We know that high quality professional learning is personalized to meet schools' needs, promotes collaboration, and is sustained over time so it leads to measurable changes in teacher practice and student outcomes.
TRAJECTORY OF A SCHOOL
YEAR ONE :
INITIATION
Create work plan
Identify:
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Institute instructional goals
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Supporting system and structures
Engage core team
Begin job-embedded coaching
Analyze student benchmark data/refine goals
Build momentum
YEAR TWO :
IMPLEMENTATION
Revise and implement teaching practices/tools
Build teacher capacity as core team mentors and leads inter-class visits
Collect and analyze student data and Regents scores
See increased evidence of instructional shifts
YEAR THREE :
EFFECTIVE PRACTICE
Institutionalize instructional shifts and new school-wide systems and structures
Expand practice/tools schoolwide
Shared vision within teacher teams; own capacity building
Continued analysis of Regents scores
YEAR FOUR + :
MENTORSHIP
Mentor Institute schools and other schools in DOE citywide initiatives
Host Institute site visits throughout the year
Provide expertise during professional learning community events
Continue learning from partner schools
Share effective practices and new systems citywide
MULTI-YEAR PROFESSIONAL LEARNING
Research shows that lasting change on teacher effectiveness takes a minimum of three to five years, which is why the Institute occurs across a three-year arc.
Teacher learning and changes in practice involve a recursive and continual process that takes place over time. Throughout their involvement, member schools continually collect and analyze student data, revise teaching tools and practices, and examine evidence of instructional shifts.
PERSONALIZED SUPPORT
Each new member school works with the district leader and a coach to create a personalized work plan that is site-based and rooted in the school's goals and aspirations.
A powerful tool for mobilizing the collective capacity of the teacher team, the work plan serves as a reference throughout the year to keep the work on track or make adjustments as needed.
It clearly articulates the expected outcomes of the coaching, the supports the principal will provide to ensure effective implementation of work, and a breakdown of activities and deliverables by semester.
MENTORSHIP
Mentoring is key to the long-term sustainability of the Institute.
Graduates of the Institute are passionate about sharing their practice with others. Inviting them to become mentor schools leverages their expertise and enables practices to be scaled citywide.
Mentors host 2-3 annual cross-school site visits and provide one-on-one support for new principals and school teams during two full-day professional learning symposiums. Transfer schools that have graduated also partner with a new member transfer school to co-plan and lead a presentation at our annual Transfer School Conference.
Mentor principals say they receive a great deal of new knowledge and feedback from their mentees, which motivates them to continue honing their practice.
PARTNERSHIP WITH EXTERNAL EDUCATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
We leverage distinct expertise.
Our schools work with two strategic partner organizations, each with a track record of customizing supports and services that align with the needs of schools.
reDesign
reDesign supports teachers in adopting high-impact pedagogical practices that include:
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scaffolding and metacognition
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designing authentic performance assessments, and
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developing accessible, rigorous and engaging courses and modules.
Eskolta
Eskolta School Research & Design works with school teams to research and rethink how teachers empower students to achieve high academic expectations.
They provide ongoing technical assistance to member schools by analyzing existing systems and structures and assessing where new systems need to be built.