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 end, Shirley lived life on…

Kimberly D. Brandon, current member of the St. Louis Annual Conference host committee, shares her secrets for getting the most from your conference learning. This post is part of a series on conference learning.   By Kimberly D. Brandon If you are on the fence about registering for the Learning Forward Annual Conference, or if you…

Dennis Sparks, the first Executive Director of the National Staff Development Council, (now Learning Forward), shares how the organization has been a critical contributor to the growing field of educator professional learning and why it will continue to do so as we look ahead to the next 50 years. This blog is the first in…

On September 18, 2019, Learning Forward hosted a Twitter chat on the importance of professional learning for school counselors with experts Mandy Savitz-Romer of the Harvard Graduate School of Education and Alice Anne Bailey of the Southern Regional Education Board. The chat was based on Savitz-Romer’s article in the June issue of The Learning Professional, “No…

This post is the first in a series on nontraditional career paths for those working in educator professional learning. We asked Nikki Mouton to share her professional journey from a science teacher in Georgia to Senior District Fellow with Learning Forward. Future posts will explore how other educators are leveraging their knowledge and skills in professional learning to find success in alternative career paths.

By Andrew J. Wayne Ten years ago, I met a researcher who was proud but frustrated. His randomized controlled trial published the year before had found a positive impact on student achievement from a whole-school reform model. But he was vexed: Why don’t districts now adopt this model? Today, that problem is relevant for teacher…