On June 14 and 15, Learning Forward, with the support of ETS and the College Board, hosted executives from high-performing organizations in the public and private sectors at a Professional Learning Summit designed to share best practices in professional learning and call attention to the importance of investing in professional learning for K-12 educators.
An elite group of 50 executives from business, education, government, and philanthropy met to share effective professional learning practices and examine the role professional learning plays in their organizations’ success. Participants representing a diverse group of organizations described a common vision for professional learning. They shared that effective professional learning for employees is:
- Essential to an organization’s success;
- Tightly aligned to an organization’s strategic goals and objectives;
- Delivered in both formal and informal formats;
- Carefully measured for impact on employee and organizational performance; and
- The best way to improve the performance and productivity of existing employees and the organization as a whole.
Throughout the meeting the group worked toward developing an action plan that combined their unique perspectives, experiences and interests to increase the publics’ understanding and demand for effective professional learning for K-12 educators. By the end of the meeting, participants committed to joining with Learning Forward to execute that plan to raise the profile of professional learning and increase support for sustained investment in professional learning for educators. We hope that you will join this movement too. Let’s ensure that every educator engages in effective professional learning every day so that every student achieves!
M. René Islas
Director, Learning Forward Center for Results