InterAct 2025 Proposal Overview

Thank you for your interest in presenting at the InterAct CLASS® Summit! This year, the Summit will occur in New Orleans from April 7 to 9, 2025. The deadline for proposals is November 1, 2024. We will announce accepted and rejected proposals on November 22, 2024.

The theme for InterAct 2025 is "Thriving Together"." The Summit depends on leaders like you to provide sessions that inspire and expand our thinking. We are seeking sessions that share stories of impact or stories that fit into this year's session topics below. 

Suggested Topics:

• Implementation Strategies for CLASS 2nd Edition
  • From Theory to Practice: Implementing CLASS 2nd Edition Successfully 
  • How a focus on interactions supports the workforce
  • Affiliate Trainer Stories: Success Stories and Best Practices
• CLASS Impact on Academic Outcomes
  • Data Speakers: CLASS and its Impact on Student Achievement
  • How has a focus on interactions supported literacy in your program?
  • Focus on Kindergarten Readiness
  • The Connection Between Interactions and Problem-Solving Abilities
• Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI)
  • Using CLASS for Continuous Quality Improvement in Early Childhood Programs
  • Building a Culture for Continuous Improvement
  • Data-Driven Approaches to Enhance Classroom Interactions
• Why Interactions
  • Implementation success stories
  • Advocating for Quality Interactions: The Role of Policy
  • Family and Community Engagement
  • Positive Interactions and Behavior Management
  • Equity and Inclusion
• CLASS Across Settings
  • Integrating Social-Emotional and Academic Support.
  • CLASS and Diverse Learners: Supporting Children with Disabilities
  • Family Engagement: Strengthening Parent-Teacher Interactions
  • Infant–Toddler CLASS: Tailoring Interactions for the Youngest Learners.
  • Family Child Care Settings: Implementing CLASS in Home-Based Programs.

Presentation length

• Short (30 Minutes)
  Our 30-minute sessions are quick, focused presentations designed to deliver compact yet impactful overviews. Presenters distill their content to its essence, allowing attendees to quickly grasp key insights. They are ideal for sharing highlights, introducing new concepts, or sparking engaging discussions on specific topics or ideas.
• Standard (45-60 Minutes)
  These sessions offer a typical length that allows for both presentation and Q&A. You can choose between a "Listen and Learn" or "Participate and Share" format. Dive deep into your topic, share your expertise, and engage the audience with interactive discussions and practical examples.
• Extended (90 Minutes)
  These sessions provide an immersive, in-depth exploration of complex topics. With interactive elements and a focus on meaningful discussions, they encourage knowledge sharing and tangible outcomes. Given the limited slots, sessions must deliver robust learning outcomes. Workshop format Only.

Session FormatS

• Listen and Learn 
  Traditional presentations or panel discussions with limited audience interaction focused on delivering information
• Participate and Share
  A mix of content and collaboration. Sessions are designed to actively involve the audience through discussions, polls, or group activities.
• Workshop 
  Interactive, hands-on sessions designed for skill-building and in-depth learning on a specific topic.

FAQs

• When are proposals due? All proposals must be submitted by the end of the day on November 1, 2024.
• When will I find out if my proposal has been accepted? We will inform you if your submission is accepted on November 22, 2024.
• Who attends? Leaders from early childhood and K-12 educational systems attend the Summit, including decision-makers at every level: state and district administrators, program leaders, instructional coaches, and assessors. Most attendees are focused on early childhood (birth to eight years). 
• Does my session need to focus on CLASS only? No. We've had several popular sessions that are more loosely tied to CLASS, including using mindfulness practices, incorporating sign language, or focusing solely on improving interactions without using CLASS terminology. We do find that participants want to be able to make connections to their work. Their standard tie is usually the CLASS tool, so being able to either implicitly or explicitly tie it back to CLASS is appreciated. See last year's schedule for examples.
• What's the average session size? Sessions can range in size from 50-150 people.
• What sessions have been popular at past conferences? From the feedback we received after previous InterAct CLASS Summits, we know people like to hear a story. They want to hear about the bumps in the road and how you overcame them—the successes and failures. Attendees have let us know that they are particularly interested in attending more sessions around coaching, DEI, countering bias, and supporting dual language learners. Last year's most visited sessions were about coaching and professional development, and they celebrated a community of continuous improvement.
• How are proposals selected? A small group of reviewers will blindly review all proposals against a rubric. This means that reviewers will not see who submitted proposals until final selections have been made. They will look for interactive, relevant to the audience, and purposeful sessions.
• Do I need to submit my slides with my proposal? No, we work with presenters and collect slides in the weeks before the Summit. However, if you have slides because you've presented this topic before, feel free to include them. 
• Will sessions be shared during/after the Summit? Slides will be added to the event platform once you submit them to us.
• Do presenters get a registration discount? Yes! If your session is chosen, you'll receive a discount on your registration for the in-person Summit.