ASCD's capacity-building professional development for teachers and school leaders is customized to meet the specific needs of schools and districts that partner with us. This individualized approach includes a collaboratively developed needs assessment, implementation and evaluation planning, ongoing support from expert ASCD Faculty and staff, and access to ASCD resources, materials, and tools.
ASCD Faculty and staff can customize professional learning to meet district needs in 21st century learning, assessment, classroom management, curriculum development, instructional leadership, literacy, math, meeting the needs of diverse and struggling learners, school improvement planning, and planning and implementing the Common Core State Standards.
The approach includes a focus on using a blended professional learning model, which integrates online learning experiences and face-to-face facilitated learning, creating a job-embedded community of practice for all learners that includes ongoing follow-up and supports.
Developing Teacher Leaders
With the teacher leader model, teacher leader teams work with ASCD Faculty experts to learn content-specific strategies to lead others in planning and implementing effective school-based professional development best practices for adult learners. ASCD Faculty members support teacher leaders' development by providing content-specific workshops, model lessons, curriculum development support, school-based coaching, and observation and feedback of demonstration classrooms.
School-based and district-level administrators can participate in workshops that help them learn what the teachers are learning as well as the instructional leadership practices and policies that will support implementation at the school and district levels.
Building a Community of Practice
The consortium model allows a group of districts or schools interested in working together to build capacity as a community of practice. ASCD Faculty members guide teams from participating districts as they learn content and effective professional development practices. Teams can include school-based or district- or state-level administrators, and teacher leaders.
The consortium meets 5–10 times over the course of a year. Each session includes work with ASCD Faculty members, problem solving, networking activities, and action planning. Between sessions, participants complete assignments that will aid in implementing the practices and strategies. District and state personnel also attend consortium meetings as partners with school teams and participate in additional learning.
Fine-Tuning Instructional Leadership
The school improvement coach model is designed to help individual schools enhance specific instructional and leadership practices that have been identified through the needs assessment process. Under guidance from an ASCD Faculty member, selected teacher leaders and school-level administrators work on strategies and learning concepts and develop a plan for implementation. In addition, the principal and administrative team can tap into leadership coaching to assist in instructional leadership to support implementation and lead learning for teachers and staff.