EKC Global Retreat

BARCELONA

November 22-23, 2025
American School of Barcelona

What makes an EKC Global Retreat so special?

  • "Thank you for the sessions which were informative, engaging, and relevant. I enjoyed the schedule, the pace, the snacks, and the learning. I would love to attend future EKC events."

    Barcelona Retreat Attendee

  • "I was so impressed with all the presenters and sessions. There was not one that I felt was a "waste of time" as is often the case at professional development seminars. Every session had at least one practical take away and a lot of points to make me think and wonder. Thank you!"

    Barcelona Retreat Attendee

  • "I had a great time, I loved the experience, the food and the focus on wellness and happiness!"

    Bangkok Retreat Attendee

  • "Thank you so much for the time and effort you put into cultivating such a joyful learning environment - I feel very grateful to have been a part of it."

    Bangkok Retreat Attendee

  • "In the first hour I told my colleague that this was already so much more useful than the langauge PD we attended together last year, we could choose what fit our needs and the goals of our school and it was a tailorized expereince. I would defintely like to come to another PD."

    Barcelona Retreat Attendee

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Who should join?

This retreat is designed for K–12 international school educators who care deeply about literacy, well-being, and creating lasting change in their classrooms and schools. Whether you're a classroom teacher, coach, or leader - you’ll find your people here.

Come solo. Bring your team. Either way, you’ll leave recharged, reconnected, and ready to take on what’s next.

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Meet Your Keynotes

Jennifer Serravallo

  • Jennifer Serravallo is a New York Times bestselling author, award-winning educator, literacy consultant, frequent invited speaker at state and national conferences, and former member of the Parents Magazine editorial board. Jen is best known for creating books (including The Reading Strategies Book 2.0 and Teaching Reading Across the Day) and resources rooted in research that help make responsive, strategic, differentiated literacy instruction possible for all educators. Jen’s books are used around the world and several have been translated into French, Spanish, Chinese, and Italian. In 2023, she launched her podcast To the Classroom: Conversations with Researchers and Educators. She leads a professional development group Literacy Strategies Consulting, who travel throughout the US and internationally to support schools with research-based, student-centered instruction.

  • Brooke Fezler is the Co-Founder and Co-Director of the International School Counselor Association (ISCA), now in its 11th year. She brings deep expertise and leadership to the global school counseling field, with a strong focus on building a connected, collaborative community of international school counselors. Since 2005, Brooke has worked in international schools across five countries—Indonesia, Argentina, France, Brazil, and Spain—where she has served as a middle school counselor, program leader, and advocate for student well-being.

    She is the co-developer and co-researcher of the International Model for School Counseling Programs, first published in 2011 and revised in 2022. Brooke has authored a range of professional resources and is a frequent contributor to international conferences and publications. In addition to her leadership at ISCA, she has taught as an adjunct professor, preparing future school counselors to serve in diverse and global contexts.

    Brooke lives in Barcelona with her family. She enjoys running, hiking, biking, and—most of all—being a mom to her two young children.

Other Featured Speakers

Full agenda coming soon!

  • Erin Kent

    EKC Founder Erin Kent taught literacy for many years in urban, independent, and international schools before becoming a literacy coach and then P–12 Director of Curriculum and Instruction. She knows how important it is for professional development to be tailored to a school's specific needs and context, and that is why EKC specializes in creating bespoke professional learning plans for schools around the world. This work allows EKC, and its team of more than 50 literacy strategists, to identify current global trends and needs and to continually develop resources and materials to meet the moment. Or as Erin likes to say, "We use the world to lift the world." In recent years, EKC has grown to offer more opportunities for this global collaboration through the addition of global chats, regional literacy retreats, and the expansion of bespoke projects to include the curation of custom text sets.

  • Jenny Killion

    Jenny Killion is an experienced teacher, K–12 instructional coach, and literacy consultant. She has worked at the American School of Barcelona for over a decade as an elementary, middle school, and most recently as an IB DP teacher and HS Instructional Coach. She has extensive experience working with teachers from a variety of international schools on implementing inquiry-rich literacy frameworks, developing integrated curriculum, connecting instruction across languages, and literacy coaching.

