2026 SPRING CONFERENCE
Our 2026 conference has two components to choose from:
In-Person Conference – May 19, 20, & 21 – Tuesday, Wednesday, & Thursday
Hyatt Regency Hotel, New Brunswick
OR
Video Library Conference – Access starting on May 27 to August 20.
2026 Spring Conference Keynote Speakers
Tuesday: Dr. Margarita Machado-Casas / Wednesday: Dr. Elsa Cárdenas-Hagan / Thursday: Dr. Sharroky Hollie
All Conference Registration is Closed.
Looking forward to another great conference.
That is less that 2 weeks away. Please do not assume that your district has sent in your registration. Look for your email confirmation from NJTESOL/NJBE.
We will accept registrations until April 24th, unless capacity is reached prior to that date. All registrations are processed by date order received.
NJTESOL/NJBE has sent out an email confirmation to everyone that has been registered to date. If you have not received your confirmation from NJTESOL/NJBE, take the following steps:
- Search your inbox for the email titled “NJTESOL/NJBE 2026 Spring Conference Registration Confirmation”. The confirmation from NJTESOL/NJBE is what you need.
- Check the copy of your registration form to see what email address you filled in for us to use for your confirmation. Search your emails again.
- Search your other email inbox. (personal and school)
- Check your spam folders.
- If your registration is being paid by your district, check with them to make sure it was submitted it to NJTESOL/NJBE. Do NOT assume that they submitted it to NJTESOL/NJBE.
- If they said they submitted it, ask how. Did they use the upload link or did they use regular mail? Remember, we do not accept them by email.
- Once you have taken all of the steps above and still cannot find out if you are registered, contact business-admin@njtesol-njbe.org.
- Do not wait until April 24th to do so. It will be too late. All registration ends on April 24th. There is no extension of this deadline.
General Spring Conference Information
The In-Person Conference will take place at the Hyatt Regency, New Brunswick on May 19, 20, & 21. You can register for one, two or all three days. We have three fantastic keynotes scheduled to present at the conference. We have three fantastic keynotes and a full day of presentations. Obtain the latest information on state and national initiatives. Network with other colleagues! Earn PD Hours for each day. Visit the representatives at our Sponsors & Exhibitors booths to find the latest teaching tools starting at 7:30 am when breakfast is served.
The Video Library Conference is a select collection of library presentations you can view at your convenience starting on May 27th on our conference platform. When you log in, your viewing hours will be tracked so you can earn PD hours through August 20th. Please note that the presentations will not include the keynotes or special invited guest speakers.
All interest areas will have presentations on all three days. Presentation topics will include:
*New this year!! Introducing an Administrator and Supervisor Strand! There will be Program Administration & Evaluation presentations all three days. However, on Thursday, there will be a strand which will include the Supervisor SIG and NJPSA Meeting, as well as a dedicated time to visit with Sponsors and Exhibitors and lunch time for networking.
Justify your attendance: Our in-person conference and Video Library conferences offer professional development that supports educators of all levels. Does your boss need more convincing? Use our Customizable Letter to further justify your attendance!
For questions concerning your conference registration status, please contact Gwen Franks at business-admin@njtesol-njbe.org
For other conference questions, email Caia Schlessinger at conference-coordinator@njtesol-njbe.org.
View recent and past Spring Conference photos
2026 Spring Conference Registration – All conference registration is closed.
Registration for the 2026 Spring Conference is open. Act quickly to take advantage of our early registration rates and secure a spot. You can choose to attend in-person or view the Video Library. Three forms of payment are accepted: credit card, check, or board-approved & signed purchase order. If you are paying with a purchase order, use the UPLOAD feature on the registration form to upload the board-approved purchase order & voucher along with the registration forms. Please note that POs and registration forms are NOT accepted by email.
Register early to save your place!
President’s Awards Ceremony & Reception
Join us as we celebrate our Scholarship Winners, Award Recipients & Advocacy Successes at our President’s Awards Ceremony & Reception, that will be held on Wednesday, May 20th starting at 6:00 PM at the New Brunswick Hyatt Regency Hotel. Registration is required to attend this event, and please consider making a donation toward the scholarships.
