorous quality control, accurate eligibility determination, and coordinated leadership at both state and local levels.

In addition, the district took deliberate steps to rebuild community trust and restructure the Migrant Education Program by implementing a comprehensive communication plan to clarify eligibility criteria, strengthening fiscal accountability systems, and increasing oversight through ongoing quality control and staff training. The district also established clear, respectful processes for working with families who no longer qualified and maintained transparent communication with staff and leadership affected by prior identification errors. Together, these efforts helped restore credibility, improve compliance, and create a more accountable and supportive program structure.

Topic: Identification & Recruitment

Target Audience: Administrators, ID&R Staff, Support Staff (record clerks, clerical staff, etc.)

The session will provide an in-depth look at best practices for serving newcomers into U.S.schools, with a particular focus on students with interrupted education.  Newcomers are students who have arrived within the last two years.  They generally fall into three main categories—students with a strong previous schooling, students with a gap in their education, and students with interrupted formal education (SIFE).  These students often have limited or even no literacy in their home language and may also demonstrate serious gaps in content subject knowledge, especially mathematics.  A review of culturally and linguistically appropriate classroom strategies to address the academic and non-academic needs of these students will also be the focus of the presentation.  Specific suggestions for these students include creating a newcomer program to meet their unique needs, finding appropriate classroom material that can help build background knowledge and close educational gaps, and providing non-academic supports to help these students with their personal, social, and physical needs.  Techniques for fostering resilience for newcomer/SIFE learners will be included in the session.  Participants will discuss which of these supports would best meet the needs of their EL students and share challenges and successes with SIFE students in their districts.

Topic: Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment, ESL/EL

Target Audience: Administrators, Teachers, ID&R Staff

The OFIN (Orientation for Immigrant Newcomers) Project is a student-led initiative that supports migrant and EL students in their transition to the U.S. educational system. In this workshop, participants will learn practical strategies to better help migrant/EL students through the integration process beyond academics.

Topic: ESL/EL, Guidance Counselor Strategies

Target Audience: Administrators, Teachers, Support Staff (record clerks, clerical staff, etc.)

Attend this session to learn about several Texas web portals that were launched to ensure all MEP staff have easy access to available resources, information, and guidance. The Texas Migrant Education Program (TMEP) portal was designed to be a one-stop shop for MEP staff and has evolved to include sections for migratory parents and families and agribusiness employers/growers. 

To further support migratory parents and families, an Education Resources portal was expanded to provide activities and resources for at-home use with students from Kindergarten through high school. Every year additional academic content is added based on feedback.

To assist MEP staff in ensuring that all students enrolled in the Texas MEP have consistent intra and interstate support, the Texas Education Agency (TEA) also launched the Assisting Interstate/Intrastate Mobile Students (AIIMS) portal to provide information on the basic operating procedures all Texas school systems and Education Service Centers (ESCs) that receive Title I, Part C funds should implement across the state.  

Join us for a brief overview of these robust portals, including content selection, the project timelines, and target audiences for each portal.

We will review the organization of the portal contents, highlighting resources and information pertinent to Title I, Part C programs everywhere. Time will be allotted for questions and answers about the portals and/or the development process.

Topic: Technology

Target Audience: Administrators, Teachers, ID&R Staff

Ovi Vasquez invitado recurrente en Univision, presenta: Para las familias migrantes enfrentan desafíos únicos como el idioma, el trabajo constante, y la falta de información sobre el sistema educativo en los Estados Unidos. Sin embargo, también poseen una de las fuerzas más poderosas para el éxito de sus hijos: su amor, sus valores y su compromiso. Estudios demuestran que cuando los padres se involucran en la educación, los estudiantes tienen mejores calificaciones, mejor comportamiento y mayores probabilidades de graduarse.

Este taller está diseñado especialmente para madres y padres migrantes que desean apoyar a sus hijos, pero que muchas veces no saben por dónde empezar. Basado en la experiencia del presentador como creció trabajando en el campo y logró superar grandes obstáculos, esta sesión conectará con las realidades que muchas familias viven día a día.

A través de historias reales, reflexión y participación activa, los padres aprenderán estrategias prácticas para comunicarse con la escuela, apoyar el aprendizaje en casa y motivar a sus hijos a seguir adelante. También se compartirán ideas simples que pueden aplicar inmediatamente, sin importar su nivel de educación o dominio del inglés.

Al final, los participantes se llevarán herramientas claras, confianza en sí mismos y una nueva visión de su papel como líderes en el futuro de sus hijos.

