Newsmakers: They have supported educator learning for decades, now two flagship programs are building on collective momentum

Dallas, Texas – March 28, 2024 – Learning Forward is pleased to announce that two programs with rich histories of advancing knowledge and practice of effective educator professional learning expanded their impact in 2023. The Learning Forward Academy and the Learning Forward Foundation deepened their partnership and worked to marshal their collective expertise to benefit the field.

The Learning Forward Foundation awards tuition scholarships to educators who are accepted into the Learning Forward Academy. The foundation also strengthens Learning Forward affiliates through its grant-making work. Learning Forward recently reported academy and foundation 2023 accomplishments and current initiatives to reach more educators with deep learning experiences grounded in Standards for Professional Learning.

Learning Forward Academy coaches are Shannon Bogle and Ayesha Farag for its class of 2026

Shannon Bogle and Ayesha Farag are coaches for the new Learning Forward Academy class that begins in July 2024.

Bogle is Learning Forward’s director of networks and the Learning Forward Academy. She joined Learning Forward in 2022 after serving more than 20 years in K-12 education as a teacher, instructional coach, and supervisor in Hillsborough County Public Schools, Florida. A 2019 Learning Forward Academy graduate, Bogle is also certified as an instructional coach through the Lastinger Center for Learning at the University of Florida and is an active Learning Forward affiliate leader in Florida.

Farag is assistant superintendent for Elementary Education in the Newton Public Schools in Newton, Massachusetts. A 2021 Learning Forward Academy graduate, Farag is a columnist for The Learning Professional in 2024 and also serves as an Ambassador to the Learning Forward Foundation Board. With over 25 years’ experience in public education, Farag has served as a teacher, school counselor, and principal prior to beginning her current role in 2021.

The Learning Forward Academy is a cohort-based, adult learning experience designed to empower educators to improve their instructional practices and hone their professional learning expertise so they can lead change in others and within systems. Two coaches are chosen to facilitate each new academy class throughout its 2.5-year duration.

Bogle said 56 educators are participating in Learning Forward Academy Class of 2025. She said the 45 members of the academy class set to graduate in December 2024 in Denver will document their learning journeys around the problems of practice they chose at the program’s outset by creating a data story. The data story collection will be published and available to Learning Forward members.

Frederick Brown, Learning Forward President and CEO, said, “We are excited about the academy and its growth and evolution over the years, and under Shannon’s leadership, we just continue to see it grow. We are proud of the accomplishments of our academy members and graduates because they are champions for students at the forefront of leading professional learning in their districts, provinces, or states.”

More about the Learning Forward Academy.

Learning Forward Foundation building on 2023 momentum

The Learning Forward Foundation awarded $40,600 in scholarships in 2023 and raised another $50,000 in donations in support of its work to educate, innovate, and transform educator professional learning through the work of the Learning Forward Academy.

Deb Radi, the Learning Forward Foundation’s past chair, reported that in 2023, donor support made the difference for some educators to be able participate in the Learning Forward Academy.

“Now, all our major donor scholarships have travel associated with them, and that’s an exciting aspect for us to be able to offer, through the generous support of our major donors, to academy participants,” Radi said. “The ability to offer a travel stipend really made a difference particularly to the five awardees.” Additional funds raised last year allowed for two additional academy scholarships.

The Learning Forward Foundation deepened its alignment between the Learning Forward Academy curriculum and the foundation work by having two seats on academy committees. The foundation improved touchpoints to academy by increasing in-depth connections with scholarship awardees and their coaches and celebrating together at the foundation’s annual donor appreciation event. “Learning about what motivates our Learning Forward Foundation awardees to change their practice while receiving high-quality professional learning through the Learning Forward Academy experience reminds us of how well-served their students are by their work,” according to the foundation’s 2023 Annual Report.

Read the Learning Forward Foundation’s full 2023 Annual Report.

About Learning Forward

Learning Forward leads the field in making clear connections between high-quality professional learning and student success. As champions for highly effective professional learning and catalysts for change, Learning Forward demonstrates evidence and research that informs professional learning decisions. We produce, synthesize, and curate key research and reports that inform best practices. A membership association, Learning Forward provides a combination of publicly available and members-only content and professional services that assist classroom, school, and system leaders in solving their unique problems of practice. Information about the organization, its Standards for Professional Learning, its membership, services, and products are all available from www.learningforward.org.

Media Contact: Gail Paul (513) 379-8153