Supporting each other
October 2020
Vol. 41, No. 5
What does it mean to support learning in challenging times? It means listening, communicating, and leading with empathy. It means committing to anti-racism and breaking down structural barriers to equity. This issue examines ways to do so in professional learning.
In This Issue
FOCUS
What's your mantra for this school year?
If this month’s issue had a mantra, it might be: we’re all stronger when we support each other.
SEL and equity
A conversation with Dena Simmons: ‘If we don’t address the wound, we cannot heal.’
When teachers listen, students learn
Coaching helps teachers incorporate student voice in the classroom.
Connections bring us closer to equity and justice
Teams grow stronger when members acknowledge differences and commonalities.
Address the stress
How leaders can support teachers in an extraordinary year.
Get connected
Infographic shows how much students want and need communication from educators.
ONLINE EXCLUSIVE: The teacher-student connection
Tool offers a road map to improve relationships.
TOOLS
Empathy interviews
A tool for listening deeply and centering diverse perspectives in decisions and policies.
Strategic teaming
A guide to creating and managing new types of instructional teams during the pandemic.
Through the lens
Reflection questions for examining the Standards for Professional Learning.
IDEAS
Equity in pre-K classrooms
A pilot program in NYC builds early childhood leaders’ capacity for leading professional learning with equity.
How academic discipline influences coaching
An initial study suggests that coaches’ area of focus matters.
Chart a clear course
Evaluation is key to building better, more relevant professional learning.
RESEARCH
Access, knowledge, and culture limit teachers’ use of research
A study finds teacher attitudes aren’t the problem in applying research.
What works? Q & A with Heather Hill
What makes professional learning effective? It’s a complex question.
Data points
Keeping up with the latest on professional learning.
VOICES
UPDATES
Recent Issues
SETTING THE STANDARD
June 2022
This issue celebrates the 2022 revision of Standards for Professional Learning. It explains how and why the standards have been updated, provides examples of how educators at all levels are applying them to improve their work, and shares tools for implementing standards in your own context.
COACHING FOR CHANGE
April 2022
This issue celebrates the many ways coaches are helping schools thrive in challenging times, and highlights how leaders, colleagues, and learning opportunities can support their growth and success.
BUILDING COMMUNITY IN A DIVIDED WORLD
February 2022
Collaboration and trust are essential to high-quality professional learning, so what happens when schools are mired in political and ideological tensions? This issue examines how to bridge divides and build community so all students can thrive.
LEADING FOR EQUITY
December 2021
Building equity takes leadership at every level – in classrooms, schools, districts, and beyond – and everyone can learn to be an equity leader. This issue examines that learning journey and how to cultivate leadership that leads to change.
