On July 28, the Senate Appropriations Committee released drafts of all 12 of its fiscal year 2023 appropriations bills, none of which have been or likely will be marked up in the regular order of the Senate Committee process. The House, however, has marked up all 12 appropriations bill and passed six of them on…

Today marks my first day as Learning Forward’s President and CEO. I’m honored to serve in this role and fully recognize the importance of this position as we collectively work as an organization and as a field to achieve equitable and excellent outcomes for all students. Today also marks the beginning of our Independence Day…

In 1994, National Staff Development Council (which later became Learning Forward) developed and released an industry-leading set of research-based recommendations to standardize professional development, establishing a playbook for educators around the world. Learning Forward has continued to invest in its Standards for Professional Learning with periodic revisions to ensure the standards provide the latest knowledge…

New research supported by The Wallace Foundation shares clear evidence of the influence principals wield on educator effectiveness, and in turn, student achievement levels and graduation rates. It is crucial that principals receive excellent job preparation and have access to high-quality learning throughout their leadership service.

Congress is back in session and is commencing a three-month run until the August recess during which it will attempt to make significant progress on federal education funding, a China competition bill, and perhaps budget reconciliation legislation that may contain childcare funding. Meanwhile, the FCC will close its third and likely final application window for…

The best gifts are reminders that someone sees us and that who we are is valued. Similarly, the best advice comes from someone who cares enough to notice the small things even while listening to the big ones. That’s why the best way to make progress in any coaching relationship is by dialing into the…

During this time of teacher shortages, it is tempting to leave instructional coaching vacancies unfilled in favor of placing—or keeping—those promising experienced candidates in classrooms. Especially now, when pulling teachers out of their classrooms for professional learning is no longer a viable option, instructional coaching is even more critical to meeting the learning needs of…

If you even remember the classic taffy brand, “Now and Later,” it’s probably because its quirky advertising narrative issued a challenge to develop a resource strategy satisfying your sweet tooth now and also anticipating future candy needs. For education leaders, allocating federal emergency relief funding similarly means targeting funds to address acute learning gaps and…

On March 28, President Biden released his FY23 proposed federal budget, and the news was decidedly mixed for education, with Title II-A sustaining a net cut of $21 million. Muddying the waters on funding levels is the fact that the FY23 budget figures are based on FY21 funding levels, not on the recently completed FY22…

Emphasis on recruitment & retention would improve support to teachers On March 28, President Biden released his fiscal year 2023 proposed federal budget, including a nearly $12.4 billion proposed increase over 2022 for the U.S. Department of Education. However, this may not be a final document. Despite the document’s delay by several weeks, all of…