Creativity From Necessity: A Practical Toolkit for Leaders to Address Teacher Shortages

Many schools have encountered new struggles recruiting and retaining enough teachers over the last few years — and many face chronic staffing challenges that long predate the pandemic. To help address these challenges, Bellwether scanned the country for ideas and resources to create Creativity From Necessity: A Practical Toolkit for Read more

Developing Effective Principals: What Kind of Learning Matters?

The Learning Policy Institute (LPI) report Developing Effective Principals: What Kind of Learning Matters? adds to an extensive body of research indicating that high-quality principal preparation and professional development programs lead to positive school, principal, teacher, and student outcomes. Based on a review of peer-reviewed research and survey data, the Read more

How Learning Forward’s Professional Learning Standards Are Associated With Teacher Instruction and Student Achievement: A Meta-Analysis

In 2022, Learning Forward released a revised set of Standards for Professional Learning for teachers. Since the setting of Learning Forward’s 2011 Standards, a growing body of research and implementation in the field surfaced, revealing additional areas of interest salient to teacher professional learning. These areas emerged as Learning Forward Read more

Educator Learning to Enact the Science of Learning and Development

Research advances in neuroscience and the developmental and learning sciences have provided us with important insights about how people learn and develop. This new knowledge points to important transformations in teaching practice, which in turn require transformations in educator development in order to support all educators in developing the knowledge, Read more

Secretary Cardona Lays Out Vision to Support and Elevate the Teaching Profession

U.S Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona recently laid out his vision for how the nation can support teachers across the country and elevate the teaching profession. During an address and fireside chat at the Bank Street College of New York, Secretary Cardona discussed how the Department, states and districts, and Read more

Teacher Professional Development Is in a Rut, but Better Research Can Help

For years, researchers have found teacher professional development programs to be largely ineffective. But a  new and growing body of research suggests that professional learning, done well, can both increase teacher morale and raise student outcomes. This means it is: Grounded in the content and curriculum of the teachers receiving Read more

Using Evidence to Support Innovation in Teacher Professional Development

A new research-and-development partnership, led by AIR, focuses on an innovative program for K-12 teacher professional development. With support from a federal Education Innovation and Research grant, AIR is helping two organizations at the forefront of K-12 teacher professional development—The Danielson Group and Learning Forward—to develop, refine, and test the Read more

The Role of Assistant Principals: Evidence and Insights for Advancing School Leadership

The Wallace Foundation recently released a report focusing on the potential for Assistant Principals to help foster educational equity, school improvement, and principal effectiveness.  Recent years have seen a surge in the number of assistant principals and the percentage of schools with them, but despite its growing presence, the AP Read more