Learning Forward

We know the story of the Wizard of Oz. Dorothy and her band of misfit friends embark on a journey to find something larger than life. They are in search of the Great and Powerful Oz, who has the power to make their every wish come true. Their story is one […]

In a large meeting room, community leaders and teachers have gathered for an informal dinner. At the front of the room, six teachers, dressed in white lab coats, participate in a skit that pokes fun at stereotypes of scientists. After the laughter subsides, they present a serious message: The traditional […]

There are two types of school leadership initiatives. One takes existing leaders and gives them increasing leadership responsibilities. The other engages in an organic process that grows leaders from a crop of teachers who, at first, may not appear to be leaders at all. This is a story about the […]

How does professional learning look and feel in high-poverty schools where every student makes at least one year’s worth of progress every year? How do schools and leaders put all the varied components of professional learning together so that they support all students learning every day? What professional learning grounds […]

The York Region District School Board is recognized as a high-performing district in Ontario, Canada, and has also garnered international attention. Visitors from across Canada, as well as Singapore, Finland, England, Scotland, Holland, Bahamas, Korea, China, and Taiwan, have come to learn about its system and observe the teaching, learning, and leadership practices underway […]

Every school district is feeling the pressure to ensure higher academic achievement for all students. A focus on professional learning for an administrative team not only improves student learning and achievement, but also assists in developing a systemic approach for continued success. This is how the Fox Chapel Area School […]

Collaboration Ongoing collaborative learning supported by structures such as learning teams and resources including time and coaches are essential to most successful examples. “Teachers pointed to the power of collaboration, both among themselves and among students. ‘We’ve developed trust and relationships through synergy with each other, and it’s important to […]

Lessons From Schools All Over “It’s Being Done”: Academic Success in Unexpected Schools  Harvard Education Press, 2007 Karin Chenoweth examines several schools that are achieving at high levels in this book and two follow-up volumes, How It’s Being Done: Urgent Lessons From Unexpected Schools (2009) and Getting It Done: Leading Academic […]

DALLAS—December 19, 2013—Julie Blaine, executive director of the Central Regional Professional Development Center at the University of Central Missouri, began her term as president of Learning Forward at the conclusion of the association's annual conference in Dallas, Texas, on December 11, 2013. Blaine succeeds Jeff Ronneberg, superintendent of Spring Lake […]