Awards and Scholarships
Applications for all of the 2026 awards and scholarships are now open for students in 4th, 8th, 12th grade, and college as well as prospective and current teachers in graduate school, a grant for teachers, and the Barbara Tedesco award for collaborating educators!
Preliminary Schedule
Now you can browse and view the workshop offerings. There are workshops in all categories every day. Please note that there will be some additions and changes.
Become an Exhibitor – Registration for Exhibitor Booths is closed
We invite companies and organizations that serve educators that teach and support. Visit the Exhibitor page for more information or contact Tina Kern at exhibitor-liaison@njtesol-njbe.org.
Recruiting Booths for Districts – Registration for Recruiting Booths is closed
One component of our NJTESOL/NJBE Spring Conference 2026 is providing booths for Districts interested in recruiting teachers. Districts can reserve a recruiting booth for Thursday, May 21, 2026. Visit the Recruiting page for more information or contact Tina Kern at exhibitor-liaison@njtesol-njbe.org.
Dr. Machado-Casas is a nationally and internationally recognized scholar in bilingual, multicultural, and transnational education. She is a Full Professor at San Diego State University and currently serves as President of the National Association for Bilingual Education (NABE). Her interdisciplinary research focuses on immigrant, Indigenous, Afro-descendant, and multilingual communities, exploring identity, agency, literacy, family engagement, and equitable assessment. Dr. Machado-Casas holds a Ph.D. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where she earned the prestigious IMPACT Award. She completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the Frank Porter Graham Institute in collaboration with Duke University. With over 80 publications—including the award-winning Handbook of Latinos in Education—she is also co-editor of widely adopted texts on bilingual education. A community-engaged scholar and policy leader, she has advised ministries of education across Latin America and co-developed the first multilingual master’s program for Afro-Indigenous communities in Nicaragua. In the U.S., she co-founded CUPE and BESO, the country’s largest bilingual student organization, and served on the Biden-Harris National Education Policy Committee, helping shape policies on educator diversity. She is Founder and CEO of ISET Pathway and President of Global Supply Exchange, both focused on advancing educational access and equity. A proud Afro-Indigenous migrant and mother of three, Dr. Machado-Casas is committed to uplifting marginalized voices in education through real-world advocacy, research, and leadership.
Elsa Cárdenas-Hagan, Ed.D, is a Bilingual Speech Language Pathologist and a Certified Academic Language Therapist. She is the Director of Valley Speech Language and Learning Center in Brownsville, Texas which was established in 1993. She also works with Texas Institute for Measurement Evaluation and Statistics at the University of Houston. Dr. Cárdenas-Hagan is the author of Esperanza (HOPE), a Spanish language program designed to assist students who struggle with learning to read. Her research interests include the development of early reading assessments for Spanish-speaking students and the development of reading interventions for bilingual students. She was the co-principal investigator of a longitudinal study funded by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development and the Institute for Education Science that examined the oracy and literacy development in English and Spanish of Spanish-speaking children. She serves as the Vice President for the International Dyslexia Association and has authored curricular programs, book chapters, and journal articles related to oracy and literacy development for English language learners.
Dr. Hollie is a national educator and author known for his passionate advocacy of culturally and linguistically responsive teaching practices. With over three decades of experience in education, Dr. Hollie has dedicated his life to promoting the validation and affirmation of underserved students by providing professional development to thousands of educators in the area of cultural responsiveness. After beginning his career as a classroom teacher at the middle and high school levels, he became a professional development coordinator in Los Angeles Unified School District, a school founder and administrator, and a tenured professor in teacher education at Cal State University. Sharroky has also been a visiting professor for Webster University in St. Louis and a guest lecturer at Stanford and UCLA. As the founder and executive director of the non-profit organization, The Center for Culturally Responsive Teaching and Learning (The Center), Dr. Hollie has been instrumental in empowering educators in effectively engaging students from diverse backgrounds. Since 2004, The Center has impacted and influenced hundreds of school districts in the US and Canada and thousands of educators with the concept of cultural and linguistic responsiveness. He expresses gratitude “for the opportunity to commune with my colleagues in this work and to collaborate on ways we can collectively create pathways to better our work for all those we serve.”
