By Steve Gunn
EAGnews.org

MUSKEGON, Mich. – EAGnews has been reporting about the millions of tax dollars being spent every year on travel, lodging and registration fees for teacher professional development conferences.

We wonder if they’re worth the investment, and we’d like to get much closer to an answer.

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We’re asking educators who have been participants in these conferences, or perhaps others who have witnessed them, to drop us an email and tell us about their experiences and observations.

Do most educators who attend these events take full advantage of them? Do they learn a lot about the topic being covered that can be practically applied in classrooms?

Are there a fair percentage of participants who treat these conferences as free vacations at great hotels and spend most of their time golfing, hanging out at bars, or otherwise goofing off?

What can you tell us that will help us understand the nature of these gatherings, and whether they are worth what the federal and state governments spend on them every year?

We would very much appreciate your input. To respond, just leave us a comment or send us an email.