Effective collective learning demands that educators be fully present and actively engaged--both mentally and physically--during professional learning community (PLC) meetings. When teams build norms that explicitly support a culture of presence, honesty, and continuous reflection, they create an environment where every educator can contribute…

Principals who serve as strong instructional leaders directly impact student learning. In this article, principals from Tustin, California, come together to help each other learn how to support teachers implementing a new problem-based mathematics curriculum.

Leadership is often described as lonely work. Today's leaders have demanding, high-stakes responsibilities yet lack the peer connection and high-quality professional learning they need to address those challenges. Leaders' professional learning frequently occurs in isolation from their peers with similar experiences, and it is often confined to a…

This article describes a partnership that launched a principal professional learning community (PLC) that emphasized shared learning, peer calibration, and reflective practice. The PLC created space for building-level administrators, including principals and assistant principals, to learn with and from one another in role-alike groups. Its purpose…

Many evaluation systems feel like a series of hoops to jump through. Some require goal setting, some require elaborate data collection, and some are a little of both. Regardless of role, it often becomes a box-checking exercise and not a reflective, meaningful process that engenders growth for those engaged in it. In the small rural district of…

As former principals who led turnaround schools and now as coaches who work with school leaders and their teams, the authors know that there are many challenges all school leaders face. The authors have found there is one consistent factor that separates schools that successfully respond to challenges from the rest: the collective understanding…

A recent independent evaluation by WestEd of Learning Forward's What Matters Now Network looked at the ways in which a structured, facilitated network provided support for state-level coalitions working with districts, schools, and educators to improve instruction and make progress toward achieving content standards. The network was facilitated by…

Developing school leaders' skills to ensure high-quality instruction in every classroom and high achievement for every student doesn't happen overnight. It takes time, intentionality, and a cohesive set of supports that are often referred to as a principal pipeline. Research shows that when all the pieces are in place, principal pipelines can lead…

Lesson study is a type of inquiry cycle used by educators seeking to improve instruction and student learning. Educator teams collaboratively study student thinking, design lessons, observe student learning during a live classroom lesson, and conduct data-driven analysis and reflection on evidence of success. The use of lesson study in the U.S.…

To make a difference for educators and students, workshops must be an integrated part of a larger professional learning strategy. In working with schools and districts, the authors have seen how workshops can go wrong -- but also how they can go right, anchoring and forwarding a professional learning strategy that is grounded in Standards for…

One of the most effective forms of professional learning happens when teachers conduct collaborative inquiry in their own classrooms around difficult and challenging topics -- even topics that are potentially divisive. In this article, the authors describe how they have seen this powerful process at work in their district in Pitt County, North…

In March 2020, emergency school closings as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic initiated a sudden widespread use of virtual learning and brought new challenges that affected teaching and learning across multiple contexts. The complex change caused school district leaders to make plans to reinvent and reimagine schools and created a need for teacher…

Midcareer teachers want something new from professional learning. Nearly all of the midcareer teachers the author interviewed described a need for content that is fresh or invites a meaningful extension of their existing skills and understandings. Midcareer teachers have different professional learning needs than novice teachers. To serve their…

Three schools spent time learning together in a Learning Forward Colorado Summer Institute focused on Learning Forward's book "Becoming a Learning System" (Hirsh et al., 2018). The book and the sessions with co-author Frederick Brown provided the blueprints and tools for building-based educational leaders to navigate a process for…

At their best, teams can bring people and talents together and serve as holding environments -- spaces that offer both developmental supports and challenges -- for individual, group, and organizational growth and transformation. While teaming has steadily emerged as a lever for educational change in recent years, educators are now being called on…