Conference 2026 At a Glance
The 2026 IATE Fall Conference, Rethinking Education: Pedagogical Moves to Create a More Equitable Classroom, takes place Friday, October 16 and Saturday, October 17, 2026, at Moraine Valley Community College in Palos Hills. Here’s everything you need to find your way to campus, park, and settle in.
At a Glance
- Where: Moraine Business and Conference Center, Building M (floors 1 and 2), Moraine Valley Community College, 9000 W. College Parkway, Palos Hills, IL 60465
- Registration: First-floor lobby, opening at 7:30 a.m. both days
- Best entrance: 111th Street at College Parkway. The conference center sits on the south side of campus, off 111th Street near LaGrange Road.
- Parking: Free, in the campus lots around Building M
- GPS tip: Enter the street address, 9000 W. College Parkway, rather than just the college name, which can route you to the wrong entrance.
Schedule Overview
Friday, October 16
| 7:30 a.m. | Registration opens; light breakfast in the Exhibition Hall |
| 8:30 a.m. | Plenary Session 1: Welcome and IATE Business Meeting |
| 9:00 a.m. | Opening Keynote: Mary Ellen Daneels, followed by a 90-minute inquiry workshop in Moraine Room 1 |
| 10:00 a.m. | Poster Presentations A and Breakout Session A |
| 11:15 a.m. | Poster Presentations B and Breakout Session B |
| 12:30 p.m. | Lunch keynote with author Mindy McGinnis, book signing to follow; raffle drawing |
| 3:00 p.m. | Poster Presentations C and Breakout Session C |
| 4:15 p.m. | Breakout Session D |
| 5:45 p.m. | Cocktails & Conversations |
| 6:30 p.m. | Dinner and Awards, honoring 2026 Illinois Author of the Year Michael Leali; raffle drawing |
| approx. 8:45 p.m. | Informal get-together in the lobby of the Hampton Inn & Suites Burr Ridge |
Saturday, October 17
| 7:30 a.m. | Registration opens; light breakfast in the Exhibition Hall |
| 8:00 a.m. | Plenary Session 4, with a Scrible presentation at 8:15 |
| 8:45 a.m. | Breakout Session E |
| 10:00 a.m. | Poster Presentations F and Breakout Session F |
| 11:15 a.m. | Poster Presentations G and Breakout Session G |
| 12:30 p.m. | Past Presidents’ Luncheon with author Sandra Cisneros |
| 3:00 p.m. | Breakout Session H (ends 4:00 or 4:30), plus a screening of the documentary Story and Pictures By in Moraine Room 1 |
Some sessions overlap because they run different lengths. See your printed program for session titles and rooms.
Finding Your Way in Building M
- Registration table: first-floor lobby (M100)
- Exhibition Hall (vendors, sponsors, and morning breakfast): Moraine Plaza, M111, on the first floor. Open Friday 9:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m. and Saturday 9:00 a.m.–1:00 p.m.
- Poster presentations: the south end of the Exhibition Hall
- Meals, plenaries, and Friday cocktail hour: Moraine Banquet Room 2, next to the Exhibition Hall
- Moraine Room 1 (keynote workshop and Saturday film screening): next to the Exhibition Hall
- Breakout sessions: second-floor rooms M201–M210. Take the stairs or elevator beside the lobby.
Campus Map
Moraine Valley’s interactive campus map lets you search for Building M and zoom in on parking lots. Buildings are identified by letter, and directional signs are posted at every campus entrance.
Driving Directions
The campus is bounded by 107th Street on the north, 111th Street on the south, Kean Avenue on the west, and 86th/88th Avenues on the east. Because the conference center is on the south side of campus, the 111th Street entrance at College Parkway is the most convenient. If you’re on LaGrange Road (Route 45), take it to 111th Street, turn east, and go about one mile to College Parkway.
