Author Stephanie Hirsh reflects on the efforts of Delaware to further education through professional learning. Read more about Delaware’s reimagine journey.
Reimagining professional learning in Delaware
The space to learn: Growing and learning together
Last month we pondered our professional learning legacies and the people and the stories that have shone a light on our journeys. The learning is about the journey, not the destination – the destination changes. This month we are exploring the Learning Forward Foundation’s reflective learning process, Touchpoint, a one-hour facilitated learning conversation between foundation members and awardees. Learning…
Focus professional learning communities on curriculum
Research has found that high-quality curricula have a significant impact on student achievement (Steiner, 2017; Chingos & Whitehurst, 2012). But a curriculum is not effective on its own. It requires teachers who understand it and use it with intentionality and professional judgment. This means teachers who know the curriculum and their students well. It…
Honesty takes time, but it’s worth it
An August 13 Washington Post column carried this headline: “Why principals lie to ineffective teachers: Honesty takes too long.” In it, the author discusses two recent studies that revealed principals’ struggles in telling ineffective teachers they need to improve. The studies, performed by researchers at Vanderbilt, Stanford, and Education Researcher, compared principals’ formal evaluations of teachers to…
Uninterrupted learning for all
As an elementary teacher in Elyria, Ohio, a small urban district about 30 miles west of Cleveland, I looked forward to asking my students the question all my teachers had asked me that first day of school: “What did you do this summer?”
Pittsburgh District aligns learning with student goals
The Redesign PD Community of Practice engages teams from 22 of the nation’s leading school districts and charter management organizations in identifying local professional learning challenges and creating scalable solutions. Learning Forward facilitates the community, where teams participate in continuous learning cycles to improve how they manage their professional learning systems. In the midst of major transition,…
6 important topics for learning in 2015
Windshields are larger than rearview mirrors so that we may focus on the road ahead while occasionally looking behind for perspective and course corrections. My resolution for 2015 is to learn more about six topics that will help us make sense of the continuously shifting educational landscape so that we can focus on next steps for student success.
Call for Proposals, Annual Conference 2019
Gateway To Success: Our Learning. Their Future. How are you creating and sustaining equity and excellence in teaching and learning every day? Share your expertise with educators from around the world. Submit a proposal to present at Learning Forward’s 2019 Annual Conference in St. Louis, December 7-11, 2019. Our Annual Conference offers education leaders and…
Understanding the Impact of Professional Learning: Q&A with Learning Forward Academy Scholarship Winners
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.
