Our experience is similar to Alan. We try to post the session as soon as we know about it. Many teachers plan months in advance, so doing a promotional push 2-4 months ahead is not too early, then reminding everyone 2 weeks before the event then brings in more registrations. And reaching out to school districts and teacher organizations is really important, too!
Original Message:
Sent: 04-21-2015 09:17 AM
From: Alan Goldstein
Subject: Teacher Workshops/PD: Open Registration How Far in Advance?
It really depends on how far you are reaching to attract educators. Local? Regional? National?
This is rarely a situation of "if you build it they will come." You have to contact educators directly or through the school (system's) PD office (if they have one). We haven't hosted PDs for year-round teachers, so I can't address that market specifically. However...
We post a schedule on our website as soon as the topic, date and location is set. That provides a platform to share information, but doesn't guarantee participation. We target educators through their school system professional development office. We also maintain a list of educators to contact when a new PD is developed. (No so helpful for your first one...)
Will they get PD credit? That is a big issue for some educators.
What is the cost? We found that free PDs guaranteed a 50% no-show rate, while a nominal fee of $5 to $10 per day (paid in advance) meant fewer no-shows. This is important when you have space and buy materials for 25 participants, but only 10 show up. (And you had inquiries to fill more slots.) We have never hosted a PD that costs more than $30, so I can't provide any insights on $100 registration fees.
In recent years, our largest local school system has sharply curtailed support for external professional development due to budget cuts. It might be a good idea to talk to your target audience to see what type of support they have from administrators / central office.
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Alan Goldstein
Interpretive Naturalist
Falls of The Ohio State Park Interpretive Center
Clarksville IN
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Original Message:
Sent: 04-20-2015 02:34 PM
From: Sarah Erdman
Subject: Teacher Workshops/PD: Open Registration How Far in Advance?
Hello,
I am helping set up a professional development day for teachers in the fall and I was curious how early you usually advertise/open registration. It is for early childhood educators, so most of them work straight through the summer, but I wasn't sure how many months in advance is usually ideal. Any advice is greatly appreciated!
Sincerely,
Sarah
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Sarah Erdman
Consultant
Washington DC
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