Topic: Parents

Target Audience: Parents

This workshop will provide strategies and resources to engage parents as partners to facilitate the academic success of their children in reading, math, and English language acquisition. The workshop will cover the identification of academic needs of children in the family, development of individual plans for students, activities parents can use to support instruction, the use of online screeners to identify student needs and online tutorials to meet needs in English and/or Spanish. In addition, the workshop will provide strategies to enhance the implementation of PAC meetings as well as Family Literacy and Math events.  

Topic: Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment, ESL/EL, Parents, Service Delivery, Summer School, Technology

Target Audience: Administrators, Teachers, Parents

This presentation equips educators with strategies for students and families in the face of potential enforcement action. Participants will learn what rights individuals have and receive information on family preparedness plans.

Topic: Law/Policy

Target Audience: Administrators, Teachers, ID&R Staff, Support Staff (record clerks, clerical staff, etc.)

This session will provide an overview of recent policy developments and opportunities for expanding access to the federally-funded child nutrition programs, including school meals, WIC, and SNAP. 

Topic: Health, Law/Policy

Target Audience: Administrators, Teachers, Parents, ID&R Staff, Support Staff (record clerks, clerical staff, etc.)

Data-driven reading instruction is widely recognized as a best practice; however, implementing targeted, responsive instruction within a tutoring model can be challenging due to limited time with students and educator experience.  This workshop will focus on identifying students’ current reading needs and aligning instruction accordingly. Participants will learn how to administer, score, and interpret the Quick Phonics Screener (QPS), as well as how to apply the QPS Logic Model to guide effective evidence-based literacy instruction. Attendees will be introduced to the presenter-developed QPS Logic Model, currently used across New York State, as a practical and efficient tool for addressing students’ immediate and emerging literacy needs.

Topic: Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment

Target Audience: Administrators, Teachers

Nuestros hijos aprenden más de lo que hacemos que de lo que decimos. Cada acción, cada reacción y cada palabra que usamos están formando la manera en que ellos ven el mundo… y a sí mismos.

En este taller, los padres reflexionarán sobre el impacto de su rol como modelos en la vida diaria de sus hijos. Hablaremos sobre la importancia de hablar positivamente, manejar nuestras emociones y ser intencionales con el ejemplo que damos en casa.

Topic: Guidance Counselor Strategies, HEP/CAMP, Parents

Target Audience: Administrators, Teachers, Parents

Agriculture continues to evolve. There have been extreme challenges in many sectors due to a myriad of causes. This session will provide an overview of what is happening in 2026 nationally with agriculture. The session will focus on producer and farmer concerns and how this impacts movements of workers. The session will also highlight changes in the H-2A program, numbers of workers coming and going, driver CDL restrictions and how this impacts farms with workers learning English. The more Title 1, Part C staff are aware of the current challenges, the better they can be at navigating how to best work with industries, build relationships that benefit the program and the farms, and strengthen ties to agriculture associations. Join us in this session to learn more about current trends in US agriculture. 

Topic: Comprehensive Needs Assessment, Identification & Recruitment, Interstate Coordination/Coordination With Other Service Providers, Management/Administration

Target Audience: Administrators, ID&R Staff, Support Staff (record clerks, clerical staff, etc.)

The parents in Arizona have elevated the Migrant Education Program through their leadership and active participation in SMPAC. Their hands?on involvement has strengthened communication between families and schools, increased community awareness of the program, and directly supported the implementation of migrant services across the state. By stepping into leadership roles and advocating for their children, Arizona’s migrant parents have become essential partners in shaping the progress and impact of the MEP.

Topic: Parents

Target Audience: Administrators, Teachers, Parents, ID&R Staff

This session is designed for coordinators and state leaders seeking to strengthen connections with local agribusinesses through intentional, strategic, and sustained partnership building that benefits Migrant Education Program (MEP) staff, students, families, and employers. Participants will explore the critical role of networking and relationship maintenance and understand why these efforts must be planned across short-, mid-, and long-term timelines to move beyond initial outreach and toward meaningful, lasting collaboration. This session will feature a case study from Monterey County, California, demonstrating how effective partnerships were cultivated through a recruiter’s initial outreach, the identification and recruitment coordinator’s ongoing follow-up, and the regional director’s leadership in supporting the effort. Attendees will leave with an actionable plan for coordinating roles and responsibilities to strengthen agribusiness partnerships in their state or region.

Topic: Identification & Recruitment

Target Audience: Administrators, ID&R Staff

Agricultural workers are essential to the U.S. food system, yet they and their families often face significant barriers to accessing health care and supportive services. Migrant Education Program leaders play a critical role in supporting these communities, but may not always have access to foundational information about agricultural worker health and available resources.

This session provides a practical, “nuts and bolts,” introduction to agricultural worker health and its connection to student well-being and success. Participants will explore key demographic characteristics of agricultural worker populations and examine the social, economic, and environmental factors that influence health outcomes. This session will highlight common barriers to care and how these challenges impact students and families.

