ICEC Europe 2024-Prague

Join us at the International Christian Educators Conference - Europe 2024

Prague, Czech Republic

Dates: 20-23 March 2024

The International Christian Educator Conference (ICEC) is ACSI’s premier international PD event that encourages teachers and leaders working at member international Christian schools. ICEC Europe 2024 will be held on 20-23 March 2024 in beautiful Prague, Czech Republic at the Vienna House Diplomat Hotel. This conference will showcase engaging and inspiring keynote speakers, a variety of excellent teacher-to-teacher workshops, and time for connection through small group discussions.

Leaders from ALL ACSI regions are heartily invited to attend.

Theme: Let Us Grow in Every Way

In Ephesians 4:15, Paul challenges us with, “But speaking the truth in love, let us grow in every way into him who is the head—Christ” (CSB). In context, Paul is speaking to us about growing in the Christian faith so we are no longer “tossed by the waves and blown around by every wind of teaching.” Our calling as Christian educators is a precious calling, one that not only requires us to be growing in our faith and subject matter but also growing in our practice to teach our students to stand against the waves and winds that will surely come to them as well.

ICEC calls Christian teachers and leaders together for two main purposes, challenging professional development and vital spiritual encouragement. ICEC will provide you with plenty of opportunities to network, to learn from one another, to gain new ideas, and then return to your specific calling encouraged to keep on growing in every way. See you there!

View Printable Schedule

Peter Greer

CEO of Hope International

Peter Greer is president and CEO of HOPE International. Peter’s favorite part of his job is spending time with the entrepreneurs HOPE serves—whether harvesting coffee with farmers in Rwanda, dancing alongside savings groups in Haiti, or visiting the greenhouses of entrepreneurs in Ukraine. Prior to HOPE, he worked in Rwanda, Cambodia, and Zimbabwe and received a master's in public policy from Harvard’s Kennedy School. In his spare time, he has co-authored 12 books, including Mission Drift and Rooting for Rivals. He lives with his wife, Laurel, and their four children in Lancaster, PA.

Dr. Lynn Swaner

President of Cardus, US
ACSI Senior Fellow

Lynn Swaner, Ed.D., serves as a Senior Fellow for ACSI. She is the President, US at Cardus—a non-partisan think tank dedicated to clarifying and strengthening, through research and dialogue, the ways in which society’s institutions can work together for the common good. Dr. Swaner is the editor or lead author of numerous books, including Future Ready: Innovative Missions and Models in Christian Education (Cardus & ACSI, 2022); Flourishing Together: A Christian Vision for Students, Educators, and Schools (Eerdmans, 2021); and MindShift: Catalyzing Change in Christian Education (ACSI, 2019). Dr. Swaner previously served as the Chief Strategy and Innovation Officer at ACSI, as well as a professor of education and a Christian school leader in New York. She holds a doctorate in Organizational Leadership from Teachers College, Columbia University.

Dr. David I. Smith

Professor of Education, Calvin University

Dr. David I. Smith began his career teaching French, German, and Russian in public secondary schools in the United Kingdom, where he became fascinated by the question of how our beliefs, values, and commitments can shape and guide our approaches to teaching and learning. After graduate work in philosophical theology, philosophy of education, and curriculum studies he moved to Calvin. He serves as the founding Director of the Kuyers Institute for Christian Teaching and Learning and inaugural coordinator of the De Vries Institute for Global Faculty Development, as well as teaching in the education program. He also serves as Editor of the International Journal of Christianity and Education. He is regularly involved nationally and internationally in professional development for schools, colleges, and universities, especially focusing on the connection between faith and teaching. He has received Calvin University’s Award for Innovative Teaching as well as its From Every Nation Award for Excellence in Teaching. You can find out more about what he does at onchristianteaching.com.

Roslyn Barnes

Pre-Conference Speaker

Education Consultant, ACSI Europe

Roslyn lives in Budapest, Hungary, where she serves with the ACSI Europe team providing support for Christian schools across the continent, and at the International Christian School of Budapest helping with curriculum and professional development. Before moving to Hungary in 2017 she taught Bible and Social Studies in her home country (Australia) and at two international Christian schools in Africa.  Roslyn is passionate about supporting Christian teachers to live out their faith in the classroom, and equipping young people to read the Bible for themselves and apply it to their lives.

Walter P. Hopkins 

Pre-Conference Speaker

Head of School, LIFE International School 

Walter P. Hopkins graduated with his BA from Houghton College and then started teaching Spanish and French in a public school in NY state.  He completed his MA at Middlebury College and then taught and held leadership roles in post-secondary institutions. While serving as Assistant Director of the Spanish Language Program at Michigan State University, Walter worked alongside a leading expert in the field of second language acquisition (SLA) and developed a passion for the subject and for helping others learn more about SLA.  For five years, he was a co-host of a live call-in show (then archived as podcasts) for language teachers to call in and ask questions about language teaching and acquisition.  He returned to his alma mater, Houghton College, in 2018, and primarily taught language courses, but also taught courses in language acquisition, language teaching, and linguistics.  As of 2022, he is now the head of school at LIFE International School in Tres Cantos, Madrid, Spain.

