Texas Border Business
PHARR, Texas – More than 1,200 Pharr-San Juan-Alamo ISD (PSJA ISD) teachers came together on Wednesday, August 19, 2026, for the district’s annual Best Practices Conference, a day dedicated to professional learning, collaboration, and instructional excellence to help prepare educators ahead of the new school year.
Held simultaneously at PSJA Early College High School, Escalante Middle School, and PSJA Southwest Early College High School, the conference features more than 300 educator-led sessions designed to equip teachers with innovative strategies and practical tools they can immediately implement in their classroom.
Throughout the day, teachers had the opportunity to learn from their peers while exploring a wide range of topics, including social-emotional learning, technology integration, cross-curricular instruction, blended learning, student engagement, and the responsible use of artificial intelligence to enhance teaching and learning.
Unlike traditional professional developments, the Best Practices Conference empowers PSJA educators to lead sessions, share successful classroom strategies, and collaborate with colleagues from across the district. This model allows teachers to learn directly from one another while strengthening a culture of continuous improvement and innovation.
“The conference was well organized and offered many ideas that I can use in the classroom,” said Carolina Cavazos, Pre-K 3 Teacher at Drs. Reed & Mock Elementary. “It was inspiring to learn from colleagues and see how they are implementing the strategies with their students and how I can bring what I learned back to my classroom and help make the school year even more engaging and successful for my students.”
By fostering collaboration and encouraging the exchange of effective instructional practices, the district continues to prepare teacher to meet the evolving need to today’s learners.
To learn more about PSJA ISD, visit www.psjaisd.us/whypsja.
