CAST organizes programs to meet a variety of scheduling needs.

Discussion Groups meet for informal conversations one afternoon a month for two hours each session. Topics are selected to appeal to teachers of all levels. Topics have included Ancient Greece, Censorship, Shakespeare, the Harlem Renaissance, the Wife of Bath, and Writing. [Schedule]

Workshops are structured to meet the requirements of school or school system professional development. Workshops range in duration from two hours to a full day, and may either stand alone or be part of a series. Topics are developed in collaboration with the school or school system and have ranged from studies of Shakespeare and Japanese drama, drama in English classroom literature, and world literature to reading strategies and strategies for confronting sensitive issues in contemporary literature. [Schedule]

Symposia are offered for classes of all levels. Symposia may be scholarly, participatory, or a mixture of the two. [Schedule]

Institutes are more intensive in nature. They generally last for a week or two in the summer with follow-up sessions during the school year. The center organizes a number of these intensive professional development opportunities. Currently, these include Fine Arts Institutes and the In Pursuit of the American Dream series. [Schedule]