Skip to main content

The Copenhaver Institute

June 22-24, 2026

This year’s institute elevates the experiences, beliefs and passions that educators bring to the teaching profession. Our hope is to empower participants to reflect on ways to use their own contexts and voices to make a difference in their classrooms and broader spheres of education.

Register Online

Keynote Speakers

  • Avanti Yamamoto

    Avanti Yamamoto

  • Juliana Urtubey

    Juliana Urtubey

  • Rodney Robinson

    Rodney Robinson

  • Sarah Beach

    Sarah Beach

Copenhaver Book Club

Participants choose one of three recently published books which will be mailed six weeks prior to the institute. At MSCI, come join a “Book Club” session to discuss connections, questions, arguments and applications relevant to the book you read. This year’s choices include:

About the Conference

Participants attend a three-day professional development program; lodging is available and included in the Institute fee. 

The program includes:

  • KEYNOTE SESSIONS: Speakers will share their education journeys. Come ready to be inspired!
  • BREAKOUT AND DISCUSSION SESSIONS: Presenters will cultivate spaces for sharing and learning. Come ready to engage!
  • COLLABORATIVE CELEBRATION: Events will invite collegial interaction and validation of the education profession. Come ready to celebrate!

The 2026 conference will focus on:

  • Hearing the stories of educators who have shaped the teaching profession in meaningful ways;
  • Crafting personal narratives about their teaching experiences;
  • Connecting and sharing personal journeys as a means of uplifting colleagues;
  • Exploring opportunities and ideas to amplify teacher voices. 

About The Copenhaver Institute

The Margaret Sue Copenhaver Institute for Teaching and Learning provides quality professional development opportunities for PreK-12 teachers and administrators and for Roanoke College students. The Institute's emphases include:

  • Consideration of cutting-edge perspectives relevant to the teaching profession;
  • Determination of personal and practical ways to engage students as lifelong learners; and
  • Examination of a variety of multimedia and instructional technology strategies and tools for enhancing students' growth as learners.

The Institute gives PreK-12 teachers the opportunity to develop and practice strategies for effective instruction in cooperation with the nation's leading educational scholars.