Learning Forward
Project Title
As a final grant to support the curriculum-based professional learning network and advance aligned policies
Date
Jun. 06, 2024
Duration
18 months
Description
Learning Forward builds the capacity of state, district, and school leaders to establish and sustain highly effective professional learning in their systems by disseminating evidence-based research, practical tools, and changes to professional learning policies. Through their current grant, they formed the Curriculum-Based Professional Learning (CBPL) Network with three large school districts to improve the implementation of the Illustrative Mathematics program through curriculum-based professional learning in Philadelphia, PA, Montgomery County, MD, and Metro Nashville, TN. Corporation support will allow Learning Forward to continue their work with these district teams in the CBPL Network and improve student outcomes in mathematics. Further funding will also support Learning Forward’s efforts to create the conditions for high-quality professional learning experiences by advancing federal and state policies.
Website
Project Title
For a project to support a strand of sessions and activities focused on curriculum-based professional learning at the annual conference
Date
Jun. 08, 2023
Duration
9 months
Description
Learning Forward strives to achieve a vision of equity and excellence in teaching and learning by building the capacity of leaders to establish and sustain highly effective professional learning grounded in curriculum. Their Annual Conference draws more than 3,000 attendants to reimagine professional learning and engage in productive dialogue to implement effective strategies discussed during the event. Many key stakeholders in the school system attend, including district leaders, superintendents, policymakers, teacher leaders, school-based teams, and professional learning providers. This year, for the December 2023 Annual Conference, Learning Forward would like to bring together partner organizations and share the latest research and best practices around curriculum-based professional learning (CBPL). Through this project, Learning Forward will host a reception, pre-conference session, thought leaders panel discussion, concurrent sessions, and a sponsored session, along with a variety of other outreach activities, to focus on the importance of CBPL in closing the achievement gap and improving student outcomes.
Website
Project Title
For a project to plan and launch a curriculum-based professional learning network to implement the newly revised Standards for Professional Learning
Date
Sep. 15, 2022
Duration
21 months
Description
Implementing new instructional materials is a significant undertaking that requires focused and coherent curriculum-based professional learning aligned to research-based Standards for Professional Learning to build educators’ capacity to achieve the curriculum’s goals and related student standards. Learning Forward helps improve the capacity of education leaders to establish and sustain highly effective professional learning. They recently releasedthe revised Standards for Professional Learning, which are considered the gold standard for designing and assessing effective professional learning. This grant will allow Learning Forward to design a two-year Curriculum-Based Professional Learning (CBPL) Network for districts and schools that are implementing high-quality curriculum.
Website
Project Title
For a project to launch a content-based coaching program
Date
Mar. 05, 2020
Duration
11 months
Description
Learning Forward is an organization solely focused on supporting and improving professional learning for educators leading to improved teaching and learning for students. As Learning Forward begins to revise their “Standards of Professional Learning” to emphasize the importance of content-based professional learning, they have partnered with Student Achievement Partners to develop a content-based coaching program for master coaches who will work with school and district-based coaches. Through this project, Learning Forward will: 1) recruit and train twenty master coaches so they can provide content-based professional learning to school and district coaches; 2) pilot and evaluate the content-based coaching program at their Summer Institute; 3) implement a train-the-trainer model to build the capacity of additional consultants; and 4) develop a marketing strategy to introduce the content-based coaching service to new and existing partners.
Website
Project Title
For a project to develop new Standards for Professional Learning with associated tools and resources
Date
Jun. 04, 2020
Duration
36 months
Description
Educators across the country do not have the same level of access to professional learning and teacher supports required to meet the needs of the students they serve. Many school districts are working to develop a shared vision and framework for improving teaching and learning at scale. Learning Forward’s Standards for Professional Learning address both scale and equity by establishing a shared vision and defining the elements of and conditions for professional learning that result in changes in teacher and school leader practice, leading to improved outcomes for students. These professional learning standards were last revised in 2011, and a revision is needed to address current issues, such as standards-aligned curriculum-based professional learning. Through this grant, Learning Forward will: (a) develop and revise the Standards for Professional Learning, (b) engage a Standards Advisory Council and associated work teams, and (c) develop and release implementation tools to support use of the revised Standards for Professional Learning.