  • Miles Madison

    Miles Madison brings a personal, transformative and collaborative approach to coaching and professional development using evidence-based strategies to support the range of languages, cultures, and regional needs within international schools. Miles’s training in Applied Positive Psychology and transformational coaching–as well as 25 years of international teaching experience–enable him to support teachers in integrating proven literacy approaches to a broad spectrum of local contexts and challenges. He supports teams to achieve this by focusing on maximizing student choice and agency in literacy learning, specializing in reading development and word study instruction. Miles is an experienced early childhood and primary classroom teacher, instructional coach, and curriculum designer and mentor.

  • Justine Otte

    Justine Otte has spent over 16 years working in schools as a teacher, literacy specialist, school leader, accreditation panelist, and educational consultant. She has worked extensively to intersect the PYP and the MYP with a literacy approach that honors inquiry, agency, building conceptual understandings, and the unique needs of multilingual learners. She believes that cultivating a learning environment that empowers both students and teachers on their reading and writing inquiry journey is essential for growth and motivation.

  • Additional Presenters

    In addition to the featured speakers, we're bringing in some other fantastic EKC strategists to host additional sessions. You'll have the opportunity to learn from:

    Nuria Araguás
    Johanna Cena
    Kalley Hoke
    Courtney Hughes
    Tanya Knight
    Jennifer Overstreet

Registration

Hear What Last Year’s Attendees Had to Say…

  • "Thank you for the sessions which were informative, engaging, and relevant. I enjoyed the schedule, the pace, the snacks, and the learning. I would love to attend future similar sessions."

    Barcelona Retreat Attendee

  • "I was so impressed with all the presenters and sessions. There was not one that I felt was a "waste of time" as is often the case at professional development seminars. Every session had at least one practical take away and a lot of points to make me think and wonder. Thank you!"

    Barcelona Retreat Attendee

  • "Great job to all of you; best PD workshops I've attended."

    Barcelona Retreat Attendee

  • "I had a great time, I loved the experience, the food and the focus on wellness and happiness!"

    Bangkok Retreat Attendee

  • "Thank you so much for the time and effort you put into cultivating such a joyful learning environment - I feel very grateful to have been a part of it."

    Bangkok Retreat Attendee

  • "Thank you so much for all the hard work you took to ensure a successful conference. I loved it! You made it so warm and welcoming. The happy hour and dinner was much appreciated. Your strategists were relatable and genuine. It really was a wonderful and inspiring weekend!"

    Bangkok Retreat Attendee

  • "Thank you for organizing this great conference. The location, both geographically and within Bangkok was perfect. Looking forward to next year’s! "

    Bangkok Retreat Attendee

  • "Every speaker was enthused and inspiring, Food was amazing!"

    Bangkok Retreat Attendee

  • "I had a wonderful weekend and thought the whole retreat was well-run, inviting, inspiring, and relevant. Also the food was great :) "

    Bangkok Retreat Attendee

  • "This was the best workshop I have been to. I think EKC is just amazing!"

    Barcelona Retreat Attendee

  • "In the first hour I told my colleague that this was already so much more useful than the langauge PD we attended together last year, we could choose what fit our needs and the goals of our school and it was a tailorized expereince. I would defintely like to come to another PD."

    Barcelona Retreat Attendee

  • "It was the perfect balance of wellness and literacy. I'm grateful that you offered both!"

    Barcelona Retreat Attendee

  • Registration includes coffee and snacks, lunch each day, and one drink coupon for Saturday's happy hour.

  • In the morning, we suggest arriving by taxi. You can use apps like FreeNow, Cabify, and Uber. In the afternoon, we will have buses that will drop off at 3 spots in the city: 

    • Avenida Diagonal, 627

    • Avenida Diagonal, 359 (corner with Calle Bruc)

    • Calle Pelayo, 38

    Saturday: There will be 3 buses to take participants back to the city after the last session

    Sunday: There will be 1 bus going to the city and 1 bus going to the airport after the last session

  • Karen Hendren: karen@erinkentconsutling.com

  • Yes, although limited.

  • Yes. We will send each participant a certificate after the conference.

 FAQs