NJEA Professional Development

09/04/2026

Show your 2026 NJEA Convention badge and get discounts at participating locations in Atlantic City this November!

Click the link in the first comment below to view the participating businesses and their exclusive offers. Then, let us know which discount you're most excited about ⬇️

09/02/2026

Looking to enrich your curriculum with impactful, local experiential learning? 🚌✨

In our latest article, NJEA Consortium Design Team Ambassador Stacy Schiller highlights two incredible community partnerships in eastern Monmouth County:

🔹 Chhange (Center for Holocaust, Human Rights & Genocide Education): Learn about the new Consortium-developed Field Trip Itinerary aligned with NJ State Standards to help educators prepare, guide, and debrief students visiting the powerful Journeys Beyond Genocide exhibit.
🔹 T. Thomas Fortune Cultural Center: Discover how to engage students with the historic Black press, media literacy, and community journalism through a dedicated Performance Task (Then and Now: Why Representation in the Press Matters).

Plus, get a sneak peek at an upcoming NJEA Convention workshop featuring Fortune Center content this fall!

🔗 Read the full article and explore educator resources here: https://learning.njea.org/local-centers-make-great-educational-partners/

By: Stacy Schiller, Consortium Design Team Ambassador The NJEA Consortium has partnered with two local educational organizations in eastern Monmouth County. Chhange, the Center of Holocaust Human Rights and Genocide

08/31/2026

✨Design Team Ambassador Spotlight: Tamar LaSure-Owens ✨

Meet educator and NJEA Consortium Design Team Ambassador, Tamar LaSure-Owens!

Through her work with the Consortium, Tamar is helping reimagine how instructional design serves all students—engineering learning with intentionality, inclusion, and Universal Design for Learning (UDL) at the forefront.

"Implementing Universal Design for Learning in our design work has shifted my perspective from fixing the student to fixing the curriculum. I've learned that accessibility is not a postproduction checklist—it is the foundation." — Tamar LaSure-Owens

By collaborating with educators statewide to design, vet, and share high-quality Tier 1 resources, Tamar and the Consortium Design Team Ambassadors are reducing the prep time burden for teachers while ensuring equitable access to exceptional learning experiences for every student in New Jersey. 💡📚

🔗 Explore curated resources, tools, and courses on the NJEA Consortium LMS: https://njeaportal.learnupon.com/users

08/28/2026

Design Team Ambassador Spotlight: Stacy Schiller ✨

Meet educator and NJEA Consortium Design Team Ambassador, Stacy Schiller!

Through performance tasks, high-interest field trip itineraries, and authentic learning experiences, Stacy and the Consortium are helping students connect academic skills to real-world issues—exploring identity, equity, institutions, and activism while addressing New Jersey’s mandated curricula.

"The Consortium provides not only valuable resources, but also a community that makes me feel supported and intellectually challenged. Working alongside such talented educators has reinforced my belief that meaningful professional growth happens through collaboration." — Stacy Schiller

By designing relevant, impactful learning opportunities, Stacy exemplifies how statewide collaboration empowers teachers and inspires students to think critically about the world around them. 💡🍎

🔗 Discover performance tasks, resources, and courses on the NJEA Consortium LMS: https://njeaportal.learnupon.com/

08/26/2026

Design Team Ambassador Spotlight: America Sotelo ✨

Meet bilingual educator and NJEA Consortium Design Team Ambassador, America Sotelo!

Through her work with the Consortium, America has focused on moving beyond standard content delivery to design meaningful, student-centered learning experiences grounded in Universal Design for Learning (UDL) and culturally responsive practices.

"The Consortium reminded me that equity is not about giving every student the same thing, but about intentionally designing opportunities that allow students to thrive based on their individual strengths and needs." — America Sotelo

By collaborating with fellow educators to break through isolation and remove barriers for multilingual learners, America reminds us of the true power of community-driven design and empathy in education. 💡🤝

🔗 Explore the NJEA Consortium resources and learning management system: https://njeaportal.learnupon.com/

08/24/2026

Meet Erin Putman, a dedicated New Jersey educator of over 25 years, parent, and NJEA Consortium Design Team Ambassador (DTA)! 🌟

"We tend to default to exposure through acknowledgment of heroes and holidays... The grant-funded NJEA Consortium brought together a group of New Jersey educators to take out the legwork for teachers and create materials and disseminate resources that fulfill the four state diversity mandates."

