Education leaders are calling on the U.S. Department of Education to immediately release more than $2 billion in Title II funding that school districts across the country are depending on for professional learning, teacher recruitment, leadership support, and educator effectiveness initiatives. In a letter addressed to Secretary of Education Linda McMahon, a coalition of 31…

More than 70% of school districts in the U.S. serve fewer than 3,000 students (NCES, 2022), and a recent study found that those districts are less likely than larger districts to provide school principals with the supports to be effective leaders (Diliberti et al., 2024). This has concerning implications for the more than 35% of…

In Learning Forward’s Leadership Team Institute, celebrating early team wins is not just a feel-good exercise, it’s a catalyst for continued success and team cohesion. In fact, two foundational elements for developing effective leadership teams are setting a collective vision and establishing an early win to demonstrate the feasibility of achieving the vision, wrote education…

On March 20, President Trump signed an Executive Order calling for the closure of the U.S. Education Department and mandating that all federal programs comply with his other policies on DEI and gender ideology. While the White House had indicated that the Executive Order would not really be about closing the Department, suggesting that it…

School leaders shape the direction of their schools and staffs, yet no principal can do it alone. Leaders need a culture of support and collaboration with other leaders and staff to achieve a vision of excellence for all. Amid an increasingly complex education policy and funding landscape and job demands, leaders must meet these challenges…

Everyone likes to feel valuable, needed, and in-demand, and it’s understandable that coaches may perceive being needed as evidence of their impact of coaching. Too often, however, it may be a sign that teachers are overly dependent on the coach’s advice, judgment, or praise of their teaching. This kind of dependency keeps the coach busy,…

In the spirit of ensuring excellent teaching for students everywhere, Learning Forward celebrates Public Schools Week 2025 by highlighting a few examples of innovation and change that have inspired us lately. Maryland: Student math gains powered by professional learning In a seed program in Montgomery County, students are reaping the benefits of a small team…

We are thrilled to announce a fresh set of columns in the Voices section of The Learning Professional. Throughout 2025, three talented, thoughtful, and deeply committed educators will be sharing their unique perspectives on topics that are important to our readers. The authors joining us this year are Kim Richardson, Chris DeGuzman, and A.J. Juliani….

Each month, the Learning Forward Advocacy Team (A-Team) meets for its monthly 30-minute federal update. The calls offer a valuable opportunity for a frank and off-the-record discussion about the latest federal developments. The sessions are not recorded, and there are no slides or handouts. Topics from February 11, 2025: FY25 Appropriations/CR Congress continues to negotiate…

In Learning Forward’s Coaches Academy, I explain that even the most successful coaches may find that some teachers are hesitant to engage in coaching cycles or even coaching conversations. Here are three questions that have proven successful in opening a coaching conversation with some of our most hesitant teachers: What difficult to teach or learn…