Developing and Providing Professional Development Focused on Equity and Achievement

Professional development programs should deliver information in a way that models best teaching practices in a way to allow for teachers to experience and therefore better understand how their students learn.

For Schools: SF-CESS will provide and support the development of equity-focused and student-centered professional development within our schools by…

• Supporting school leaders develop a vision of professional development for their schools and to design the structures to support that vision.

• Assisting to develop equity-focused and student-centered professional development programs that are data driven and model best practices.

• Fostering the conditions for successful professional development programs that provide direct instruction, collaboration, support and ongoing inquiry around teaching and learning as well as whole school issues.

• Providing ongoing support through shared facilitation and evaluation of professional development programs.

For the Greater Small School Reform Community: SF-CESS will support and lead equity-focused and student-centered professional development for the larger school reform effort by…

• Organizing opportunities for schools to share best practices with each other through school visits, job-alike collaborations, and networking meetings.

• Offering stand alone workshops as well as ongoing, focused study groups (i.e. affinity groups and inquiry or i-groups).

• Organizing and offering annual Professional Development Institutes at which Coach Consultants, Ambassadors and local experts share best practices during weeklong workshops each summer.

• Providing access to latest school reform research as well as opportunities to conduct own teacher research through committed professional development opportunities.

• Participating, collaborating and leading in larger school reform efforts (i.e. CES Fall Forum).