Superintendent Arntzen Reminds Educators to Register for the 26th OPI Summer Institute

• Brian O'Leary
• June 08 2023

HELENA – Superintendent Elsie Arntzen is reminding all parents, educators, and administrators to register for the 26^th Office of Public Instruction (OPI) Summer Institute by June 11, 2023. There will also be limited on-site registration available. The Summer Institute will be held in person at Montana State University from June 19 through 23, 2023. The Institute will feature over 150 sessions focused on Superintendent Arntzen’s Montana Hope, Montana Teach, Montana Learn, and Montana Ready initiatives. These sessions are free to all Montana parents, educators,  administrators, and higher education faculty with a paid option to earn college credit. Out-of-state registration is available for a nominal fee. Families and community members are welcome.

“The Summer Institute is a wonderful learning opportunity for our parents, teachers, and school administrators,” said Superintendent Elsie Arntzen. “Whether it’s about student mental health, students with special needs, math, science, and reading, or school safety, our Montana students remain the focus of each session. Please join us and put our Montana students first!”

Sessions will be offered by OPI staff and other educational experts. The four keynote addresses are:

• Tim Odegard and Dr. Danielle Thompson – Dyslexia: The Big Picture
• Director Valerie Williams, Office of Special Education – Serving Students with Disabilities
• Jani Kozlowski, MA– The Centrality of Relationships with Children and Families
• Susan Barrett, MA – The Way Forward: Leveraging MTSS for Effective School Mental Health

The vision and mission of the Summer Institute are:

• To promote a sustainable system using effective data collection alongside decision-making procedures and evidence-based practices to improve student outcomes in the areas of social/emotional/behavioral competencies and academic achievement for ALL students.
• To provide quality training to Montana school personnel in promoting a positive and safe school climate that provides a multi-tiered system of support for students, families, and staff focusing on social/emotional/behavioral competencies and academic achievement.

Educators can receive two graduate credits through Montana State University and the University of Montana if 30 hours of Summer Institute sessions are attended and an essay is completed. To earn graduate credit, a fee of $250 is required. Educators can receive professional learning units for licensing at no charge but cannot receive both PLUs and university credit. To register for the Summer Institute please click here.