The 2024 Learning Forward Conference brought together educators, administrators, and thought leaders from across the nation to explore the latest trends and innovations in K-12 professional learning. Let's dig into three key takeaways that are top-of-mind for the district leaders we spoke with:
Budget constraints are forcing districts to find innovative solutions to preparing non-certified teachers and creating pipelines into their districts by partnering with local colleges and universities. (Want to learn more? Listen to our podcast episode on how North Dakota is solving their statewide teacher shortage with paraprofessional-to-classroom pipelines.)
The upcoming change in administrations in Washington is creating uncertainty around the future of Title 2a, as well as federal funding more broadly. It’s more important than ever for the field to advocate for the importance of professional learning by demonstrating its impact.
While there are many barriers to the new administration’s ability to eliminate federal funding for education, this level of uncertainty has caused some states and many districts to budget more cautiously. Numerous conversations with state and district leaders reinforced just how important they feel providing the right kind of professional learning is to improving educator practice, morale, and retention.
Similar to past years, most districts have a strong focus on professional learning — but many don’t have a systematic approach to capturing and analyzing all of the data associated with the professional learning they’re providing to truly understand, demonstrate, and increase the impact of the annual and multi year investment they’re making.
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