Come celebrate PAC-TE's 55th annual Teacher Education Assembly (TEA) at the Best Western Premier The Central Hotel & Conference Center,  800 E Park Drive, Harrisburg, PA 17111-2807 

Dates: Wednesday, October 21- Friday, October 23, 2026

Times: Wednesday, 9:00 a.m. - 9:00 p.m. (Banquet is included in conference price)

            Thursday, 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. (Buffet Luncheon is included in conference price. Dinner on your own.)

            Friday, 8:00 a.m - 12:00 p.m. (No meals included Friday)

This year's theme is: Rooted in Our Past. Responsive to the Present. Responsible for Pennsylvania’s Future.

Registration includes:

• Access to all conference sessions (unless designated "By Invitation Only")
• Wednesday evening banquet and coffee/tea breaks
• Thursday buffet lunch and coffee/tea breaks
• Friday coffee/tea breaks
• A link to our event app, Whova. Conference information and announcements will only be available on the Whova app.

Not included in registration fee:

• Hotel accommodations.
• Printed copy of agenda/program.  If you desire a printed version of the program, you can check the box on the registration form. ($10 fee required)
• A hard copy of the journal Pennsylvania Teacher Educator. PAC-TE no longer prints the journal. Instead, the  Pennsylvania Teacher Educator is available for viewing on our website www.pac-te.org

Costs 

• PAC-TE Members:

  • Early Bird Registration until 8/31/2026: $175

  • Regular Registration 9/02/26- 10/10/26: $195

  • After October 10, the price is $245. (Note: meals are not guaranteed for those registering after 10/10/26 due to venue deadlines) You can check with the onsite registration team when you arrive and pick up your name tag.
• Non-members:
  • Now until 10/10/26:   $295  (Want to save money? Join PAC-TE and get the conference member price.)
  • After 10/10/26: $345 (Note: meals are not guaranteed for those registering after 10/10/26 due to venue deadlines) You can check with the onsite registration team  when you arrive and pick up your name tag.
• Student registration:
  • $25 if a PAC-TE Student Member; otherwise $50

Notice: PAC-TE now collects a 3% surcharge to cover credit card costs. To avoid the surcharge, you may pay by check. Contact Executive Director Joel Geary, at joel@pac-te.org, to register and pay by check, or go to "Mail-in Registration" tab on the home page of our website.

Refunds may be requested up until October 7, 2026. No refunds after that date.  Refunds will be made on your registration sub-total (cost before surcharge), less a $35 refund fee.

To register online: scroll to the bottom of this page and click Next.

Interested in sponsoring a portion of the conference? Check out our new Donations page.  We encourage and welcome sponsorships from individuals, groups, and colleges/universities and other organizations that support quality educator preparation.

Hotel and room reservations:  (not included in conference price)

PAC-TE's block of rooms at the Best Western Premier Hotel and Conference Center at 800 E Park Drive, Harrisburg, PA, is sold out as of August 17.   People do change their plans, so call the Hotel at 717-561-2800 to find out if any rooms have opened up. 

However, we have fabulous news from a neighboring hotel. The Hampton Inn Harrisburg East, just one block from our venue, has agreed to a discounted price of $125 per night for an overflow block of rooms. Once they are gone, any available rooms revert to the current market price. Here is a direct link to the reservation system at the Hampton Inn:  https://group.hamptoninn.com/fn4mic    We thank the Hampton Inn for coming alongside us in our time of need!  They asked us to share the following:

• We are one block from the Best Western the Central Hotel
• Complimentary hot breakfast buffet served daily from 6:00–10:00 AM, featuring fresh waffles, eggs and breakfast proteins, hard-boiled eggs, oatmeal, yogurt, pastries, cereals, and beverages
• Complimentary Wi-Fi, self-parking, and access to our upgraded 700 sq. ft. fitness center
• Mini-refrigerator, microwave, and coffee maker in every guest room
• Outdoor patio with gas fire pit, open year-round
• In March 2026, we were honored as a 2025 Award of Excellence Recipient, ranking in the Top 5% of Hampton Inns in the United States for Cleanliness & Guest Service.

Other hotels within 1-5 miles of the venue are listed here. 

Conference includes:

• A chance to network face to face with colleagues and other teacher education professionals from around the Commonwealth
• Sessions with PDE on "hot" topics
• Guest keynotes and special PAC-TE presentations
• Sessions highlighting PA professional educators' preparation programs and their research specific to this year's conference theme
• Newcomers Sessions on Wednesday and Thursday
• Delicious Banquet Wednesday evening featuring presentation of awards and a chance to meet the candidates for seats on the Board of Directors
• Mouth-watering Southwestern Luncheon Buffet on Thursday
• Annual PAC-TE Business Meeting for all PAC-TE members
• TEA 2027 Planning Committee Meeting
• A chance to win prizes 

ATTENTION STUDENTS:  You must be a PAC-TE student member in order to register at the student rate for the conference.  If you are not a PAC-TE student member, you must register for the conference at the rate of $50.00. You may join PAC-TE at the student member rate of $10 by clicking here.

PAC-TE would love to receive any written memories, anecdotes,or photos to add to our 55th anniversary displays. Please contact Executive Director, Joel Geary, at joel@pac-te.org to submit documents or digital copies of photos.