January 2014
While effective professional learning necessitates identifying and leveraging the expertise that exists in schools already, external vendors and technical assistance providers also have an important role to play in building educators\' capacity. Expectations for these third-party vendors are shifting and may now include reframing their roles so they act as collaborative partners, critical friends, coaches, and experts who bring new perspectives and help manage change. Given the spectrum of possibilities for engaging with external partners, educators will need to carefully align their needs, goals, processes, and expectations to achieve the best results for students.
Practitioner Perspectives
Teacher leader
Free, high-quality resources can empower teacher learning amid budget challenges
Corrie Freiwaldt, an instructional facilitator in Washington, explains three important steps she took to successfully integrate high-quality and freely available resources into her district\'s professional learning system.
Principal
Principals weigh, support, and facilitate effective partnerships
Dwayne Young, a principal in Virginia, shares how he and his leadership teams manage the process for vetting, initiating, and nurturing relationships with multiple external assistance providers.
System leader
To sustain systemic change, find the right partner and plan for the long term
Vicki Kirk, a superintendent of schools in a rural Tennessee system, provides a comprehensive look at how she manages her relationship with a consultant to help build an effective learning system that will have long-term sustainability.
Featured Tool:
After reading this issue of Transform Professional Learning, use this tool to think about your own partnerships, remember past experiences, examine assumptions, and consider new possibilities.
Concerns
Many opportunities exist for seeking outside assistance and expertise to enhance professional learning for educators, but effective partnerships require careful planning and attention. Here are some common mistakes that can lead to problems with implementation and sustainability.
Actions
Ensuring that every educator has access to high-quality professional learning is a collaborative responsibility of school systems, third-party providers, education agencies, and educators. Learning Forward recommends these role-specific actions to strengthen professional learning partnerships.
Featured Resource:
At a time when resource and service providers are proliferating and educators are challenged to identify appropriate instructional resources, this brief explores how district and state leaders can engage with third-party providers as partners.
Anthony Armstrong (anthony.armstrong@learningforward.org), Learning Forward's associate director of publications, is the editor of Transform Professional Learning.
Learning Forward's new digital publications are supported in part by MetLife Foundation.
