Webinars

Over the last year, the Learning Policy Institute (LPI) and EducationCounsel have convened leaders in k-12 and higher education to explore how both systems might benefit greatly from more authentic and holistic ways of assessing students’ competencies and mastery of 21st-century skills. In this webinar, we explored the emerging recommendations from the Reimagining College Access initiative and engaged participants in a discussion of where the work is heading.

On June 13, LPI hosted the third webinar in the series, State Efforts for Building an Effective, Diverse Teacher Workforce series, in partnership with Learning Forward, the National Conference of State Legislatures, and the National Association of State Boards of Education. This webinar explored state and district efforts to connect quality teacher preparation and induction with the principles of deeper learning and will also look at ways that states and districts are aligning systems of quality professional learning and early career supports.

The third webinar in LPI’s series, Achieving Equity Through Deeper Learning, explored how states are using and sharing information on deeper learning assessments. Specific projects, like the 4 State Performance Assessment Project and the State Performance Assessment Learning Community (SPA-LC), were discussed along with two major efforts underway in Washington that incorporate performance assessments in ways that engage students in three-dimensional science learning.

On March 21, LPI, the National Conference of State Legislatures, Learning Forward, and the National Association of State Boards of Education launched State Efforts for Building an Effective, Diverse Teacher Workforce, a series of webinars on how states can help develop and support a diverse workforce of teachers who develop greater mastery and leadership. The first webinar addressed opportunities under ESSA for effective professional learning systems, professional development to help teachers provide instruction that supports deeper learning, and how state departments of education can work with state boards of education to develop state-funded strategies.

On March 20, LPI held the second webinar in a series that explores why deeper learning is crucial for students in today’s innovation economy and how we can achieve greater equity in access to deeper learning. This webinar explored how performance assessments are providing all students, including those who are farthest from opportunity, a vehicle to show what they know in a way that matters.

On February 15, LPI held the first webinar in a series that explores why deeper learning is crucial for students in today’s innovation economy and how we can achieve greater equity in access to deeper learning. This webinar addressed ways schools and school districts can improve academic achievement—particularly among students who are farthest from opportunity—through engaging students in learning that focuses on meaningful mastery of subjects, critical thinking, problem-solving, collaboration and other skills necessary for college, career, and civic participation in the 21st Century.

This webinar was designed to inform LEAs (school districts, county offices of education, and charter schools) and partner organizations (institutions of higher education and nonprofits) about the latest research and promising practices in recruiting and retaining excellent educators, particularly in high-need fields and locations. The webinar and associated materials will serve as a resource to LEAs and their partners as they develop CalED proposals.

Researchers discussed seven evidence-based key common elements of effective teacher professional development identified in a new review of 35 methodologically rigorous studies of professional development programs to improve students’ academic outcomes. Practitioners shared how their approaches to professional development are aligned with the research and are improving outcomes for students. Panelists also discussed promising, evidence-based investments in school leadership, including those contained in ESSA state plans that take advantage of the optional Title II, Part A leadership set-aside.

On October 26, 2016, the Learning Policy Institute (LPI) joined with the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) and the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) to host a webinar on Building a Strong, Sustainable Teacher Workforce. Developed for state policymakers and their staff, the webinar focused on evidence-based policies and practices to recruit and retain high-quality teachers, especially in hard-to-staff subjects, schools, and regions. The recorded webinar is available for viewing.