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Stephanie Hirsh

Stephanie Hirsh retired in June 2019 after 31 years with Learning Forward, an international association of more than 13,000 educators committed to increasing student achievement through effective professional learning. Hirsh led the organization as its executive director for the last 13 years where she presented, published, and consulted on Learning Forward’s behalf across North America. Her books include Becoming a Learning Team, co-authored with Tracy Crow (Learning Forward, 2018), Becoming a Learning System, co-authored with Kay Psencik and Frederick Brown (Learning Forward, 2018); A Playbook for Professional Learning: Putting the Standards Into Action, co-authored with Shirley Hord (Learning Forward, 2012); and The Learning Educator: A New Era for Professional Learning, co-authored with Joellen Killion (NSDC, 2007). Hirsh wrote a column for The Learning Professional, Learning Forward’s bimonthly magazine, Educational Leadership, Phi Delta Kappan, The Record, The School Administrator, American School Board Journal, The High School Magazine, and Education Week. Hirsh has served on a number of advisory boards including Learning First Alliance, 2-Rev, Digital Promise, the University of Texas College of Education, and The Teaching Channel. She served three terms as a school board trustee in the Richardson (TX) Independent School District. She received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Texas Staff Development Council, Master Trustee from the Texas School Board Association, and was named a Distinguished Alumna by the University of North Texas.

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    James B. Short & Stephanie Hirsh Even the most experienced teachers provided with the highest quality instructional materials benefit from additional support to ensure student success. Simply adopting new instructional materials is unlikely to significantly change teacher practice. Ensuring a level of excellence that benefits all students calls for an […]
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    Standards for Professional Learning are forward-looking by nature because they drive continuous improvement in educator practice. But taking a brief look at the history of the standards is important for understanding their impact on the field and their role in today’s professional learning. As the field has shifted philosophy from […]
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    In 2017, Chicago Public Schools administrators were debriefing what they had observed while visiting several schools. They wondered why the focus of instruction was so vastly different not only from school to school but classroom to classroom in the same school. They grew concerned that some students had more access […]
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    The Learning Principal, by Kay Psencik, Frederick Brown, and Stephanie Hirsh, is Learning Forward’s latest book in a series focused on putting professional learning at the heart of improvement for leaders, teams, and systems. The book is full of practical tools, many of which are useful for leaders at multiple […]
  • The Carnegie Corporation of New York recently released a challenge paper calling on school and system leaders, teachers and coaches, and all specialists in professional learning to transform teaching and learning through the elements and essentials of curriculum-based professional learning. Attend this webinar to learn how schools and systems ensure […]
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    My daughter is an assistant elementary principal in a large elementary school. Due to COVID-19, like so many of you, she now spends her days in front of the computer in a variety of one-on-one and team meetings. She has a number of concerns about how this disruption will impact […]
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    At the moment of our departure From this world, Neither silver nor gold nor precious Stones accompany us – Only learning and good deeds. Mishnah, Avot 6:9 On Tuesday, our dear friend and colleague Shirley Hord passed away following complications from a stroke six weeks earlier. Up until the very […]
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    Studying and implementing high-quality instructional materials anchors the work of effective learning teams. Learning Forward has elevated the importance of this work for the same reason we amplified the role of equity in our vision — a recognition of the need to prioritize and be explicit about the strategies that […]
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    During Teacher Appreciation Week, like so many others I reflect on all the great teachers who influenced who I am today. I remember with appreciation Dr. Gerald Ponder, my major professor during my Ph.D. program and lifelong mentor and colleague. I also recall Mr. Gerald Roslowski, my eighth-grade core teacher, […]
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