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.

Floor plan of the first floor of Building M, the Moraine Business and Conference Center, showing the lobby (M100), Moraine Rooms 1–3 (M109), and Moraine Plaza (M111) — Building M, first floor: lobby, Moraine Rooms, and Moraine Plaza (Exhibition Hall). Click to enlarge.

Floor plan of the second floor of Building M, showing breakout rooms M201 through M210 along the south side — Building M, second floor: breakout rooms M201–M210. Click to enlarge.

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

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!