From the Conference Hotel (Hampton Inn & Suites, Burr Ridge)
Take I-55 (Stevenson Expressway) southwest to LaGrange Road (Route 45) south. Continue south on LaGrange Road past 107th Street to 111th Street and turn left. Go about one mile and turn left into campus at College Parkway. Allow extra time for weekday-morning traffic on Friday.
From Chicago and the North (I-55)
Take I-55 south to LaGrange Road (Route 45) south. Continue to 111th Street and turn left, then turn left into campus at College Parkway.
From the Far West and Northwest (I-355)
Take I-355 south to I-55 north, then LaGrange Road (Route 45) south. Turn left on 111th Street, then left into campus at College Parkway.
From the West (I-88 / I-294)
Take I-88 east to I-294 (Tri-State Tollway) south. Exit at 95th Street and head west to 88th Avenue. Turn left on 88th Avenue; campus is on the right after 107th Street. Follow the campus signs to Building M.
From Central and Southern Illinois (I-57)
Take I-57 north to I-80 west, then LaGrange Road (Route 45) north. Turn right on 111th Street, go about one mile, and turn left into campus at College Parkway.
From the Southwest (I-80)
Take I-80 east to LaGrange Road (Route 45) north. Turn right on 111th Street and turn left into campus at College Parkway.
From Indiana and the Southeast
Take I-294 north to 95th Street west, then turn left on 88th Avenue. Campus is on the right after 107th Street. Follow the campus signs to Building M.
From the Airports
- Midway: Take Cicero Avenue north to I-55 south, then LaGrange Road south to 111th Street. Turn left, then turn left into campus at College Parkway.
- O’Hare: Take I-190 east to I-294 south, exit at 95th Street west, and turn left on 88th Avenue. Campus is on the right after 107th Street.
Parking
- Parking is free, and the campus has more than 4,000 spaces across 15 lots.
- Please avoid spaces marked “Faculty Reserved” or “Administrative.” Campus police ticket these, and Friday is a regular class day.
- Accessible parking spaces are located near building entrances; a state-issued placard or plate is required.
- The speed limit is 20 mph on the campus perimeter road and 5 mph in parking lots.
Public Transit and Ridesharing
Pace buses serve the Palos Hills campus on weekdays, so they’re mainly useful on Friday. The campus stop is outside the east entrances of Buildings S and U, a short walk from Building M.
- Pace Route 379 (Midway–Orland Square), which connects to the CTA Orange Line at Midway
- Pace Route 381 (95th Street)
- Pace Route 385 (87th Street–111th Street–127th Street)
Carpooling with colleagues? Pace RideShare is a free matching service for sharing a ride.
Where to Stay
IATE has reserved a limited block of discounted rooms at the Hampton Inn & Suites Chicago–Burr Ridge, 100 Harvester Drive, Burr Ridge, IL 60527. Book within the IATE block here while rooms remain. After Friday’s dinner and awards, join colleagues in the hotel lobby at about 8:45 p.m. for an informal get-together.
Meals
- Breakfast: Light breakfast both mornings in the Exhibition Hall, across from Moraine Rooms 1 and 2
- Friday lunch: Served with the keynote by Mindy McGinnis
- Friday dinner: The awards dinner, preceded by Cocktails & Conversations at 5:45 p.m.
- Saturday lunch: The Past Presidents’ Luncheon with Sandra Cisneros
Friday’s lunch and dinner both include raffle drawings, and winners must be present to claim their baskets.
Earning CPDUs
Each session earns CPDUs, but only if you do both of the following:
- Register for each session you attend in the ISBE PD+ system, using the online scheduler.
- Sign the paper attendance sheet at each session, legibly, with your name and IEIN.
Keep track of the sessions you attend in your program. All sessions must be registered in PD+ by November 30, 2026. Verification begins December 1, after which ISBE PD+ will email you a survey and your Evidence of Completion. Then enter your hours in ELIS.
