It's prime time for teachers to go back to the classroom. But, don't worry. Children aren't boarding their buses quite yet.

Teachers and public school administrators are using the summer months to learn something new themselves.

"This summer was very busy for us," said Lorinda Hess, continuing education director at the Midwestern Intermediate Unit in Grove City. "Probably because they have more free time."

Slippery Rock School District, Slippery Rock University and schools across the Midwestern Intermediate Unit are hosting workshops and conferences to help schools educate students more effectively.

Teachers and administrators are required to earn six college credits or 180 continuing education hours every five years to keep their certificates. For many — anyone who got their certificate before 2000 — the clock on a new five years started July 1.

Jean Allen, assistant superintendent of the Slippery Rock School District, hosted a program at the middle school for 40 teachers from her district and Moniteau School District. The program brought in a presenter to talk about how children learn to read.

After recruiting staff by word of mouth and flyers in mailboxes, a group of teachers met for two days at LETRS training recently. Allen said the close-to-home training is a good way to fill the necessary requirements and the summer recess is the perfect time to sign up for classes.

Hess, who coordinates professional development opportunities for school employees, said summer is the most popular time for teachers to take classes. Each season she publishes a catalog of offerings at facilities across Butler, Lawrence and Mercer counties. During the summer, she has about 300 educators enrolled in classes.

This summer, she is also offering 81 online courses. Those fill up quickly, she said.

The topics of the courses change with trends in education. For instance, Hess said, the popularity of sign language classes are cyclical. This season anything related to technology, like smart boards or Google applications, is popular.

Other areas in demand include brain-based education, classroom management techniques, English as a Second Language, and help for children with learning disabilities.

The courses are taught by people the intermediate unit contracts. Often, the instructors approach Hess about teaching. "Or I seek them out for hot topics in education," she said.

Slippery Rock University hosted a "Comprehension Best Practices" institute last week. The program is sponsored by Pennsylvania Reading First.

Barbara Warden, a technical assistant for the program in the western part of the state, focuses on providing professional development to literacy coaches, elementary reading teachers and special education teachers.

Reading First hosts two institutes this summer. The first was at Villanova University in June.

Warden of Emlenton said she expects to have about 220 people at the conference, which has several presenters.

Teachers can take away from the conference more strategies to help students improve reading comprehension.

Allen said when school begins in the fall, she expects teachers who attended workshops to share the information. During faculty meetings or meetings with principals, teachers are asked to give brief presentations.

"They might say 'This is how I use it in my classroom,'" Allen said. That gives other faculty members a chance to ask other questions or use that teacher as a resource to evolve the techniques into something useful in different classrooms.

The workshops also fit into the professional goals each faculty member sets with the building principal, Allen said.

While teachers are encouraged to have hands-on activities in their classrooms, Hess said teachers expect the same techniques to be used in their workshops.

"This is all hands-on," she said. "Just sitting back and listening to a lecturer is boring."