Professional Learning – Schoolwide, Inc.

For almost two decades, Schoolwide has partnered with schools and districts across the country to promote highly effective literacy practices that positively impact student learning and growth.

Our on-site and virtual workshops and courses, in-class modeling sessions, and specialized services engage administrators, coaches, and teachers in a learning process designed to enhance knowledge and practice through collaboration and active participation.

See below for more examples of our Professional Learning Opportunities.

TEACHING & LEARNING PARTNERSHIP: Beginning with a consultation and a school visit, we start to form a trusting relationship with all stakeholders in order to create a comprehensive and responsive plan that supports ongoing professional learning aligned to school and district goals. A typical teaching and learning partnership includes a needs analysis and action plan; professional development support plan for administrators, coaches, and teachers; ongoing assessment and data analysis; and recommendations for materials and resources.

NEEDS ANALYSIS AND ACTION PLANNING: Following a data-collection process inclusive of surveys and observation tools; on-site visits and literacy walkthroughs; interviews; data and artifacts analysis; and collaborative conversations, we work with stakeholders to determine both strengths and areas in need of improvement. We subsequently effect a comprehensive plan for change designed to have the greatest impact on teaching and learning.

CURRICULUM PLANNING, MAPPING, & WRITING: Our expert team of educators supports the planning, mapping, and writing of school- and district-level ELA curriculum, including standards-aligned reading, writing, grammar, and content literacy units of study. Units are adaptive and responsive to the needs of teachers and students and include differentiated learning outcomes and assessment measures. Curriculum planning and development initiatives can be long-term (e.g., district-wide, multi-subject, and multi-year) or short-term and project-based, targeting a specific area of need.

PROFESSIONAL LEARNING COMMUNITIES & ACTION RESEARCH: Schoolwide supports schools in establishing and sustaining their own Professional Learning Communities (PLCs), teams of educators committed to ongoing professional study and achieving targeted goals and objectives. Our literacy consultants first work collaboratively with educators to determine a focus for systematic inquiry and research. Schoolwide consultants subsequently provide the necessary training and support to help school-based teams take ownership of the inquiry process. Schoolwide-facilitated PLCs typically utilize a variety of digital platforms to support and enhance continuous communication, information sharing, problem-solving, and celebrating.

PARENT WORKSHOPS: Research supports the importance of engaging parents, particularly in regard to reading and writing achievement. More and more, schools are looking to move beyond parent-teacher conferences, and toward creating learning opportunities that educate families about the evidenced-based instructional models and resources utilized in their classrooms. Generating excitement, earning trust, and inspiring confidence requires effective communication. Schoolwide can support schools and districts in educating families by planning (or co-planning) and presenting (or co-presenting) live and/or web-based parent workshops.