It’s inarguable that teachers are experts on what their students need. So how can school administrators leverage that expertise to make professional learning collaborative rather than top-down?

Data isn’t just numbers on a spreadsheet—it’s a tool to help educators ask better questions, spot meaningful patterns, and make smarter decisions. Dr. Jim Knight shares how thinking like a data scientist can empower schools to uncover insights and create lasting change. Here’s how you can apply his advice with three actionable tips.

In this episode of The Best of Us, Jeremy and Jen Cheatham delve into Jen's course "Leaders of Learning" at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. Dr. Cheatham is an expert on fostering adult learning and mindset change in educational settings, and shares a wealth of practical tips for education leaders seeking to transform their practice.

Joellen Killion, a senior advisor of Learning Forward and author of “Elevate School-Based Professional Learning,” highlights the transformative potential of collaborative professional learning for educators. Instead of the traditional, top-down approach, Killion calls for professional development to be a shared responsibility, empowering teachers as active participants in their growth. She believes that when teachers collaborate, they leverage their collective expertise, making learning more relevant and impactful.

We talk with National Teacher of the Year Missy Testerman, a master educator who gives us a look at teacher professional learning from the classroom perspective. Missy gives us a ground-level look at what makes for excellent teacher PD, sharing insights and telling stories of how school leadership can become courageous leaders for continuous improvement.

On this episode of The Best of Us, we’re honored to talk with Dr. Thomas Guskey, author of Instructional Feedback: The Power, the Promise, the Practice and nationally-renowned expert on education measurement and evaluation. Dr. Guskey takes us through the why’s and how’s of his five-level model for professional learning evaluation, plus what the research says on PD’s impact on students. We also talk about managing learning versus managing learners, overcoming organizational barriers to PD success, and the surprising lessons Pac-Man can bring to the classroom.