Learning Forward

Learning Forward, in partnership with the Arizona Department of Education, is one of five recipients of nearly $2.5 million in the Principals Path to Leadership grant program, designed to expand effective principal preparation programs and share their best practices broadly to impact education reform. Learning Forward Executive Director Stephanie Hirsh […]

HAVING HARD CONVERSATIONS 2.0: Extending the Learning By Jennifer Abrams This update of the author’s original Hard Conversations book is designed to promote a deeper understanding of what needs to happen before, during, and after hard conversations. The author emphasizes the critical need for greater clarity around the goals and […]

What The Study Says Using sophisticated statistical analyses, researchers examined individual teacher-level and school-level collaboration to understand the nature and effects of teacher-to-teacher collaboration in instructional teams. When teachers engage in high-quality collaboration that they perceive as extensive and helpful, there is both an individual and collective benefit. High-quality collaboration […]

Not all feedback is created equal. Actually, it is quite uneven in its design and effectiveness. Feedback forms typically used by educators and the feedback process used to support learning have markedly different attributes. Understanding the key attributes of effective feedback is important for those involved in the feedback process. […]

Safeguarding Data Student Data Principles High-quality education data are essential for improving students’ achievement in school and preparing them for success in life. When effectively used, these data can empower educators and families with the information they need to make decisions to help all learners succeed. In fall 2014, the […]

I’m fortunate to work in an organization that not only explores what leadership means in many contexts — as evidenced by this issue of JSD and other publications — but also nurtures leadership qualities among its staff and members. I’ve observed that the words leaders use are essential to how […]

The image of success not being a straight, upward arrow but a big, messy scribbled blob defines my career trajectory perfectly. My work has moved forward, pushed upward, and stretched further, but it hasn’t been a smooth and easy path. For nine years, I was a high school English teacher. […]

High-quality schools are very busy organizations, and whenever there is a new development in the field of education that requires teacher attention (peer coaching, personalized learning, metacognition, brain research, cooperative learning, etc.), many teachers ask: “But where will the time come from?” In our years of facilitating professional learning to […]

This is a story about two school leaders in a large Southern California urban district who used skills developed in a university school leadership program to create rapport, empathy, and trust while leading through challenging situations and achieving actionable outcomes. In addition to developing relationships in support of collaboration (Duke, […]

At different stages of my career, I have experienced, supported, and facilitated professional learning efforts. As an assistant principal, I find that I have learned something of value at each stage. Professional learning that effectively challenges educators at every level resembles the mystique of a firefly (Bibbo & d’Erizans, 2014). […]