Joellen Killion

Time is the No. 1 challenge educators report to engaging in high-quality professional learning. We can't make more time, but we can rethink how we use it. This webinar will share strategies for prioritizing and dedicating time to educator learning, making the most of the time you have, and ensuring […]

Ten years ago, as a part of Learning Forward’s Transforming Professional Learning initiative, I wrote a workbook on finding time for professional learning. A decade later, the topic is still a frequent one among the professional learning leaders I work with and a pressing challenge for schools everywhere. If there […]

Ask any educator what the major challenge is in providing effective professional learning and the answer is the probably the same: time. Many schools and districts, nevertheless, find ways to create schedules that provide regular, frequent opportunities for teacher collaboration and collaborative professional learning. Learning Forward’s workbook, Establishing Time for […]

I think of professional learning like the engine of an automobile. It powers movement forward and propels the whole automobile toward the desired destination. Periodically, we tune up that engine. We provide maintenance so that the engine keeps running smoothly, effectively, and efficiently and reliably delivers its drivers and passengers […]

The instructional coaches in Kildeer Countryside School District 96 (KCSD 96), outside Chicago, are like tugboats, a key part of a maritime navigation system. Just as tugboats nudge and guide barges and ships that need steering assistance to navigate tricky waters, the coaches nudge and guide educators to navigate toward […]

While coaching programs have expanded and become a common approach to continuous learning for strengthening professional practice and student success, their infrastructures still need work. For coaching to deeply transform practice and push through to results for students, school system leaders must build, remodel, and maintain a foundation that ensures […]

Does coaching matter? Yes! Coaching can increase teacher effectiveness and student learning. Successful coaching, however, doesn't happen just by hiring dynamic coaches. Successful coaching requires strong leadership, a clear focus and goals, essential resources, well-prepared staff, monitoring, and rigorous evaluations. Each chapter in this book describes an element of what […]

Educators today have a heightened sense of urgency and stress during this unusual time. While they first worry about their own family and loved ones, they next worry about their students’ social, emotional, and academic well-being and success. Educators, like other adults, are asking questions about their lives, social interactions, […]

As the school year closes, instructional coaches are still hard at work. They are taking the many lessons learned in the last quarter of this school year and using those lessons to plan for a strong, if uncertain, year ahead. Join us for an exploration of how coaches are traversing […]

To make informed decisions about professional learning, educators use data gathered from formative and summative evaluations. In an era of rapid-cycle change as is common with continuous improvement within communities of practice, school improvement, or cycles of inquiry, evaluation becomes a core part of the process. Assessing the impact of […]