No matter our focus—whether tech integration or student success or cultural competency, the research of Shirley Hord and Michael Fullan tells us that the same remodeling steps will support our change in education. See if these steps are part of your district or campus-remodeling plan.

Emerging evidence around how students learn is so dynamic that thoughtful educators must continually recalibrate their teaching and hone their practice just to keep up with the latest scientific learning research.

Research has confirmed many times that leadership is second only to teaching in influencing student achievement. What do system and school leaders do that teachers value most and identify as most helpful in their efforts to ensure high-quality literacy and standards-based instruction for all students?

Nearly four years ago, Learning Forward launched Transforming Professional Learning, an initiative to support educator learning for implementation of Common Core standards. Several professional associations partnered with Learning Forward to achieve the initiative’s goals and generate more than 15 products that continue to inform efforts in numerous states and districts across the nation.

The primary purpose and function of the professional learning community is the continuous professional learning of its members. Why is this? The most influential factor in whether students learn well is quality teaching. Research and common sense tell us that continuous and sustained adult learning enhances quality teaching. What are educators in a professional learning community learning?

Over the past 30-plus years, Deborah Jackson has attended many education conferences. In this blog post, she reflects on how her conference needs have changed along with her roles as she moved from teacher to principal to learning administrator, and finally to her role as president of Learning Forward’s board of trustees.

At a School Leadership Preparation and Development Network Conference, Paul Manna talked about his recently released Wallace Foundation-commissioned study, Developing Excellent School Principals to Advance Teaching and Learning: Considerations for State Policy. Manna’s report addresses several questions, including: What can policymakers do to help ensure that schools have excellent principals and advance teaching and learning for their students?

Over the past three years, Learning Forward’s Annual Conferences have provided me with some of the best professional learning experiences in my career. Not only do the conferences bring together leading minds in education, they also open up important dialogue around continuous improvement.

In December 2012, I graduated from the Learning Forward Academy (LFA), a compelling two and a half year blended learning experience where participants collaboratively solve significant “problems of practice” related to educator and student learning. Nearly three years later, here’s a glimpse into what other graduates learned and how it is impacting their spheres of influence.