PD News & Opportunities

Check out these professional development opportunities being offered either by MEA or partner organizations

Grow Your Roots with MiCAREER

Grow Your Roots with MiCAREER

Register Now for Our Summer 2025 Regional Events!

Are you living or working in a rural community and want to earn or advance your teaching credentials?
MiCAREER: The Rural Credentialing Hub is here to help you take the next step in your professional journey.

Let your career grow where your roots already are.
Connect with university-based educator preparation programs and education partners who are ready to support your journey in the teaching profession.

Thanks to the groundbreaking Michigan Legislative Act 388.1671i and funding from the Michigan Department of Education, MiCAREER connects educator preparation institutions (EPIs) with rural school districts to create meaningful, accessible pathways for aspiring and current educators.

Join us for an inspiring Grow Your Roots recruitment event—a day dedicated to exploring no-cost certification and career advancement opportunities explicitly tailored for rural educators.

Learn about the MiCAREER: The Rural Credentialing Hub

Who’s eligible
What it covers
The certification programs available

In addition to discovering these exciting opportunities, participants will engage in powerful professional learning session that focus on the unique strengths and challenges of rural education. Special emphasis will be placed on the importance of building relational trust as the foundation for effective teaching and learning in rural communities.

With MiCAREER, you can expect:

Personalized support
Credit for your prior experience
One-on-one mentoring from experienced educators
Flexible, university-based programs that fit your schedule
Rolling admissions to help you get started when you’re ready

Who Should Attend?

Rural educators working under temporary credentials
Individuals nearing completion of a teacher prep program
Experienced rural teachers seeking to add certifications or grow professionally

Not sure if your district qualifies as rural?
We use the definition of “rural” from the Educational Opportunities and Community Development in Rural Michigan report, which includes both rural and town designations as defined by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES).

Use this interactive map to check your district’s designation.

Attend any of our upcoming regional events—free of charge—at a location near you (10:00 AM – 2:00 PM):

June 19, 2025 – Quality Inn | St. Ignace, MI
June 24, 2025 – Holiday Inn Midland | Midland, MI
June 25, 2025 – Holiday Inn & Suites Jackson | Jackson, MI
June 26, 2025 – Sheraton Grand Rapids Airport Hotel | Grand Rapids, MI

SCECHs (State Continuing Education Clock Hours) will be available for eligible participants, pending approval from the Michigan Department of Education (MDE).

Michigan Virtual Pilot on AI Literacy for Educators

A new pilot program from Michigan Virtual and aiEDU can help you build a solid foundation and become a champion for AI literacy in your school or district.

Selected participants will spend 3 hours in synchronous sessions and approximately 7 hours asynchronously learning about AI literacy and preparing to lead your own cohorts of teachers through aiEDU’s AI literacy course. Participants must be available for all synchronous sessions from Friday, June 13, to Friday, June 27:

Friday, June 13: Pre-work shared (this work will require about 3.5 hours of time)
Wednesday, June 17: Synchronous session 2pm ET
Friday, June 20: Synchronous session 2pm ET
Wednesday, June 25: Synchronous session 2pm ET
Friday, June 27: Last day to share feedback and materials for review

This is a completely free opportunity for selected participants, but registration is not guaranteed. Apply by June 9 to be part of this first cohort at the forefront of educational innovation while building the skills and confidence to support fellow educators.

2025 Summer Conference

Make your plans now to join MEA’s first-ever hybrid Summer Conference on July 15-17. Sessions will be held in-person at MEA Headquarters on Tuesday and Wednesday, July 15-16, as well as via Zoom. Thursday, July 17 will be 100% virtual.

Check out the conference announcement to learn more about the sessions being offered, which include high-quality professional development to improve both your practice as an educator and your work as a union advocate. The registration deadline is June 26.

Of note, Thursday will feature a 9 a.m. virtual keynote from Oxford Professor Emeritus Charles Hulme about the role of oral language in learning (read more below about our exciting new partnership with OxEd) and on Tuesday afternoon we’ll host 2026 candidates for governor for a meet-and-greet.

Advance EdTech Innovation with 2025 Pitch Contest and Bootcamp

Do you have an idea that will improve teaching or learning through the use of technology? Through initiatives like the EdTech Pitch Contest, Innovation Bootcamp, and Conquer EdTech Accelerator, Michigan Virtual supports educators, entrepreneurs, and innovators in developing and scaling ideas that enhance teaching and learning.

Whether you’re just starting out with an idea or scaling a tested solution, you can access learning experiences, funding opportunities, and connections to help you grow, including:

EdTech Pitch Contest: Pitch your idea to get startup funding to make it a reality. In 2023, MEA member and Utica teacher Jonathan Marceau won for his Spelling Safari idea, which was featured in the MEA Voice.
EdTech Innovation Bootcamp: Explore your idea, develop a business model, and identify your next steps for making your idea a reality! There is no cost to attend and Michigan Educators can earn 20 SCECH credits for completing the full Bootcamp. Space is limited.
Conquer EdTech Accelerator: New in 2025, this is a 10-week intensive program designed to support early-stage education technology startups, including opportunities for funding and hands-on guidance.
Pitch 101 Sessions: Sign up now for live Zooms to help new innovators and entrepreneurs prepare for the EdTech Innovation Bootcamp and Pitch Contest.

Visit EdTech Catalyst – Michigan Virtual’s umbrella initiative to support Michigan-based education innovation – for more information and to access pre-pitch resources. Applications for the Pitch Contest and Bootcamp open on April 14.