With school systems under pressure to boost achievement and improve human capital management, today’s education leaders recognize that effective teacher staff development is more important than ever. Yet teacher learning programs in many schools and districts remain disjointed and unfocused. In this webinar, we will explore how schools can create greater coherence in professional development programs—and in turn make teachers more successful—by aligning learning activities with clear objectives for teacher growth and by leveraging available research on instructional effectiveness. The presentation will also highlight ways in which interactive technology can be used to deliver and manage professional development.

Presenters:

Joellen Killion is the deputy executive director for Learning Forward, a nonprofit membership association focused on improving professional learning for teachers. She is the author of a number of books and studies on successful teacher professional development models and has extensive experience in professional development planning, design, implementation, and evaluation both at the school and system levels.


Robert Pianta is the dean of the Curry School of Education at the University of Virginia and director of the school’s Center for Advanced Study of Teaching and Learning. He has more than 15 years of experience studying student-teacher interactions and, along with a team of researchers, has created detailed professional development frameworks for improving school and classroom experiences. Pianta was featured in a 2008 Malcolm Gladwell New Yorker piece exploring what it takes to identify and develop successful teachers.

Moderator:

Anthony Rebora, Managing Editor, Education Week Teacher and the Teacher PD Sourcebook