COSA Professional Development Director Colin Cameron described an impressive schedule of upcoming professional growth opportunities for COSA members at the COSA Board of Directors meeting today.  Professional development is the top priority identified by the Board for 2006-07.

The list of COSA’s professional growth opportunities over the next year include:

• Fall Special Education Conference for Administrators, October 11-13, Eugene Hilton.
  
  
• New Superintendents’ Seminar Series, with sessions expected fall, winter and spring.  A recent development, the series is made possible with support from ODE.  COSA is also endeavoring to create a similar series for principals in the near future.  COSA’s intent is to ensure that these seminars become a regular part of the annual professional development offerings.

• Oregon School Law Conference, December 6-8, Eugene Hilton.
  
  
• OASSA/OESPA Winter Conference, “Together We Can,” January 15-17, Salem Conference Center.  The conference features keynote speakers Pam Robbins and Quality Quinn; extended workshops on Literacy, Leadership and Professional Learning Communities; and breakout sessions focusing on topics such as Small Learning Communities, Math and Reading Best Practices, Licensure to be Highly Qualified, Breaking Ranks for Middle Schools and High Schools, Language Art Adoption, Closing the Achievement Gap, Behavior Support and Reaching the English Language Learner.
  
  
• OASE/OACOA Winter Conference, “Leading and Learning … Focusing on Improvement,” February 1-3, Salishan Conference Center.  The conference features keynote speakers Dr. Douglas Reeves and Pam Robbins; extended discussions of Professional Learning Communities, School Leadership and Dealing with Change; and breakout sessions about RTI, New IDEA Regulations, High School Diploma Requirements, Data Warehouses, Legislature and School Funding, and more.
  
  
• Breaking Ranks for Middle Schools, February 26-27.
  
  
• Breaking Ranks II (High Schools), March 8-9.
  
  
• Breakthrough Coaching Conference, for administrators and their secretaries.  Bend, April 30-May 1.  Portland, May 2-3.
  
  
• 33rd Annual COSA Seaside Conference, June 20-22, Seaside Convention Center.
  
  
• Professional Learning Communities Conference, featuring Rick and Rebecca DuFour, November 13-14, 2007.

Watch this COSA Website for updates on these professional growth opportunities.

COSA Membership is Higher

In other news at the meeting, COSA Executive Director Kent Hunsaker reported that COSA membership is up by about 200 members compared to this same time last year.  The increase is "across the board in every department," Hunsaker said.  He speculated that the new COSA Website may be at least partially responsible for the membership hike, and that the site's ease of renewal might also be helping to process memberships quicker than in the past.  Other factors could include personal visits by COSA staff to many district and regions last fall, as well as increasingly robust professional development offerings, he said.