Professional Learning

The Franklin Special School District mission statement of “Teaching and Learning for All,” simply means it is our goal to provide high quality teaching and learning opportunities for all students, parents, teachers and administrators. Research has shown that high quality professional learning for all teachers improves the learning of all students. With professional learning, teachers can design more meaningful learning opportunities for their students, enabling students to meet high academic standards. This data driven, ongoing, research based, and high quality professional learning program is designed to raise the academic performance and achievement of all students, including one year or more academic growth.

As they meet with their colleagues, teachers discuss new and effective strategies that will meet the needs of all of their students. The Franklin Special School District realizes professional learning is vital for school improvement and has designed a program with high standards, based on careful analysis of student academic data and learning needs.

Feedback from Professional Learning Teams

At the beginning of every quarter the Associate Director of Schools for Teaching and Learning and the Curriculum and Professional Learning Supervisor meet with a team at each school to discuss data and request input regarding professional learning and other issues and needs. Teachers from each grade or specialty area, paraprofessionals and school administrators participate in the Lunch and Learns and are able to suggest agenda items prior to each meeting. The input and questions from the Lunch and Learn team members as well as from their colleagues is extremely enlightening and valuable. Information gleaned from these meetings is utilized to plan for the two district-wide professional learning days, professional learning offerings throughout the year, and to drive targeted professional learning sessions and/or discussions at each site. The goal of the Lunch and Learns is to have a truly open and collaborative process to tailor professional learning to the needs of FSSD teachers, paraprofessionals, and administrators with optimal student learning as the result.

Learning is Ongoing

Research has shown that student learning most often occurs when a teacher has deep content knowledge of his or her subject as well as expertise in a variety of research based instructional practices and strategies. Teachers also continually investigate and prepare to use a variety of classroom assessment strategies so they can make informed decisions and differentiate student instruction. By designing a professional learning program that is ongoing and job embedded, not only are teachers learning to use current and appropriate research-based strategies, they are supported as they implement these strategies in their classroom.

Through their involvement in this professional learning program, teachers and administrators are models of life-long learning and demonstrate the importance of continued education to their students. In FSSD, it is truly “Excellence in Teaching and Learning for All.”