Learning Forward

Removing Roadblocks Remodeling Literacy Learning: Making Room for What Works National Center for Literacy Education, 2013 This report, based on survey responses from more than 2,400 educators, investigates the connection between professional learning, teacher collaboration, and student learning. According to the report, principals play a vital role in actively modeling […]

International comparisons in education have come in waves over the last several decades. As early as 1957, U.S. educators undertook reforms in mathematics and science curricula when the Soviet Union launched Sputnik, creating fears that the U.S. was lagging in the space race. The 1983 landmark report A Nation at […]

St. Clare’s Primary School in Dublin, Ireland, is a small school, with 330 students and 22 teachers. Walking the hallways, it could be any U.S. school — halls lined with artwork and announcements; classes with busy walls and bright windows; and a friendly staff focused on their students’ success. I […]

Professional capital has a fundamental connection to transforming teaching every day, and we’ve seen many examples of this at work in schools and school systems around the world. Here, we explore the powerful idea of capital and articulate its importance for professional work, professional capacity, and professional effectiveness. Systems that […]

Principal Wilma Culton’s professional development in the last few years has had her setting out for Singapore, conferencing in Canada, and bopping over to Berlin to check out what experts and the best educators around the world know about helping kids learn. The head of a primary school just outside […]

The number of U.S. teachers participating in some form of distance education is on the rise,  yet compared to many nations, distance-based professional learning is fairly new in the U.S. What are common elements of effective global distance education for teachers, and what lessons do they hold for those who […]

SD: Could you give us an overview of the Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS)?  Kristen Weatherby: TALIS was started in 2008. It was created to fill gaps in international data around teachers and teaching, but it also looks at teacher working conditions and learning environments. So it gives teachers […]

You are thinking about teaching outside the United States, and you’re wondering what kind of professional learning opportunities you will have. If you teach in Poland, you will likely have the assistance of a school-based pedagog who will help you and your colleagues with instructional strategies. If you teach in […]

Professional Learning Trends Around The World In “A global perspective” (p. 10), author Lois Brown Easton outlines key characteristics of professional learning in seven countries: Australia, Brazil, Canada (Alberta), Chile, Korea, Japan, and Poland. Use the supplemental note-taking guide as you read the country profiles. How Countries Fared In the report […]