The challenge
Clayton County Public Schools, Georgia, adopted the mantra “Building a better tomorrow, today.” Their goal was to provide transformative professional learning for their district and school leaders to lead the way to success for all students.
“Our goal is to empower and equip all CCPS leaders with the essential knowledge, skills, and expertise to improve student outcomes throughout our school district and our community,” said Denise Stevens, Clayton County's director of leadership development.
The solution
Clayton County and Learning Forward together established two key academies, facilitated by Learning Forward staff and consultants, to support that effort.
The first academy features a collaborative inquiry into how Standards for Professional Learning outline the foundational elements of effective professional learning systems and how they can be used to help leaders develop a more systemic approach to designing and supporting professional learning.
The second academy is aimed at supporting novice school administrators. Because 48% of school leaders have less than three years of experience in their leadership role, district leaders recognized the need for substantial support from the district itself. However, due to the diverse levels of experience among leaders and the differing needs of schools, they realized the need for a tailored and individualized support plan. To provide this, the district recruited a team of highly experienced, recently retired principals, as well as current assistant principals, and partnered with Learning Forward to develop coaching and mentoring skills.
Informed leaders
“We believe that informed leaders contribute to more effectively functioning departments and schools, which results in greater effectiveness and improved student outcomes,” said Delphia Young, deputy superintendent of teaching and learning & strategic improvement.
About Learning Forward
Learning Forward works with principals, assistant principals, aspiring principals, and principal supervisors to develop, implement, and sustain a vision for school-based professional learning. We work with these leaders to apply the Standards for Professional Learning in their schools and ensure that educators are working in learning communities that engage in ongoing cycles of continuous improvement.
We help school leaders increase their effectiveness in developing and supporting intellectually rigorous and coherent systems of curriculum, instruction, and assessment to promote each student’s academic success and well-being.
Contact Us
Learning Forward contracts with districts and states to provide high-impact professional learning services and tools to transform professional learning, increase educator capacity, and improve student achievement.
