Education professionals face myriad problems of practice, especially in the face of current trauma, injustice, and other stressors. To address those challenges, educators should work collaboratively to target the sources, not just the symptoms, of the problems. Asking why can begin to surface root causes, which may be related to systems,…

Districts may have limited internal capacity to provide teachers with sustained, systemic professional learning that is relevant to every teacher due to a lack of funding, inadequate staffing, insufficient time, and competing demands. Educational service agencies, which work at the regional level to support multiple districts, can address those…

Learning Forward is working with states, districts, and schools to develop strong, instructionally focused mentoring initiatives that result in better teaching and learning for everyone involved. Through the customized Mentor Academy, they help systems shift away from traditional "buddy" type mentoring to a program designed to foster…

The mission of the Palau Ministry of Education is to ensure that their students will be successful in Palauan society and the world. Schools are the heart of Palau's communities, reflecting the rich culture of the nation. They incorporate a unique blend of traditional values and modern methodologies to support learning for the diverse and…

Most teachers in public schools (67.3%) will have at least one multilingual learner in their class, yet many have no preparation for supporting these students (NCES, 2022; Johnson & Wells, 2017). Recognizing this gap, school district administrators have called for more professional learning about instructional strategies for students who are…

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…

Many teachers are underprepared to meet the needs of students with disabilities. Most have insufficient training and field experiences from their preparation programs, and once they begin teaching, they often lack collaborative professional learning about supporting students with disabilities. This article describes s how a multidisciplinary team…

Schools committed to equity are experimenting with creative and powerful ways for teachers to ensure all students receive what they need to learn in the classroom. Many of these efforts focus professional learning on strengthening the instructional core -- teachers' knowledge of and relationships with students, teachers' deep and critical…

Linda Darling-Hammond, the Charles E. Ducommun Professor of Education Emeritus at Stanford University and founding president of the Learning Policy Institute, is a longtime leader in education, an expert on professional learning, and an influential researcher and policy advisor. She has been leading President Joe Biden's education transition team,…

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…

To put it simply, public reflective practice is a check-in: How are we doing, what are we learning from practice, what changes are making a difference, and so on. Teachers have these kinds of conversations privately but rarely have a chance to think out loud with others about what they are coming to understand about teaching and learning. That is…

Schools and districts have held book clubs for professional learning for decades. In the Hawaii Department of Education, educators participating in Na Kumu Alaka'i Teacher Leader Academy are breaking the mold by engaging in unbook clubs (Cameli, 2013), shared learning experiences that focus on a topic but are not limited to one reading or…

The role of principal can be a very lonely one but when they engage in collaboration and collective inquiry, they can move their teachers and students forward. This article describes how five principals from five different elementary schools in Mesa Arizona came together to tackle some common challenges and strengthen their schools individually…

How might the work of professional learning communities (PLCs) focus on the changes necessary to ensure that "all" students are engaged, inspired, and successful? The authors of this article developed five discussion questions that they believe allow educator teams to put equity front and center in their collaborative conversations…

Like many others around the world, the authors have moved their busy lives and research-practice partnership to the planet of distal learning and remote working. While the news about the spreading of the pandemic and the dire economic consequences entered their homes, they did not want to lose what had brought them together in partnership this…