Learning Forward

The high school was in the bottom 5% of schools in Michigan, the principal had been replaced, and the school had just received a grant to improve student achievement. The staff read Classroom Instruction That Works (Marzano, Pickering, & Pollock, 2001), everyone was in a professional learning community by department, […]

The Common Core State Standards promise to raise expectations for all students by establishing consistent college- and career-ready learning goals across the country. The standards build on the best of the current state standards informed by the experiences of top-performing countries. Most importantly, they focus on what is most essential […]

A few decades ago, kindergarteners may have chanted “one, two, buckle my shoe” as the sum total of their counting skills. With Common Core State Standards, they learn not only to add one plus one, but they have to explain why one plus one equals two. In Charlotte-Mecklenburg (N.C.) Schools, educators […]

Nearly every conversation about the Common Core includes the topic of professional learning. National consensus of policymakers and educators acknowledges the tremendous need for it. The standards require more of students and educators alike. Fundamental to the success of the core standards are educators knowing what the standards call for […]

Put the Partner in ‘Partnership’ Third-party providers help school systems meet their goals of providing high-quality education to every student. As external providers, they offer the services, products, and goods that systems are unable to provide, or that they need to function. Meet the Promise of Content Standards: The Role […]

DALLAS—July 1, 2013—Learning Forward announces the release of a new workbook aimed at helping state education agencies and school system leaders make informed, bold decisions about their current investments in professional learning and repurpose resources to support preparing students for college and careers. Professional Learning Initiative Analysis: A Workbook for […]

DALLAS—June 26, 2013—In a new brief, Learning Forward examines how states, districts and schools can use a more comprehensive educator induction process to build the capacity of teachers and principals to successfully implement the new college- and career-ready content standards, as well as the related student assessments and educator effectiveness […]

Instructional coaching can make the difference in whether teachers implement best practices (Coburn & Woulfin, 2012). However, our experiences in various coaching and administrative roles as well as our research with literary coaches has shown that the relationship with and support of the administration, especially the building principal, is essential […]

Picture this: Teachers sharing insights and challenges. Principals leading with trust. Central office leaders inspiring and supporting principals. Educators regularly crafting innovative solutions to problems of practice. Students working collaboratively to solve problems that have relevance and meaning. A synergistic school system that results in all students learning at high […]