Professional Learning in
the Learning Profession
Effective Practice  Increased Student Learning
Frederick Brown
Director of Strategy and Development
Learning Forward
March 21, 2014
www.learningforward.org
First….
Let me offer my apologies!
Who?
Why?
Learning Forward Quick Facts

Founded in 1969 as the National Staff Development Council

501 (c) 3 international membership association

10,000+ members comprised predominantly of of central
office staff, principals, teacher leaders, and TA providers

Recognized as a national authority on issues related to
professional development and school improvement

Singularly focused on the role of professional learning to
improve leadership, instruction, and student success

Executive office in Dallas, Texas, and business office in
Oxford, Ohio

Affiliates throughout the United States and Canada.
www.learningforward.org
Belief Statements
• Effective professional learning is fundamental to
student learning.
• All educators have an obligation to improve
their practice.
• More students achieve when educators assume
collective responsibility for student learning.
• Successful leaders create and sustain a culture
of learning.
• Improving student learning and professional
practice requires ongoing systemic and
organizational change.
www.learningforward.org
Issues that concern us:

Schools and districts need professional learning systems that
result in scaled and sustained effective educator practice and
improved results for students.

District and building leaders need expertise and resources to
create favorable conditions for teaching and learning (for
both educators and students).

States and provinces need policies and guidelines that
support effective professional learning and do not incentivize
ineffective practices.