Helpful Links
- 2026 Fall Conference home page
- Conference registration
- Presenters: submit your session materials
- Moraine Valley interactive campus map
- Moraine Valley location, directions, and transit page
- Moraine Valley parking rules
- Moraine Valley accessibility information
Questions or Day-of Help
- At the conference: Stop by the registration table in the first-floor lobby of Building M.
- IATE Executive Secretary: Dr. Kaitlin Glause, kglause@millikin.edu
- Moraine Valley main line: (708) 974-4300 (TTY 711)
- Directions help: Moraine Valley College and Community Relations, (708) 974-5375
- Emergencies: Call 911.
Safe travels. We look forward to seeing you in Palos Hills!
Proposal Coach Request
Proposal Coach Request
If you would like a proposal coach to help you develop your ideas and write your session proposal, please fill out the information below.
Preparing for a Successful Proposal
The Illinois Associate of Teachers of English Conference will be held on October 16th and 17th, 2026 at Moraine Valley Community College in Palos Hills.
Proposals should offer engaging sessions that will enable participants to return to their school communities with a range of ideas that will promote a more inclusive and equitable education for all students. All presenters MUST be registered for the conference no later than Friday, October 2nd. Failure to register may result in your session being cancelled.
New to presenting? Click here to request a proposal coach to help you develop your session ideas or provide you feedback on your session proposal.
Breakout Sessions: These sessions will be 60 minute informational professional development presentations. Those who wish to submit a proposal for this type of session will have the flexibility of choosing a range of activities for members of the audience to participate in, or a more traditional lecture-style presentation.
Workshop Sessions: These sessions will be 90 minutes and must include interactive components that require active participation from audience members.
Poster Presentations: Poster presenters should prepare a 10-15 minute summary of their displays. Posters will be displayed in an exhibition format and attendees can browse a variety of topics that follow our theme of equitable education. Presenters will need to stand with their poster during an assigned time and must be ready to speak with attendees who stop to view their display. To ensure all attendees have an opportunity to view each presentation, we ask that presenters keep their posters on display for the duration of their attendance at the conference.
When completing the Call for Proposals, you will be asked to provide the following information:
- Name(s) of presenter(s), professional title, and contact information
- Session title and a description (no more than 250 words)
- Grade level your session is most applicable to.
Please click on this link to submit a proposal: https://iateonline.org/cfp-2026
What to Expect Post Submission
Primary presenters will be notified regarding the status of their submission by the end of May 2026. Some individuals may be asked to revise their proposal and resubmit for review.
Fall Conference 2026 Home Page
Moraine Valley Community College
October 16-17, 2026
Conference At-a-Glance
Conference Schedule
Registration
Presenter Upload Site
Wifi login
Apply for a conference scholarship here
Conference t-shirts & hoodies
Connect with Us
Follow us on Instagram, X, and Facebook for live updates during the conference, including room changes, reminders, keynote highlights, and photos.
Share Your Conference: #IATE26
Posting about the conference? Tag @iatenow and add #IATE26 so other attendees can find your post. We’ll repost some of our favorites. A few ideas:
•A strategy from a session that you’ll try in class next week
•A favorite line from Mary Ellen Daneels, Mindy McGinnis, Michael Leali, or Sandra Cisneros
•Your signed book, your raffle basket, or the poster that got you thinking
•A photo with colleagues, old friends, or new ones
•Your session: presenters, share your slides or a photo of your room
On Instagram, add the hashtag and tag @iatenow on Stories, too, so we can share them.
A note about photos: IATE volunteers will take photos throughout the conference to share on our website and social media. If you’d rather not appear in them, please let the photographer or the registration table know. Please ask before posting photos of other attendees.
2026 IATE Conference Call for Proposals
Please log in:
If you need to register for a login, please fill out the registration form below.
Registration
Register for an IATE login (needed for membership signup, conference registration, etc.). Please note that your email address will be your username.
Updates from IATE
Updates from IATE
Sign up for updates from IATE for next year’s fall conference. You’ll receive announcements about submitting proposals, keynote speakers, featured sessions, and registration.