How to Submit Concurrent Proposals
Annual Conference themes
Our conference theme is developed each year by an independent team of practitioners that we bring together to ask "What are the most important questions and issues that face educators in the field today?" It is an embodiment of the touch points we strive to have our presenters speak about or tie into their presentations to the conference attendees.
Read more about 2013's theme: Learning: Our Story. Our Time. Our Future.
^ Return to top.
When can I submit?
The online submission process to submit for the 2013 Annual Conference in Chicago, Ill., is open from January 15 through May 15, 2012. Please click here to submit.
^ Return to top.
Who can submit? What kind of speaker am I if my proposal is accepted?
We encourage everyone to submit a proposal. If accepted, your session will be part of our regular (concurrent) sessions that make up the bulk of sessions attendees seek out. Here are the types of sessions we typically have at conference.
Sessions Chosen from the Concurrent Proposals
- Regular Sessions
These 1-hour, 1 1/2-hour, and 2-hour sessions are intended to provide an opportunity for participants to learn about innovative, effective programs and practices, including instructional practices, curricular innovations, cultural and social phenomena, research, and theory. These sessions cover a wide range of timely topics.
Sessions by Invitation Only
- General Sessions
Featuring prominent speakers, these daily plenary sessions are scheduled without conflicting activities.
- Distinguished Lectures and Special Features
These sessions feature lectures by prominent scholars and practitioners and others with content of special interest. We offer speakers from diverse cultures with varying viewpoints on topics that span the entire field of education.
- Research Sessions
These are evidence-based practice in education sessions from invited researchers. This group is made up of sessions that are based on research that has been juried/peer-reviewed, are viewed as action research, or have been part of an impact evaluation study.
^ Return to top.
What is an exhibitor workshop and how can I schedule one?
Exhibitor workshops are opportunities for exhibitors to contract for additional nonbooth space where they can demonstrate the benefits of their products and services. Spaces are conveniently located in or near the exhibit hall and are available on a first-come, first served basis. To learn more about pricing, requirements, and guidelines, please contact our exhibits department.
^ Return to top.
Is my proposal concurrent or commercial?
As you fill out your proposal submission form, you'll be asked a series of disclosure questions that will help our review panel determine if your proposal is concurrent or commercial.
- Concurrent
These 1-hour, 1 1/2-hour, or 2-hour sessions are intended to provide an opportunity for participants to learn about innovative, effective programs and practices, including instructional practices, curricular innovations, cultural and social phenomena, research, and theory. These sessions cover a wide range of timely topics. These sessions are noncommercial.
- Commercial
If you or your organization sells programs, products, or services (including independent or freelance consulting services), you may be required to purchase space in the Exhibit Hall. This policy is consistent with our understanding of what participants expect when they attend Annual Conference—namely that they are not confronted with commercialism and sales pitches, however subtle, in concurrent sessions they choose to attend. To learn more about this, please check out ASCD's policy on the different categories and the criteria that might require you to exhibit.
^ Return to top.
My presentation is geared toward a specific track; do you have tracks?
ASCD does not set our Annual Conference program around tracks.
^ Return to top.
Procedures and guidelines for concurrent proposals
- Individuals may not submit or appear on more than two proposals, either as primary or secondary presenter.
- The same institutional affiliation may not appear on more than two proposals.
- Do not list individuals as secondary presenters unless you have a definite commitment that they will present.
- Do not submit a proposal unless you can present your session any time during the Annual Conference. Sessions will be scheduled throughout the Annual Conference. We make exceptions for religious considerations if they are communicated in writing in advance.
- All presenters must pay the conference registration fee and have a registration badge.
- With the exception of general session, special feature, and distinguished lecture speakers, ASCD cannot pay an honorarium or expenses for anyone presenting at the Annual Conference
- If you or your organization sells programs, products, or services (including independent or freelance consulting services), see the Requirement to Exhibit Policy for presenters.
- Unless you indicate otherwise, we will fulfill noncommercial requests for your name and contact information from educators who wish to reach you.
- Persons presenting at ASCD conferences or related programs are expected to use material and language that do not discriminate on the basis of gender, race, color, ethnicity, religion, physical ability, or sexual orientation.
^ Return to top.
Preparing your concurrent proposal
- All sessions are limited to one primary presenter and three secondary presenters. ASCD will officially correspond with only the primary presenter. It is the primary presenter's responsibility to communicate all conference information in a timely manner to any and all secondary presenters.
- Be sure that your session title clearly describes exactly what the session is about and is no more than 10 words. ASCD reserves the right to edit session titles.
- Avoid abbreviations and acronyms that don't clearly explain the session's content.
- Use active verbs to describe exactly what will occur in the session. Examples include words such as describe, discuss, role-play, and present.
- Describe specific presentation techniques that you will be using—such as interactive, lecture, or multimedia—so that participants will know what kind of session they will be attending.
- Indicate whether handouts will be available. Describe what you will be doing in the session and what the participants can expect to leave with.
- Avoid quoting other people or providing research data.
- Write in complete sentences. Do not use phrases.
- Limit your description to 500 characters or less. ASCD reserves the right to edit session descriptions.
- If your presentation will serve a bilingual community, provide us with a translation. Presentations can be delivered bilingually or in English only. Providing us with a translation does not require the use of two languages in your presentation.
^ Return to top.
Review guidelines and notification time line
ASCD does not accept attachments or additional documentation to support the submission provided.
You must submit a proposal to the ASCD web system by the deadline to be considered. No e-mail or phone submissions will be accepted.
Review guidelines: What the review panel is looking for
All proposals for concurrent sessions submitted for our Annual Conference are reviewed and rated by the members of the Annual Conference Selection Committee. Questions reviewers will ask when evaluating proposals include:
- How well does the proposal relate to the conference theme and strands?
- Is proposal content of current interest or a hot topic?
- Has proposal content been implemented?
- Is the proposal an innovative solution, or does it offer a fresh treatment?
- Does the proposal address or support solving significant problems in education?
- Is the outcome or takeaway clearly defined so that the audience clearly knows what they’re leaving with?
- Are the tenets of the whole child represented anywhere in the presentation?
Proposal review and notification time line for the 2013 Annual Conference
Please keep in mind, ASCD receives more than 1,500 proposals each year.
- May 15, 2012 : Concurrent proposal system closes.
- May 16–August 30, 2012: The review panel deliberates and makes decisions.
- August 30, 2012: All notifications are sent to all proposal submission authors. You will receive this notification by the e-mail you provide to ASCD when you submit your proposal.
- After August 30, 2012: If you have not heard anything about your submission, please contact the ASCD Annual Conference staff.
^ Return to top.
What happens next?
After August 30, you should have received some sort of notification about the status of your proposal. If not, please contact the ASCD Annual Conference staff. Once you determine your status, here's what happens next:
- Your proposal was accepted.
You're now officially a presenter. Write down your new session number, and keep it somewhere where it will be easy to refer to. Any notifications you receive from ASCD from this point on will use that four-digit number in reference to your presentation. You also need to read completely through Presenter FAQs page for your next steps on session contracting and registration.
- Your proposal was not accepted.
The review board always faces a difficult tasking in deciding which proposals are accepted and which are not, and the process is extremely competitive. We encourage you to still join us at Annual Conference and be involved in discussions and networking.
- Find other ways to get involved at Annual Conference.
Look at ways to get involved at Annual Conference as a volunteer or working with one of ASCD's community programs that has a presence at conference.
^ Return to top.