Michelle Bowman
Vice President, Networks & Continuous Improvement
Michelle A. Bowman is vice president of networks and continuous improvement at Learning Forward. She leads the networks strategy that supports state and local education agencies committed to professional development redesign and oversees the development of content and learning designs that support organizations capacity to engage in continuous improvement processes. With nearly 30 years in public education, prior to joining Learning Forward Michelle served in leadership at the district, campus, and classroom levels. Michelle completed her Ed.D. in Learning and Organizational Change at Baylor University. Her dissertation investigates how school district teams engaging in a community of practice impacts school district leaders' professional learning efficacy. She co-authored Teacher Professional Development in the Digital Age: Design and Implementation of Learning without Limits in Technology in the Classroom: How It Can Improve Teaching and Student Learning in American Schools (Rowman & Littlefield, 2017) with Learning Forward Executive Director (retired) Stephanie Hirsh. Michelle refreshes her soul, mind, and body by singing songs of worship and spending time with family and friends. She enjoys great coffee and long walks.
All Articles
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IC maps bring clarity to complex change projects
It can be challenging to translate a vision of school improvement into daily practice, especially when multiple schools or systems are working together to achieve change at scale. To help address this challenge, the hub team of the Texas Network for School Improvement (TxNSI) created a set of Innovation Configuration […] -
Networks use standards to drive continuous improvement
Professional learning is all about continuous improvement. That’s one of the reasons the latest iteration of Standards for Professional Learning is depicted in a circle: The visual reflects the cycles of continuous improvement embedded in many of the standards and essential for effective implementation (Learning Forward, 2022a). Similarly, the professional […] -
Professional learning for a virtual world
In March 2020, emergency school closings as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic initiated a sudden widespread use of virtual learning and brought new challenges that affected teaching and learning across multiple contexts. The complex change caused school district leaders to make plans to reinvent and reimagine schools (Transcend, 2020) […] -
A new paradigm for collaboration
Learning communities provide unique opportunities for discussion, reflection, and growth. This is one of the reasons collaborative learning networks have been a focus of Learning Forward’s work for decades. In the past year, COVID-19 has presented many new challenges for educators, not only in teaching and connecting with students but […] -
Network connects 15 districts focused on college and career readiness
By Michelle Bowman The Student Success Learning Network, a collaboration of 15 school districts facilitated by Learning Forward, is focused on supporting students in college and career readiness. Districts participating in the network learn strategies and tactics to effect change on a chosen readiness indicator. After an initial planning session […] -
Building Educator Capacity to Implement High-Quality Curricula: The Role of Teacher Leaders, Open Education Resources, and Evidence-Centered Design
Michelle Bowman of Learning Forward, Patricia Conner from CenterPoint Education Solutions, Megan Simmons and Cynthia Jimes from Institute for the Study of Knowledge Management in Education (ISKME) consider the role of teacher leaders and how to use their expertise where it matters most. Deepen your understanding about the research and […] -
A new template for identifying goals, planning learning for teachers, and recognizing success
To make professional learning more relevant to teachers—and to make sure learning opportunities are driven by data—the Hillsborough County Public Schools in Florida has given all schools a new template for identifying their goals, planning learning for teachers and recognizing when the targets have been reached. Read more to see […] -
Ask
Question In our district we have been redefining what professional learning looks like, transitioning to more job-embedded, school-based learning supported by coaches or in some cases school leaders or lead teachers. Given how the Standards for Professional Learning describe effective professional learning, not to mention the definition of professional development […] -
Syracuse district focuses on personalized learning and classroom support
The Redesign PD Community of Practice engages teams from 22 of the nation's leading school districts and charter management organizations in identifying local professional learning challenges and creating scalable solutions. Learning Forward facilitates the community, where teams participate in continuous learning cycles to improve how they manage their professional learning systems. Using […] -
6 key features of a successful community of practice
Most educators probably know what it feels like to be part of an unproductive professional learning community — one where the topics range from last night’s TV episodes to everyone’s weekend plans before coming around to instructional issues. Other communities might just feel like another staff meeting with a list […]