Participants will also gain an understanding of health centers that serve agricultural workers and how to effectively connect families to care. The session will share actionable strategies and trusted resources that programs can use to strengthen support for students and their families. Designed for a virtual setting, this session emphasizes practical tools and real-world application.

By the end of this session, participants will be able to:

1.  Describe key demographic characteristics and health-related challenges of agricultural worker populations.

2.  Identify common barriers that agricultural worker families face in accessing health care and supportive services.

3.  Apply at least two strategies or resources to connect students and families to health services.

Topic: Management/Administration

Target Audience: Administrators, Teachers, ID&R Staff, Support Staff (record clerks, clerical staff, etc.)

Parent involvement is one of the most powerful factors in student success. Research consistently shows that when families are engaged, students achieve higher grades, attend school more consistently, and are more likely to graduate. However, migrant families often face barriers such as language differences, demanding work schedules, and limited familiarity with the U.S. education system, which can make traditional parent involvement efforts ineffective.

This session is designed for administrators who want to move beyond surface-level outreach and build authentic partnerships with migrant families. Drawing from the presenter’s lived experience as a former farmworker student who navigated the system without guidance, this workshop provides a deeper understanding of how families experience schools and why many well-intentioned efforts fail to engage them.

Through storytelling, reflection, and interactive discussion, participants will explore practical strategies to increase trust, improve communication, and design parent involvement opportunities that families can realistically access and value. The session will highlight simple, replicable approaches that align with the realities of migrant life while strengthening family voice in program planning.

By the end of the session, administrators will leave with actionable strategies, practical ideas, and a renewed perspective on engaging parents as true partners in student success.

Topic: Management/Administration

Target Audience: Administrators

Help students overcome real-life challenges such as mobility, language barriers, and limited access to opportunities so they can succeed academically and beyond. However, many administrators struggle with a deeper question: how do we design programs that truly connect with the lived realities of the families we serve?

This session is designed for administrators who want to strengthen their impact by better understanding the experiences of migratory students and families. Drawing from the presenter’s journey as a former farmworking student who navigated the education system without guidance, participants will gain insight into what often goes unseen in traditional program design.

Through storytelling, reflection, and interactive discussion, this workshop will explore practical ways administrators can build stronger trust with families, improve communication, and create programs that feel relevant and accessible. Participants will examine simple, adaptable strategies to align their services with the real needs of their communities, not just what is assumed.

By the end of the session, administrators will leave with a clearer perspective, practical ideas they can apply immediately, and a renewed sense of purpose in leading programs that genuinely serve migratory students and their families.

Topic: Management/Administration

Target Audience: Administrators

High-Impact Counseling Strategies for Migrant Student Success: Transforming Trauma into Rebuilding Identity, Resilience, and Achievement in Migrant Students

This powerful workshop challenges guidance counselors to rethink their role—not just as academic planners, but as architects of resilience for migrant students navigating trauma, instability, and fear in today’s society.

Anchored by deeply personal narrative of overcoming adversity, this session discusses “The Architecture of Resilience: Turning Trauma into Extraordinary Achievement.” It explores the concept of “silent trauma”— emotional trauma, unstable home environments, fear of unpredictable external forces like ICE engagements—and how such experiences can create internalized beliefs of “not being worthy, and not being enough.” Counselors will learn why even high-achieving students may be quietly struggling emotionally, using school as a coping mechanism, and how consistency, trust, and follow-through by counselors are the most effective antidotes to trauma.

This workshop emphasizes that “a student who feels seen and that they matter is a student who can succeed.” Attendees will gain actionable strategies to build trust with students and families, including proactive communication strategies, multilingual family engagement, and the use of tools like WhatsApp to create safe communication channels. Participants will also learn to reframe “Know Your Rights” education into a mental health intervention—reducing anxiety tied to uncertainty—and to foster student agency through self-advocacy, peer collaboration, and independent problem-solving. Counselors will be urged to prioritize high-impact, timely-driven support, reminding them: they are not just guiding students to college—they are helping them rediscover their worth, reclaim their voice, and believe in their future.

Topic: Guidance Counselor Strategies, Service Delivery

Target Audience: Administrators, Teachers, Parents, ID&R Staff, Support Staff (record clerks, clerical staff, etc.), Guidance Counselors

Discover how Title I-C state staff in Georgia plan and implement targeted professional development and ongoing support for Student Services Providers (SSPs) and tutors who work directly with migratory participants of all ages.  The session will also highlight three engaging models of connecting middle and high school students and families to post-secondary college and career opportunities.  Attendees will depart with concrete ideas for empowering local frontline staff and improving educational outcomes for students and their families.

