More than 97% of educators who attended Learning Forward’s 2023 Annual Conference said they left the event with ideas they will implement or apply. We love sharing stories of how educators apply what they learn at our conference into their own contexts, and the upcoming issue of The Learning Professional will include such an article, featuring Jenny Talburt, Curriculum Director of Springfield Public Schools in Missouri. Learning Forward is pleased to make this article available early – before the new issue officially comes out – to provide valuable insights for educators to consider as they make plans to attend Learning Forward’s 2024 Annual Conference in December.

In the article, “Curriculum Director Puts Conference Learning to Work in Her District,” Talburt said her participation in the 2023 Learning Forward Annual conference gave her the tools to shape curriculum-based professional learning in her district. Her conference learning goal was “building our educators’ capacity to implement curriculum well,” she said, so that high-quality curricula selected by the district could achieve their potential for students at campuses across the district. “We knew we needed to increase teacher buy-in and that we needed to show teachers not only what the curriculum is but how to use it,” she said.

Talburt said her participation in the 2023 Learning Forward Annual conference gave her the tools to shape curriculum-based professional learning in her district. Share on X

Talburt shares details about efforts now in place to engage teachers around new curriculum that give them firsthand experience and practice with the materials. She explains how model classrooms are key to supporting teachers through immersive learning experiences.

“The Learning Professional team is excited to share Springfield’s story in our October issue,” said Suzanne Bouffard, editor-in-chief. “We believe the insights Jenny Talburt shares are beneficial to all educators who have a role in ensuring instructional excellence. She shares a very relatable problem of practice and how she found actionable curriculum-based professional learning approaches from Learning Forward’s annual gathering of educators,” Bouffard said.

The Learning Professional’s October issue theme is curriculum-based professional learning. It takes a deep dive into learning methods, initiatives, and research, and also highlights educators’ accounts of how curriculum-based professional learning is changing teaching practices and improving students’ outcomes.

“Teachers and leaders need and deserve professional learning to support deep understanding and high-quality implementation of high-quality materials,” Bouffard said.

Read the article for all the details and stay tuned for more great professional learning content that’s coming in the October issue of The Learning Professional.