2026 CEL Annual Convention
November 22–24 | Philadelphia, PA
Integrated Leadership: Bridging Literacy and English
See the Convention Program!
This year’s Conference on English Leadership Annual Convention invites participants to explore the dynamic intersections, tensions, and opportunities that arise when we work to integrate leadership across literacy and English. While younger students focus primarily on building foundational and content area literacy skills, the emphasis shifts as students advance through grade levels, with disciplinary literacy skills within specific subject areas becoming increasingly prominent. With this arc in mind, how can leaders create coherence between literacy instruction and English teaching while honoring their distinctions? What strategies build collaborative cultures among elementary and secondary teachers, literacy coaches, curriculum designers, college professors, and instructional leaders? And how can school, district, and state leaders guide the work of literacy and English to strengthen learning, honor differences, and respond to today’s complex educational challenges? Read the full Call for Proposals.
Registration
Registration for the 2026 CEL Annual Convention is now open with the following rates:
- CEL Member: $300 (after October 7: $315)
- NCTE Member: $340 (after October 7: $360)
- Nonmember: $410 (after October 7: $430)
Visit the NCTE Annual Convention website to register.
REGISTER
Convention Details
Join the Conference on English Leadership for the 2026 CEL Annual Convention in Philadelphia, PA, November 22–24, immediately following the NCTE Annual Convention. Details will be added here as they become available.
Hotel and Travel
You can now book housing for #CEL26!
Tentative CEL 2026 Schedule
Sunday, November 22, 2026
2:00–2:25 p.m. Opening Welcome
2:35–3:35 p.m. Concurrent Session A
3:45–4:45 p.m. Concurrent Session B
4:55–5:55 p.m. Concurrent Session C
7:00 p.m. Facilitated Dinners
Monday, November 23, 2026
8:00–8:25 a.m. Welcome
8:25–9:35 a.m. Keynote Tricia Ebarvia
9:40–10:40 a.m. Concurrent Session D
10:50–11:50 a.m. Concurrent Session E
12:00–12:50 p.m. Lunch
1:00–2:00 p.m. Concurrent Session F
2:10–2:15 p.m. CEL 2027 Theme Reveal
2:15–3:20 p.m. Keynote Jenelle Williams
3:20–4:00 p.m. ELQ & ELF Awards and Closing
4:30–5:30 p.m. Social Hour (location to be announced)
Tuesday, November 24, 2026
8:30 a.m. Welcome
8:35–9:35 a.m. Collaborative Workshop: Barriers Between Literacy and English
9:45–10:45 a.m. Collaborative Workshop: Bridges Between Literacy and English
10:45–10:50 a.m. Closing
CEL 2026 Keynote Speakers
CEL 2026 Gold Sponsor
The American Psychological Association (APA) is the leading content provider in psychology. We provide valuable resources to libraries, including APA PsycInfo®; APA PsycArticles®; APA Style®; the new seventh edition of The Publication Manual, a Wall Street Journal and USA Today bestseller; scholarly and professional books; Magination Press children’s books; instruments for research; and streaming and DVD videos to keep users informed of the latest developments in psychology.
CEL 2026 Exhibitors
Digital Promise is a global nonprofit working to expand opportunity for learners and prepare them to thrive on every path ahead. We integrate research, practice, and technology across the education ecosystem to investigate, design, and scale innovations that drive meaningful outcomes. Our vision is that every person engages in Powerful Learning experiences that lead to a life of well-being, fulfillment, and economic mobility and security. For more information, visit the Digital Promise website and follow Digital Promise for updates.
Inquiry by Design is a print-first English Language Arts (ELA) and Spanish Language Arts (SLA) curriculum for grades 6-12, founded by former teachers and curriculum designers. Our approach, Connected by Design, builds reading, writing, discussion, and language development into every ELA lesson, with embedded multilingual learner supports, so teachers don’t have to assemble the pieces. Ideas return and deepen across texts, units, and grades, so understanding builds instead of resetting with every lesson. The curriculum arrives whole and walk-in ready, with no platform required.
Past CEL Conventions
2025 CEL Annual Convention
Abundance
November 23–25, 2025
Denver, Colorado
2024 CEL Annual Convention
LEADERSHIP matters; Leadership MATTERS
November 24–26, 2024
Boston, Massachusetts
2023 CEL Annual Convention
Literacy Communities as Sites of Reckoning and Repair
November 19–21, 2023
Columbus, Ohio
2022 CEL Annual Convention
Leading Literacy Coalitions: From Classrooms to Communities
November 20–22, 2022
Anaheim, California
2021 CEL Annual Convention
Leading with Balance: Achieving Harmony with an Ever-Changing World
November 21–22, 2021
Virtual Convention
2020 CEL Annual Convention
Dynamic Leadership: Inspiring Literacy Leaders to Imagine, Innovate, and Invent
November 22–23, 2020
Virtual Convention
2019 CEL Annual Convention
Creating Opportunities: Leadership to Ignite Movements and Momentum
November 22-24, 2019
Baltimore, Maryland
2018 CEL Annual Convention
CELebrating the Vision, Voice, and Momentum of Leadership
November 18-20, 2018
Houston, Texas
2017 CEL Annual Convention
Literacy Leadership for Access and Opportunity
November 19-20, 2017
St. Louis, Missouri
2016 CEL Annual Convention
Innovative Leadership
November 20-22, 2016
Atlanta, Georgia
2015 CEL Annual Convention
A Leader’s Legacy
November 22-24, 2015
Minneapolis, Minnesota
2014 CEL Annual Convention
Leading in a Collaborative World
November 23-25, 2014
Washington, DC
2013 CEL Annual Convention
Transformative Literacy Leadership and Learning
November 24-26, 2013
Boston, Massachusetts
2012 CEL Annual Convention
Writing as Leadership: Fostering a Culture of Writing and Reflective Practice
November 18-20, 2012
Las Vegas, Nevada
2011 CEL Annual Convention
Leadership Matters
November 22-24, 2011
Chicago, Illinois