Topic: Management/Administration

Target Audience: Administrators, Teachers, ID&R Staff

The High School Equivalency Program (HEP) assists migrant and seasonal agricultural workers, and out-of-school youth (OSY), in completing their high school education. The program supports individuals who are beyond the age of compulsory school attendance in obtaining the equivalent of a high school diploma.

In addition to preparing students for advanced education, HEP prepares students for higher education or vocational training while supporting their transition into the workforce. The program prioritizes helping students pursue postsecondary education, enter the military, or secure stable employment with higher earning potential.

Participants will also learn about eligibility requirements. Applicants must be beyond the age of compulsory school attendance and not currently enrolled in high school. In addition, the applicant—or an immediate family member—must have worked at least 75 days within the past 24 months as a migrant or seasonal farmworker, or be currently or previously enrolled in the Migrant Education Program (MEP), or have participated within the past 24 months in the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA), Section 167.

Topic: HEP/CAMP, Out-Of-School Youth (OSY), Parents

Target Audience: Administrators, Teachers, Parents, ID&R Staff, Support Staff (record clerks, clerical staff, etc.)

For over a decade, Pennsylvania has utilized a school readiness tool informed by findings from the Service Delivery Plan. In 2018, this tool was revised; however, the updated version proved cumbersome for use in the field. This workshop will review the Kindergarten Preparation Inventory (KPI) revised in collaboration with Migrant Education Program (MEP) stakeholders, provide an overview of the key domains assessed by the tool, and explain how the revised Kindergarten Preparation Inventory (KPI-R) is used in practice to inform instruction. 

Topic: Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment

Target Audience: Administrators, Teachers

El poder de las afirmaciones positivas, una herramienta para fortalecer y fomentar la autoestima en usted como padre/madre, educador y también en sus hijos y estudiantes.

La autoestima es el cimiento sobre el cual se construye el desarrollo integral del ser humano. Influye en la manera en que pensamos, sentimos, aprendemos y nos relacionamos con el mundo. En la infancia y la adolescencia, este fundamento es especialmente crucial, ya que define la seguridad interna y la capacidad de enfrentar desafíos a lo largo de la vida.

En esta Master Class, exploraremos cómo el uso intencional de afirmaciones positivas, basadas en los principios de Jean Illsley Clarke, se convierte en una herramienta práctica y poderosa para fortalecer la autoestima tanto en adultos como en niños y jóvenes. Se presentarán estrategias aplicables para padres, madres y educadores que buscan crear entornos emocionales seguros y enriquecedores.

Fortalecer la autoestima no solo impacta el presente, sino que representa una de las herencias más valiosas que podemos ofrecer a nuestros hijos: la capacidad de reconocerse, valorarse y creer en su propio potencial. Esta sesión brindará herramientas concretas para transformar el lenguaje cotidiano en un recurso de crecimiento, conexión y desarrollo humano.

Topic: Comprehensive Needs Assessment, Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment

Target Audience: Administrators, Teachers, Parents, ID&R Staff, Support Staff (record clerks, clerical staff, etc.),

Welcome from Roger Rosenthal, NASDME Executive Consultant

La crianza de los hijos puede ser, a la vez, profundamente gratificante y desafiante; por eso, muchas familias buscan estrategias prácticas que les ayuden a guiar a sus hijos hacia un comportamiento responsable y respetuoso. Impartido por un ex alumno migrante con más de 20 años de experiencia utilizando y enseñando estas técnicas, esta sesión presenta a los padres principios fundamentales que enfatizan la construcción de relaciones sólidas entre padres e hijos, al tiempo que enseñan a los niños el valor de la responsabilidad mediante la empatía, la toma de decisiones compartida y las consecuencias naturales. En lugar de recurrir a luchas de poder o castigos, los padres aprenden a responder con empatía y estableciendo límites consistentes que fomenten el aprendizaje y la asunción de responsabilidades. Los participantes explorarán técnicas prácticas para establecer límites que puedan hacerse cumplir, ofrecer opciones significativas y permitir que los niños experimenten consecuencias lógicas dentro de un entorno de apoyo. A través de ejemplos de la vida real y frases prácticas, los padres adquirirán herramientas que podrán aplicar de inmediato en el hogar para reducir los conflictos, fomentar la cooperación y cultivar la resiliencia en sus hijos. Objetivos de aprendizaje 1. Identificar estrategias para responder a los comportamientos desafiantes con empatía y consistencia. 2. Aplicar técnicas para ofrecer opciones y establecer límites que puedan hacerse cumplir. 3. Comprender cómo neutralizar las discusiones con sus hijos.

Topic: Parents

Target Audience: Parents