Dear Progressive Education Network Community,

It is with deep regret that I write to share some difficult news: the PEN Board of Directors voted to cancel this year’s Progressive Education Network Conference, scheduled for October 2-4, 2026, in Columbus, Ohio.

This decision did not come easily. With registration numbers lower than anticipated, we ultimately determined that moving forward would not be fiscally responsible to PEN or to the other programming and opportunities we are committed to sustaining throughout the year. As stewards of this organization, we have a responsibility to protect PEN’s long-term health.

But we know this decision is about much more than a budget.

This year’s conference theme, Beyond the Edges, invited us to question the boundaries of what we have inherited, imagine what might be possible beyond them, and come together to create more humane, equitable, and sustainable educational communities. We know how much many of you look forward to PEN conferences as a place to learn, wrestle with difficult questions, share ideas, and feel connected to those who share a commitment to progressive education, especially in our current social and political climate.

We are also deeply mindful of the extraordinary effort behind this conference. The Columbus local planning committee has spent thousands of hours over the past two years preparing to welcome us. We are profoundly grateful to them, as well as to the schools, educators, and community members throughout Columbus who generously offered their time, learning spaces, and energy. We are truly sorry that we will not have the opportunity to gather with you this October.

All conference registration fees will be refunded in full, which may take some time to process. We thank you in advance for your patience. If you have already made non-refundable travel or other arrangements, we sincerely apologize for the financial burden this may create. We know many of you made those commitments in good faith. Please direct any questions with regards to registration refunds to contactus@progressiveeducationnetwork.org.

In the coming weeks, we will share a survey with the PEN community. We want to listen, learn, and use your feedback to shape our next national conference, currently scheduled for 2028. If your school or organization would be interested in hosting a future PEN conference, we would also love to hear from you.

And while we are deeply disappointed that Beyond the Edges will not happen in Columbus this year, we hope the spirit of the theme continues.

The questions we hoped to explore remain: What boundaries are no longer serving our students? What possibilities exist beyond the systems and stories we have inherited? What might we create if we are willing to move beyond what is familiar and into what is possible?

Those questions do not belong to a conference. They belong to all of us – to our classrooms, our schools, our communities, and our ongoing work together.

The conference is canceled. The work is not.

PEN will continue to create spaces for educators to connect, learn, question, imagine, and build together –  starting with our National Institute of the Progressive Education Network (NIPEN), which you will be hearing about more in the coming weeks. We hope you will continue this work with us.

Thank you for your patience, understanding, and grace, and for everything you do each day to make education more human, equitable, and joyful.

With deep gratitude,

Kavan Yee

President, Progressive Education Network

On behalf of the PEN Board of Directors