Request State Workshops

The National Association of Agricultural Educators is committed to offering quality professional development for agriculture teachers at all ages and all stages of their career. There are six programs that NAAE offers on the national level and to further extend the impact of these programs, we offer similar programming for interested regions/state associations.

If you are interested in hosting one of these programs within your state/region, please complete the NAAE Regional/State Institute Interest Survey.

Please read about the six programs below:

Agriscience Inquiry Institute (AgI²) & Workshops

The NAAE Agriscience Inquiry Institute (NAAE Ag I²) was developed out of the need for more state focused professional development opportunities related to inquiry-based teaching and the enhancement of science in agricultural education. The format and core of the state NAAE Ag I² is based on the National Agriscience Teacher Ambassador Academy (NATAA).

The NAAE Agriscience Inquiry Institute (NAAE Ag I²) seeks to:

Provide teachers with educational resources and inquiry-based teaching skills to implement science-based activities in the agricultural education classroom.
Share lesson plans, laboratory exercises and teaching strategies in order to improve the resources available to teaching agriscience in the state.
Incorporate literacy strategies that enhance student learning.
Provide examples of how science standards naturally fit and enhance existing agricultural education curriculum.

AgI² Program Development
NAAE Ag I² professional development programs are conducted at the state level. NAAE will provide programming support to assist with the planning and implementation of the state Ag I². A team of National Agriscience Teacher Ambassadors from the state, NAAE, and a National Agriscience Teacher Ambassador Mentor Facilitator will plan and implement the program on the state level.

AgI² Format
National Agriscience Teacher Ambassadors from the state, NAAE, and National Agriscience Teacher Ambassador Mentor Facilitator will present at least 15 hours of high quality professional development and provide follow up for the program.

Questions related to AgI² may be directed to Cameron Earlywine.

XLR8 Workshops

Retaining quality experienced teachers is important to the future of agricultural education. In 2013, NAAE developed XLR8 — the eXcellence in Leadership for Retention professional development program — to meet the needs of mid-career agriculture teachers.

XLR8 is a year-long professional development program that targets agriculture teachers in their 7th-15th year of teaching.

The overall goals of this program include:

develop experienced teacher leaders who will mentor other teachers in the profession;
provide mid-career level specific professional development to participants;
as well as increase overall longevity and satisfaction of participants with their chosen career of teaching agriculture.

XLR8 Format:

The program shall consist of at least 6-8 hours of professional development related to the objectives of the program.
NAAE Facilitators will be responsible for presenting high quality professional development and providing follow up of the program.

Questions related to XLR8 may be directed to Cameron Earlywine.

Early Career Elements

The NAAE Early Career Elements program was developed to assist with early career teacher retention and wellbeing. The format of this program is based similarly to NAAE Teachers Turn the Key program. Teachers Turn the Key is one of NAAE's oldest and long-standing programs. This program seeks to engage professionals in exploration of their purpose, passion, and professionalism. This cohort experience invites agriculture teachers who are in their 1st-5th year of teaching agriculture. Participants will leave with a deeper understanding of their purpose, tools to make life as an agriculture teacher easier, and a support system of colleagues that will continue to encourage participants long after the program concludes State/Regional programs will utilize trained NAAE facilitators to deliver reflective and impactful professional development activities.

Objectives of Program
The NAAE Early Career Elements Program seeks to:

Provide programming focused on the needs of 1st-5th year agriculture teachers to increase overall career satisfaction
Focus on topics related to work-life integration, time management, boundary setting, effective delegation, stress management, and teacher leadership.
Create a cohort of well-balanced teacher leaders who will promote career satisfaction and retention within their region and state.

Early Career Elements Format:

The program shall consist of at least 6-8 hours of professional development related to the objectives of the program.
NAAE Facilitators will be responsible for presenting high quality professional development and providing follow up of the program.

Questions related to Teacher Resiliency may be directed to Ashley Rogers

Teacher Resiliency Workshops

The NAAE Ag Teacher Resiliency program was developed as part of the NAAE's Wise & Well Initiatives with the main goal of assisting teachers with building resilience within themselves to ensure success and longevity in the profession. NAAE understands that being an agriculture teacher is demanding but important work, therefore, it is critical to build resilience, especially for challenging times. This program focuses on building resiliency through active learning, self reflection, and engaging in a network of agricultural educators. This program is designed to equip teachers with the tools to maintain a satisfying career through positive and challenging times.

Objectives of Program
The NAAE Ag Teacher Resiliency Program seeks to:

Provide programming focused on teacher resiliency and strategies to continue to build resilience.
Create a cohort of well-balanced teacher leaders who will promote career satisfaction and retention within their region and state.

Development of Program:
The NAAE Ag Teacher Resiliency program is a new professional development learning opportunity for states and regions. NAAE facilitators will implement this professional development program on the state/regional level.

Teacher Resiliency Format:
NAAE programs can be conducted at the regional and/or state level. NAAE will provide programming support and funding to assist with the planning and implementation to meet the brand and quality standards developed by NAAE for the NAAE Ag Teacher Resiliency program. Brand and quality standards include (1) The program will consist of at 60 minutes, 90-minute or 3 hours of professional development related to the objectives of the program; (2) The program will be facilitated by a NAAE Facilitator approved by NAAE; and (3) Each participant must be a current NAAE member and register for the program.

The professional development program can be implemented in a 60 minutes, 90 minutes or an extended 3 hour program.
NAAE Facilitators will be responsible for presenting high quality professional development and providing follow up of the program.

Questions related to Teacher Resiliency may be directed to Ashley Rogers.

Future Agriscience Teacher (FAST) Symposium

The Future Agriscience Teacher (FAST) Symposium is a professional development experience for preservice agricultural education majors which provides customized professional development, networking, and mentoring with current and future agriculture teachers from across the country.

One major component of the FAST Programming is the inquiry-based teaching methods. NAAE has over 15 years of success cultivating inquiry-based learning in agricultural education through the NAAE National Agriscience Teacher Ambassador program. This component serves to train preservice teachers on how to enhance the science that is already present within their curriculum pertaining to the agriculture industry, as well as develop students as problem solvers and thinkers through the inquiry-based teaching method. The training includes industry related labs with a high amount of science content using the "inquiry-based" approach to student learning.

Additional components of the program will include information about NAAE and the benefits of being an NAAE member, content specific curriculum that highlights and promotes key aspects of the agricultural industry, information to help participants advocate for support of their agricultural program, assistance with transitioning to the classroom, and material to help determine priorities of a new teacher.

Objectives of Program

Provide participants with a deeper understating of NAAE and what the organization offers both preservice teachers and active teachers who are members of NAAE.
Provide participants with educational resources and inquiry-based teaching skills to implement activities in the classroom related to their industry.
Share lesson plans, laboratory exercises and teaching strategies to improve the resources available to teaching inquiry-based instruction.
Incorporate initiatives to further expand knowledge and resources on local cooperatives.
Equip participants with many tools in which they can utilize to advocate for their program to a diverse audience.
Assist participants with the adjustment of transitioning into the classroom.
Empower participants to determine and set priorities for being a new teacher.

Questions related to FAST may be directed to Cameron Earlywine.

My Local Cooperative

My Local Cooperative is an initiative of the National Association of Agricultural Educators with funding support from the CHS Foundation as a special project of the National FFA Foundation.

The mission of this initiative is to advance agriculture cooperatives by raising awareness of the cooperative business model, showcasing cooperative career opportunities, and highlighting the critical role that cooperatives play in strengthening agriculture and our local communities.

Learn More

Questions related to My Local Cooperative may be directed to Ashley Rogers