Michael McNabb

Pre-Conference Speaker

Director of Accreditation, International Division ACSI

Michael McNabb, Ed.D., serves as the Director of Accreditation of the International/Global Division providing support services in the area of school accreditation. Michael served in a similar role with the ACSI Latin America office as a volunteer for three years. Michael is a third-generation educator with over 20 years of experience living overseas in Croatia and Guatemala. Before joining ACSI, Michael was most recently the head of school for 15 years at the Inter-American School in Quetzaltenango, Guatemala. He met and married his wife Luisa in Guatemala, and they have two elementary aged children, Adrian and Alexa. He enjoys watching all sports, fantasy football, scuba diving, and climbing volcanoes.

Workshops

Peer-to-peer workshops at ICEC are the heart and soul of our conference. You are heartily invited to submit your workshop proposal here. Presenting a workshop is a wonderful opportunity to share your passion, your new idea, and your success across a number of educational areas. Learn about our workshop process and submit your best proposal(s) at the form below!

The workshop submission is now closed. You may reach out to ICEC@acsi.org for more information. 

Workshops are included in your main conference registration.

Pre-Conferences

Pre-Conference Registration Price: $75.00. Pre-Conference will take place on Wednesday, 20 March. This event is separate from the conference.

Pre-Conference Topics:

• International Summit on Spiritual Formation and Biblical Instruction with Roslyn Barnes: Are you a chaplain, Spiritual life director, Bible teacher, dorm parent, or just have a heart for your student’s spiritual walk with Jesus? Then this one-day summit on Spiritual Formation and Biblical Instruction is for you.  We will begin by engaging with God’s word, asking questions, and brainstorming ideas about best practices. We’ll discuss with each other as we consider how to grow our International Christian Schools as places that foster genuine spiritual transformation. 
  

• The Basics of Second Language Acquisition for Teachers of English Language Learners with Walter P. Hopkins: In this pre-conference course, we will discover the principles of language acquisition and the implications for classroom instruction.  We’ll take a journey from theory to practice and find ways to meet the diverse needs of our diverse students, recognizing individual differences in the language acquisition process.  This course will also guide participants to consider their own misconceptions about language acquisition and consider some of the common myths.  Finally, participants will have an opportunity to take a look at their current contexts and begin planning for how to put new learning into practice upon returning to school on Monday morning.  

• Inspire Accreditation Course with Michael McNabb: This course will look at the Inspire accreditation process and protocol from start to finish. Inspire is the first complete rewrite of ACSI’s accreditation protocol since 2008.  Significant changes in Inspire will be highlighted. Standards and indicators have been rewritten, manuals and handbooks have been revised, there’s more emphasis on collaboration, the process has been streamlined, and a totally new set of addendums have been developed. The whole process from application through implementation of the Accreditation Action Plan is better structured and better organized. We will look at all these things and much more.
  

If you have already registered but forgot to select a Pre-Conference session, please email Chealsea_Allen@acsi.org with your Pre-Conference choice and we will get you signed up!

Registration:
Conference registration will include access to all keynote sessions, workshops, and coffee breaks and lunches during the conference. Hotel accommodation/package rates and evening dinners are not included. Registration does not include preconference course registration - see preconference tab for more details.

• ACSI Member School Conference Registration | $500
• Non–Member School Conference Registration | $600

Registration is Now Closed!

You may reach out to ICEC@acsi.org for more information.

Registration deadline is now 26 February!

If you need help registering a group of 15 or more, please reach out to chealsea_allen@acsi.org for assistance.

Cancellation Fees: 

ACSI REFUND POLICY: Except in cases of medical emergency, urgent family emergency, school crisis there will be no refunds for pre-registered events. If you or a pre-registered member/delegate from your school is unable to attend an event, you are encouraged to send a substitute, such as a board member, other staff member, or an interested parent. Refunds that are given are subject to a service charge of $50 per registrant, which will be deducted from the refund amount. Reach out to icec@acsi.org for questions.

Hotel Accommodations:

ICEC Europe is being hosted at the beautiful Vienna House Diplomat Hotel in Prague, Czech Republic. 

• Booking Link with Discount

• Discounted rate changes based on room availability and number of people per room.

• Discount only available on these nights: 19 March to 24 March

• Discount code expires on March 4th, 2024

Additional Hotel Options:

View PDF list of alternative hotels near the venue!

Travel Information:
Check out our Know Before You Go guide below! 

ICEC Europe provides you with an opportunity to get your product, message, degree, or opportunity to hundreds of teachers and leaders at influential, international Christian schools in Europe. Teachers and leaders at ACSI International Schools are always eager to hear about products and companies that can enhance their work of bringing Christian education to the children of the world. No matter your budget, we have a sponsorship opportunity for you.

2024 ICEC EURO Exhibitor Options

The exhibitor submission is now closed. You may reach out to ICEC@acsi.org for more information. 

1. ICEC pulls in teachers and leaders from international schools across Europe.

2. We are expecting 300-500 delegates for this conference.

3. International schools are looking for strong providers and partners to help them fulfill their international purpose.

4. Your sponsorship gets your message out efficiently.

    

Who is a good candidate to be an exhibitor at ICEC? 

1. Christian Colleges and Universities looking to recruit international students 

2. Christian Colleges offering education Master Degrees for teachers and leaders in international schools 

3. Christian education consultants and job boards 

4. School Systems Management providers

5. International Insurance groups who serve expats

6. Educational training programs 

7. Service organizations 

8. Online Course Providers 

9. Curriculum and textbook providers (requires approval) 

10. Assessment and testing organizations 

11. Other – reach out to us to see if your organization is a good fit for our conference

CEUs:

You will earn valuable CEUs based on your attendance at this conference.

Don’t forget to submit them after the conference at this webpage here.