Website
Project Title
For support of Learning Forward’s summer institute on aligning standards, instructional materials and professional learning
Date
Sep. 12, 2019
Duration
6 months
Description
Learning Forward is a national association solely focused on supporting and improving professional learning for educators. Learning Forward believes that educators need high-quality, job-embedded professional learning to select and implement new curricula and instructional materials effectively. Learning Forward’s What Matters Now Network consists of three state coalitions focused on the systemic implementation of professional learning grounded in high-quality instructional materials. One of the states, Maryland, is leveraging the network experience to improve implementation of high-quality curriculum and instructional materials aligned with the Next Generation Science Standards using high-quality professional learning to improve science outcomes for students, especially high-need students. This grant will support the Maryland coalition’s participation in the Learning Forward 2019 Summer Institute, Advancing Equity and Excellence: Aligning College- and Career-Ready Standards, Curriculum, Instructional Materials, and Effective Professional Learning.
Website
Project Title
For a project to support the What Matters Now Network improvement community focused on professional learning and instructional materials
Date
Dec. 06, 2018
Duration
24 months
Description
State, district, and school leaders have an integral role to play in accelerating access to job-embedded professional learning focused on the use of high-quality instructional materials. Leaders must align their policies and practices; and this is the objective of Learning Forward’s What Matters Now Network (WMNN), a coalition of states, districts, and schools using improvement science focused on professional learning linked to the use of high-quality instructional materials. Through this renewal grant, Learning Forward, the national non-profit membership association that builds the capacity of education leaders to sustain effective professional learning will continue to support the WMNN. Through this grant, Learning Forward will: (1) support three state coalitions to engage within and across the WMNN, (2) develop tools and processes to support data collection, (3) support coalitions as they develop plans and use cycles of inquiry to improve professional learning systems, and (4) work with coalitions to develop strategies to sustain its work beyond the grant period.
Website
Project Title
For a project to launch the What Matters Now Networked Improvement Community working together within and across states, districts, and schools to study, implement, and iterate on powerful systems of professional learning
Date
Sep. 07, 2017
Duration
15 months
Description
States and districts do not systematically invest in teachers and their professional growth or adhere to the practices and standards that research has demonstrated to be effective to support professional learning for teachers. Many states and districts do not comprehensively design or adequately track and assess their professional learning investments and programs. The problem is compounded by misalignments between state-, district-, and school-level policies, investments, and systems that inhibit more equitable access to high quality professional learning experiences. Through this grant, Learning Forward will embark on a new initiative called the What Matters Now Networked Improvement Community. It will enable diverse constituencies in three state coalitions to work together within and across states and school districts to use improvement science methodology to study, implement, and iterate interventions to ensure more powerful systems of professional learning in schools, school district, and states.
Website
Project Title
For support for the National Commission on Teaching and America's Future State Network to Improve Teaching and Learning
Date
Dec. 08, 2016
Duration
9 months
Description
The National Commission for Teaching and America’s Future (NCTAF) is a bipartisan organization committed to engaging policymakers and practitioners to address the recruitment, development, and retention of great teachers. Last year, the Corporation supported NCTAF to convene researchers, educators, policymakers, and thought-leaders to contribute their research, expertise, and voice to a report on supporting great teaching. This grant builds on that work, supporting NCTAF and its partners to plan a multi-year initiative at the state level to transform teaching and learning based on the recommendations of the report. Specifically, the planning grant will support the development of a robust strategy and implementation plan for NCTAF’s State Networks and the initial design of key resources necessary to launch the initiative.