Frederick Brown
President | CEO
Frederick Brown is Learning Forward’s president | CEO. Fred is an education visionary who knows firsthand that our nation’s schools need transformational change if we are to meet the challenges of the next decades. Fred advocates that every child deserves to reach their highest potential and every educator must have the opportunity to participate in exemplary, ongoing, professional learning programs to provide students the skills needed to meet their unique needs. Supporting educators at all levels and improving student achievement are through lines of Fred's career. An elementary school teacher, a middle school assistant principal, and school principal, Fred saw firsthand the impact high-leverage instructional practices and school culture have on school success. Fred is a frequent speaker on leadership and building high-quality learning in schools. He has co-authored two books that have made significant contributions to the field of education, demonstrating how a comprehensive approach to professional learning can be achieved so that everyone in a system is a learner, and how principals apply a learning lens to their many critical responsibilities to create a productive climate for learning and collaboration. "Becoming a Learning System" and "The Learning Principal -- Becoming a Learning Leader" are time-tested Learning Forward resources for schools and leaders. Fred is a Learning Forward Academy graduate and serves as secretary/treasurer on the board of Learning First Alliance.
All Articles
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New standards help us meet today’s challenges
When we embarked on the process of revising Standards for Professional Learning in 2019, we couldn’t have anticipated the challenges that educators, students, and all of us would be facing today. Although the timeliness of the standards is not an accident, the timing is fortuitous. As educators and students struggle […] -
The Learning Principal: Living equity-centered leadership
Principals bear the critical responsibility of creating the conditions necessary for effective teaching and learning in their schools. During this discussion, The Learning Principal authors and practitioners will share research that clarifies the link between principal actions and results for students. Participants will exit the webinar with “leader-focused” tools and […] -
No more random acts of professional learning
As schools seek to heal their communities after more than a year of disruption, professional learning is key to ensuring that educators at every level have the knowledge and capacity to meet students’ and staff members’ needs. It may be tempting to address the list of needs one at a […] -
The art of listening
The Learning Principal, by Kay Psencik, Frederick Brown, and Stephanie Hirsh, is Learning Forward’s latest book in a series focused on putting professional learning at the heart of improvement for leaders, teams, and systems. The book is full of practical tools, many of which are useful for leaders at multiple […] -
No more random acts of professional learning
As schools seek to heal their communities after more than a year of disruption, professional learning is key to ensuring that educators at every level have the knowledge and capacity to meet students’ and staff members’ needs. It may be tempting to address the list of needs one at a […] -
Why principals matter more than ever
As I’ve talked with school principals over the past year, I’ve consistently heard three themes. First, principals recognize that their leadership matters now more than ever before, and they are stepping up to meet the needs of their teachers and students. Second, they realize that one of their important roles […] -
Equity is front and center in revised standards
At Learning Forward, we believe that all educators and education sectors must commit to doing their part to build equity and dismantle racism, classism, homophobia, misogyny, and other forms of prejudice. As an organization focused on professional learning as a key lever for school improvement, we have a clear role […] -
[Video] What does the American Rescue Plan mean for you as a leader of educator learning?
Do you have questions about how the American Rescue Plan affects leaders of learning like yourself? Learning Forward’s Chief Strategy Officer Melinda George and Chief Learning Officer Frederick Brown have put together a short video explaining what the rescue plan means for education; how the funds can be used; and […] -
How principals affect students and schools: Leading learning in a virtual world
This webinar will focus on the key leadership resources, strategies, and ideas at the school and system levels for developing and supporting principals in a virtual world so that all educators and students experience success. Participants will: Understand the groundbreaking findings from recent research and how they can be applied […] -
How can we support leaders of color?
As we at Learning Forward continue to deepen our equity work, I have been reflecting on a troubling pattern I’ve seen throughout my career: Leaders of color, especially male leaders of color, are vastly underrepresented in schools and districts, even in systems with high percentages of students of color. When […]
