The Learning Forward family is deeply saddened by the passing of Melvin Hayes Mizell on Sept. 26, 2022. He is a legend in our organization and our field – a visionary leader, a champion of professional learning, and an inspirational guide to countless educators. Mizell has been widely recognized for his wisdom, incisiveness, and vision,…

Gearing up for a lengthy six-week recess, Congress wrapped up its legislative business for the month of September by passing a continuing resolution that extends government funding through December 16, 2022, at existing funding levels. The reason Congress passed a resolution was because it has been unable to complete action on any of its 12…

Learning Forward’s revised Standards for Professional Learning are resonating with educators and leaders eager to learn more about them. Learning sessions conducted during standards launch week in April 2022 and beyond have inspired hundreds of educators, leaders, and policymakers to reach out to Learning Forward, articulating their desire to dive in deeper. “We received a…

I recently had the wonderful experience of enjoying the Disney World parks with members of my extended family who span a 70-year age range. As we averaged about 20,000 steps a day, exploring the Magic Kingdom and other parks, I couldn’t help but watch the anticipation and excitement on the faces of all the children…

Congress is back in session after a month-long break over August, but they’re not going to be here long. While they are here, they have one significant job to do and that’s to keep the government operating. In the normal course of events, Congress would have already passed all of their appropriations bills for Fiscal…

Teachers are telling me they need to spend time away from their campus to be inspired and to learn through networking. As we’ve shifted to more job-embedded professional learning, opportunities for teachers to network have dwindled, leaving them feeling more siloed. They miss that infusion of new ideas from peers outside of their building or…

When the U.S. Department of Education released results from “the nation’s report card” yesterday, the results were not altogether surprising. The negative impact of COVID on educators and students has been well-documented. But the size and significance of declines in student achievement were startling. For the first time in the 50-year history of the National…

Federal lawmakers need to hear from Learning Forward members and network partners to ensure that professional learning is a policy priority. They need to know that professional learning, and in particular Title IIA, deserves their full attention and support now more than ever. As educators and students struggle to recover from the setbacks of the…

Every year, Learning Forward brings together education leaders from districts nationwide and from global locations at our Annual Conference. For the past two years, these educators have persevered through so many new demands that the support they need now looks different from what they have needed in past years. We know that providing access to…

Each year, The Learning Professional team announces a slate of themes for the following year’s issues. We consider the field’s pressing needs, members’ roles and interests, and emerging research. We also look for areas where our staff and readers have unique insights to share. The Learning Professional themes speak to urgent issues facing the education…