Erin’s passion is integrating disability representation and rich, inclusive content into everyday curriculum so every learner feels seen, heard, and challenged to grow.

👉 Explore ready-to-go lessons and scholar talks in our Repository of Resources: https://njeaportal.learnupon.com

Help us reach our goal of 1k NJEA member users by December 2026! 🎯

08/22/2026

✨️​Inspiring discussions 🗣 at the New Jersey Chinese Teachers Association (NJCTA) Conference!

Dr. Chrissi Miles, Dr. Kim Pinckney, and Mr. Rich Wilson of ​NJEA's PDII division were proud to engage with educators across the state during their panel: Grounded: Leading with Integrity.

​Throughout the session, participants were challenged to reflect deeply on a vital guiding question: ❓️What does it mean to lead well, remain whole, and hold our values...when everything else is moving?

​Thank you to all the educators and participants who joined the conversation to build more grounded classrooms for ourselves and our students! 🍎✨

08/21/2026

Meet Steve Koumoulis, Design Team Ambassador with the NJEA Consortium! 🍎

"What we are trying to do is create lessons and professional development that is relevant to the topic and content of what we are trying to deliver as educators... so then all of these stories and other events, people, places can be told so our students can see themselves in the curriculum."

Steve and the Consortium team are closing knowledge gaps around New Jersey’s inclusive curricular mandates, bringing practical tools and expert content straight to your classroom.

👉 Dive into curated curricular resources and professional development on our LMS: https://njeaportal.learnupon.com/

Help us reach our goal of 1k NJEA member users by December 2026! 🎯

08/19/2026

✨Meet Nina D'Urso, Design Team Ambassador for the NJEA Consortium! ✨

"This work empowers educators to lead change from within. It strengthens our professional voice, builds practical tools we can actually use, and ultimately improves outcomes for our students and school communities."

Through collaboration and a design mindset, Nina and fellow DTAs are working across districts to turn complex challenges into meaningful, classroom-driven solutions.

👉 Access vetted lessons, courses, and resources developed by educators for educators: https://njeaportal.learnupon.com

Help us reach our goal of 1k NJEA member users by December 2026! 🎯

08/17/2026

🌟 Meet the Consortium DTAs: Empowering Educators, Elevating Curricula 🌟

When educators lead change from within, entire classrooms transform. ✨

Across New Jersey, teachers are navigating new instructional demands and striving to meet state inclusive curricular mandates. But educators shouldn't have to do the heavy lifting alone.

That’s where the NJEA Consortium and our Design Team Ambassadors (DTAs) come in! 🍎🤝

Through a collaborative, design-driven model, our DTAs are working across districts to:

💡 Take out the legwork: Developing vetted, classroom-ready lessons, tasks, and instructional materials.

🌈 Champion true inclusion: Moving beyond "heroes and holidays" to ensure every student sees themselves reflected, valued, and celebrated across all diversity mandates.

🚀 Build professional community: Creating spaces for shared problem-solving, innovative professional development, and sustainable educator leadership.

📚 Explore the Consortium Repository of Resources
Ready to bring these classroom-tested materials to your school? Our Learning Management System (LMS) Repository of Resources is live!

👉 Access the repository now: https://njeaportal.learnupon.com/

Phase I (Live Now): Expert content scholar talks and curated, vetted external resources.

Phase II & III (Partially Live): Intentionally designed asynchronous courses, performance tasks, structured learning paths, and micro-credentialing for Consortium-Endorsed Educators.

Together, we are shaping an inclusive educational landscape where every student feels seen, heard, and challenged to grow. 💙

Help us reach our goal of 1k NJEA member users by December 2026! 🎯