The field needs evidence that links effective professional
learning to improved educator effectiveness and results for
students.
www.learningforward.org
Relationship between
Professional Learning & Student Results
1. Standardsbased
professional
learning
2.
Improvements
in educator
knowledge,
skills, and
dispositions
4.
Improvements
in student
results
3.
Improvements
in educator
practice
7
7
Getting beyond the surface:
www.learningforward.org
Five Key Questions
1. What is it we that want our students to know and be
able to do? (College and Career Ready Standards)
2. What do we want our teachers to know and be able
to do to develop and sustain effective learning
environments for students? (Teacher Standards)
3. What do leaders need to know and be able to do to
create optimum conditions for teaching and learning?
(Leader Standards)
4. What data is needed to determine if students,
teachers, and leaders are meeting expectations?
5. In what ways can we ensure teachers and leaders
develop the skills they need to be consistently
effective? (Professional Learning Standards)
Student Success
High Quality
Instruction &
Leadership
Core Teaching
Standards
Growth
Opportunities &
Supports
Educator &
System
Accountability
Professional
Development
Standards
Data Standards
Common Core
State Standards
for Students
School Leader
Standards
High Quality
Instruction &
Leadership
Core Teaching
Standards
Growth
Opportunities
& Supports
Educator &
System
Accountability
Professional
Development
Standards
Data
Standards
Common Core
State
Standards for
Students
School Leader
Standards
Student
Success
High Quality
Instruction &
Leadership
Growth
Opportunities &
Supports
Educator &
System
Accountability
Five Key Questions
1. What is it we that want our students to know and be
able to do? (College and Career Ready Standards)
2. What do we want our teachers to know and be able
to do to develop and sustain effective learning
environments for students? (Teacher Standards)
3. What do leaders need to know and be able to do to
create optimum conditions for teaching and learning?
(Leader Standards)
4. What data is needed to determine if students,
teachers, and leaders are meeting expectations?
5. In what ways can we ensure teachers and leaders
develop the skills they need to be consistently
effective? (Professional Learning Standards)
In my school or district, there is
agreement on what students are
expected to know and be able to do!
Five Key Questions
1. What is it we that want our students to know and be
able to do? (College and Career Ready Standards)
2. What do we want our teachers to know and be able
to do to develop and sustain effective learning
environments for students? (Teacher Standards)
3. What do leaders need to know and be able to do to
create optimum conditions for teaching and learning?
(Leader Standards)
4. What data is needed to determine if students,
teachers, and leaders are meeting expectations?
5. In what ways can we ensure teachers and leaders
develop the skills they need to be consistently
effective? (Professional Learning Standards)
http://commoncore.americaachieves.org/
In my school or district, there is
agreement on what teachers are
expected to know and be able to do!
5th Grade Mathematics Lesson
http://commoncore.americaachieves.org/
Analyzing the lesson
(considering the Common Core shifts)
Rigorous instructional Challenges and places
strategies:
for improvement:
State Teacher Policy Yearbook
(National Council on Teacher Quality)
State Teacher Policy Yearbook
(National Council on Teacher Quality)
www.nctq.org
Thoughts? Reactions?
Five Key Questions
1. What is it we that want our students to know and be
able to do? (College and Career Ready Standards)
2. What do we want our teachers to know and be able
to do to develop and sustain effective learning
environments for students? (Teacher Standards)
3. What do leaders need to know and be able to do to
create optimum conditions for teaching and
learning? (Leader Standards)
4. What data is needed to determine if students,
teachers, and leaders are meeting expectations?
5. In what ways can we ensure teachers and leaders
develop the skills they need to be consistently
effective? (Professional Learning Standards)
What do we mean when we say
effective leadership practice?
www.learningforward.org
The Principal Story
Learning Guide
Key Features:
• Informed by Wallace
research
• Integrates “best
practices” in
professional learning
• FREE
www.learningforward.org
What do we mean when we say
effective leadership practice?
depts.washington.edu/ctpmail/
www.wallacefoundation.org
Reflecting on a “learning system”
and viewing the FWCS story
Five Key Questions
1. What is it we that want our students to know and be
able to do? (College and Career Ready Standards)
2. What do we want our teachers to know and be able
to do to develop and sustain effective learning
environments for students? (Teacher Standards)
3. What do leaders need to know and be able to do to
create optimum conditions for teaching and learning?
(Leader Standards?
4. What data is needed to determine if students,
teachers, and leaders are meeting expectations?
5. In what ways can we ensure teachers and leaders
develop the skills they need to be consistently
effective? (Professional Learning Standards)
How is data
defined
in your
school or
district?
Data
CORE ELEMENTS:
• Analyze student, educator, and system
data.
• Assess progress.
• Evaluate professional learning.
The Cycle of Continuous Improvement
So what are we evaluating?
“When evaluation systems for teachers incorporate
performance standards for the instructional
practices required to achieve the content
standards, and when evaluation systems for
leaders are based on leadership performance
standards that integrate instructional leadership,
shared leadership, and collective responsibility,
evaluation systems serve as a lever for advancing
implementation of the standards and use
assessment data to realize high levels of student
learning. Standards-based professional learning is
the lynchpin for systems to achieve this goal.”
- Professional learning drives Common Core and educator evaluation
Five Key Questions
1. What is it we that want our students to know and be
able to do? (College and Career Ready Standards)
2. What do we want our teachers to know and be able
to do to develop and sustain effective learning
environments for students? (Teacher Standards)
3. What do leaders need to know and be able to do to
create optimum conditions for teaching and learning?
(Leader Standards)
4. What data is needed to determine if students,
teachers, and leaders are meeting expectations?
5. In what ways can we ensure teachers and leaders
develop the skills they need to be consistently
effective? (Professional Learning Standards)
www.learningforward.org
www.learningforward.org
www.learningforward.org
Thank you!
Frederick Brown:
Frederick.brown@learningforward.org
We’ll continue this conversation at...
Five Key Questions
1. What is it we that want our students to know and be
able to do? (College and Career Ready Standards)
2. What do we want our teachers to know and be able
to do to develop and sustain effective learning
environments for students? (Teacher Standards)
3. What do leaders need to know and be able to do to
create optimum conditions for teaching and learning?
(Leader Standards)
4. What data is needed to determine if students,
teachers, and leaders are meeting expectations?
5. In what ways can we ensure teachers and leaders
develop the skills they need to be consistently
effective? (Professional Learning Standards)
Five Key Questions
1. What is it we that want our students to know and be
able to do? (College and Career Ready Standards)
2. What do we want our teachers to know and be able
to do to develop and sustain effective learning
environments for students? (Teacher Standards)
3. What do leaders need to know and be able to do to
create optimum conditions for teaching and learning?
(Leader Standards)
4. What data is needed to determine if students,
teachers, and leaders are meeting expectations?
5. In what ways can we ensure teachers and leaders
develop the skills they need to be consistently
effective? (Professional Learning Standards)
Professional Learning?
A learning team at Ford Middle School…
Protocol
• Activity: Professional Learning in Practice
• View the video segment making note of:
– Assumptions
– Agreements
– Alignments
– Aspire to put into practice
• Discuss conditions necessary to make this form
of professional learning the norm
A tapestry of Standards for Professional Learning
Implementatio
n
Learning
Designs
Learning
Communities
Resources
Outcomes
Leadership
Data
Thank you!
Frederick Brown:
Frederick.brown@learningforward.org