NATIONAL CONFERENCE 2026
October 9-11, 2026
(Pre-Conference Activities Available on October 8th & 9th)
Conference Theme
Last time we convened in Columbus, we explored ‘The Space Between’—the often-overlooked space where tension, ambiguity, and relationships live. We named it as the place where progressive education has always done its deepest work, even as traditional systems rushed toward efficiency and standardization. Now our attention turns to Beyond the Edges. If The Space Between asked us to notice and inhabit what lies within existing systems, Beyond the Edges invites us to ask: What happens when the old edges themselves no longer hold? What comes after the versions of “traditional” and “progressive” education we’ve inherited?
Previous Speakers
Since our 2007 conference in San Francisco, PEN has welcomed renowned speakers, each of whom has provided our attendees with the thought- provoking, inspiring, challenging and expansive experience of considering and re considering the meaning of progressive education, learning, creating, and teaching. Some of our past speakers have included scholars and artists, activists and advocates for progressive education:
Dr. Liza Talusan, José Vilson, Peter H. Reynolds, Mara Krechvesky, Stephanie Rond, Jason Blair, David Brown, Dr. Bettina Love, Sam Chaltain, Jesse Hagopian, Paul Gorski, Julian Randall, Sonia Nieto, The Honorable Justice Alan C. Page, Bill Ayers, Roland Barth, Augusta Souza Kappner, Dr. Pedro Nogera, Jonathan Kozol, Denisha Jones, Alfie Kohn, Deborah W. Meier, Linda Darling-Hammond, Francisco Guajardo, Curtis Acosta, Angela Davis, Jacqueline Woodson, Andrea Davis Pinckney, James Lecesne, Diane Ravitch, Fania Davis and more!
More information to come. Watch this space!
