From its beginnings in 1984 in a school library in Guam, the annual Pacific Educational Conference (PEC) has grown into one of the largest education conferences in the western Pacific and is a major source of professional development opportunities for educators. The PEC is organized for Pacific educators by Pacific educators, who also present the majority of the workshops.
Island communities in the U.S.-affiliated Pacific and their departments and ministries of education (DOEs/MOEs) and public school systems (PSSs) take turns hosting the PEC each summer.
Conference themes and locations are selected by the Pacific Resources for Education and Learning (PREL) Board of Directors, which consists of chief state school officers and community representatives from PREL’s constituents.
One quality sets the PEC apart from other professional education conferences: the Pacific way. Professional development sessions are followed by evening receptions that promote cultural understanding through song, dance, stories, and gifts. Delegations to the conference come from the following Pacific island communities:
Asia, Australia, and the continental U.S. are represented, as well.
School systems throughout the Pacific islands are working to build their capacity to assist districts and schools in meeting the needs of all students by: (a) identifying and implementing proven practices and programs; (b) strengthening teacher quality; and (c) building and sustaining systemic support for school improvement, resulting in closing achievement gaps and improving achievement outcomes.
The PEC provides intensive professional development for education professionals, with a wide variety of activities to choose from. Workshop presentations are always geared to meet the interests of a wide variety of special interest groups. Intensive skill-building workshops for teachers and principals are supplemented by shorter awareness and networking sessions.
During the 3-day conference, participants select from dozens of different workshop sessions. Skill-building sessions are intended to develop abilities that participants can immediately put to use in the work setting. These sessions are structured in 3- or 6-hour blocks and may take place over 1, 2, or 3 consecutive days. Awareness sessions provide information on best classroom practices and current education legislation and programs. Networking sessions provide opportunities to exchange ideas and develop professional relationships. Awareness and networking sessions run 90 minutes.
Concurrent sessions at the conference include:
Target Audiences and Workshop Strands
Sessions are organized in strands aimed at providing intensive professional development in areas of special interest to educators.
Target Audiences
Workshop Strands
The PEC continues to expand each year with stimulating activities. In addition to an opening ceremony welcoming visitors to the island and a closing ceremony to celebrate the success of being lifelong learners, the PEC also offers:
Other activities include the following:
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