Teacher Preparation and Professional Learning Resources

Decades of research show that whole child education is essential to students' academic and life success and can reduce the negative effects of poverty on achievement. Speakers at this briefing examined federal policy levers that state and local policymakers can use to invest in research-based whole child approaches to learning, including integrated student supports, community schools, and other approaches that foster academic enrichment.

Effective professional development has the potential to support sophisticated forms of teaching that develop student knowledge and skills, including critical thinking, problem-solving, communication, collaboration, and self-direction. The Learning Policy Institute, the American Federation of Teachers, Learning Forward, and the National Education Association held an event showcasing innovative models of teacher-led learning and professional development that can transform schools into spaces where teachers are driving improvement through their own learning and leadership.

Teachers of color help close achievement gaps for students of color, particularly in high-poverty environments, and all students benefit from having teachers of color. Unfortunately, although more teachers of color are being recruited across the nation, there are growing gaps between the demand for such teachers and the supply. This Washington, DC, briefing examined the federal and state policies that support a well-prepared and diverse teacher workforce.

Decades of research make it clear that social and emotional habits and skills are intimately related to academic learning and life success. However, educator preparation and training do not always provide teachers with effective strategies to support social and emotional learning. This webinar looked at the benefits and challenges of integrating social, emotional, and academic learning in the classroom and explored strategies to inform practice.

How can social and emotional learning and cultural competence be integrated into educator preparation programs? Expert researchers and policymakers discussed this question in this webinar, with the goal of equipping teachers to consider the needs of the whole child with equity in mind.

Deeper learning approaches help students develop skills that are necessary for success in college, career, and citizenship and have been in use for decades, but effective ways to sustain and scale them up remain elusive. Watch this LPI and the Alliance for Excellent Education webinar on the challenges and opportunities educators and district leaders face in expanding deeper learning.

Today’s schools must provide powerful learning environments for students that pair challenging academic content with engaging, experiential, and relevant learning experiences—and must do so in ways that reach diverse learners and promote equity. The Educator Preparation Laboratory (EdPrepLab) hosted a webinar to examine the policies and structures needed across pre-k–12 and teacher and leader preparation to foster these deeper learning opportunities for all students across all schools.

As school districts and universities across the nation turn to distance learning, how are educator preparation programs responding? This webinar featured preparation program leaders from the Educator Preparation Laboratory network who addressed such topics as licensing and credentialing, social-emotional learning and trauma-informed practices, and meeting the needs of teacher and school leader candidates through virtual learning.

Teacher and leader preparation programs continue to adapt how they prepare their candidates during the COVID-19 shutdown and in anticipation of a very different future for teaching and learning. As a follow-up to the highly popular April 23 webinar, this sequel dug deeper into the critical topics impacting teacher and leader preparation programs across the nation and address many of the questions raised by participants in the initial webinar.

How are educator preparation programs applying what they learned during the school shutdowns in the spring to adapt to emerging conditions in the fall? In this webinar, panelists shared lessons learned on effective teacher and leader preparation strategies during COVID-19 and addressed how programs are continually reimagining their structures and practices while maintaining a focus on key commitments to deeper learning and equity.