Leadership

As educators and leaders across the nation grapple with the challenge of changing policies, practices, and procedures to ensure high levels of learning for all students, the inability to effectively change the mindsets of colleagues, faculty, and staff is proving to be the biggest hurdle of all. Hence, in order for systems to change, outlooks will also need to change.

Todd Whitaker, PhD, is a professor at Indiana State University. Recognized as a leading presenter in the fields of education and leadership, his message has resonated with over a million professionals around the world.

When school leaders foster a culture of frequent, specific recognition, it creates an environment for collaborative teams to function at high levels. In this edWebinar, Drs. David Chiprany and Phillip Page will discuss how celebrating the “right work” of professional learning communities (PLC) stimulates the culture shift necessary for successful PLC implementation. Using intentional celebrations, K–12 leaders can improve collaborative team performance, resulting in higher student achievement.

Hiawatha Smith, PhD, is an associate professor of literacy education. Prior to his work preparing educators to teach literacy, Hiawatha worked as a classroom teacher and an instructional coach.

Ari Gerzon-Kessler is a sought-after speaker and professional learning provider working with schools and districts committed to forging stronger school-family partnerships. He’s presented at national and international conferences and his writings have been featured in a variety of educational publications.

Sheline Miller is a high school vice principal and was the former learning coach for the Washington County School District in Utah, where she successfully worked with teachers and teams to help establish professional learning community practices.

Kyle is the principal of Powell Middle School in Powell, Wyoming. Prior to administration, he was an elementary teacher where he developed the passion for professional learning communities and the power behind building a strong culture and teamwork in a school.

Instructional leaders (e.g., coaches, principals, and teacher leaders) work with teachers to improve educational outcomes for their students. This role can be overwhelming, especially when students and teachers have lost a full year of academic instruction.

With so much focus on students’ foundational skills, we cannot afford to overlook the unconstrained components of language comprehension. In this webinar, author Molly Ness highlights the research showing the cognitive, linguistic, socioemotional - and even physiological - benefits of read alouds. Despite their solid research basis, 50-70% of teachers do not plan read alouds in advance! This webinar overviews a planning protocol for effective read alouds in Pre-K - Grade 8 in literacy blocks and content-area classrooms.