The Institute for Teaching and Leading (it4l) is excited to announce its Leadership Conversations Series, which brings together educational leaders from across the nation around the core components of Learning Continuity Planning. According to Dr. Christopher Harrington, founder of i4tl, the primary purpose of this recorded conversation video series is to “gather researchers, practitioners, and topic-specific experts to discuss the critical factors school leaders must consider when developing learning continuity programs for their schools and districts in the coming months.”
The field of education has recently undergone an unplanned, large-scale shift to remote-learning models in response to the COVID-19 pandemic with the closure of school buildings across the nation. This shift has made it clear that, as a field, K-12 schools and districts have not been prepared to move to sustainable, equitable, high-quality learning that occurs largely or in part outside of the schoolhouse walls. The Institute for Teaching and Leading offers consulting services to schools and districts guiding them through the process of developing versatile learning continuity plans that also build a foundation for future-focused student-centered learning. These plans are based on the research and literature that evolved from the extended school closures experienced during the spring of 2020, and they include phasing that allows school and districts to both rapidly and/or gradually shift to and from a remote learning model.
As a result of the nationwide disruption of K-12 education caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, i4tl anticipates that K-12 schools and districts will be seeking to proactively design effective learning continuity plans in the event of another pandemic or other significant events that cause extended school closures. In response to this need, i4tl has developed a set of eight core competencies - Leadership Planning; Technology Access & Support; LMS & Platform Planning; Curriculum, Instruction & Assessment; Professional Learning & Staff Support; Parent & Family Support; Communication; and School Operations - that school leaders must address as the field of education moves from crisis management to proactive planning for the fall.
In order to support this work, the Institute for Teaching and Leading facilitated a Leadership Conversation Series; conversations were led by i4tl co-founders, Dr. Christopher Harrington and Elizabeth S. LeBlanc, and featured national practitioners and researchers in the K-12 and postsecondary learning space. The i4tl team expresses their thanks to the following participants for sharing their deep knowledge and expertise:
Traci Filiss - Executive Director and Co-Founder, Taos Academy Charter School, NM
Tim Broadrick - Superintendent, Prospect Mountain High School, NH
Dave Richards - President of Core2Edge, LLC, MI
Mike Peck - Supervisor of Information Systems, Pen Argyl Area School District, PA
George Fiore - Executive Director, Chester County Intermediate Unit, PA
Cathy Keegan - Superintendent, Milton Area School District, PA
James Bailey - Founder, Leading Learners Institute, TX
Kent Sweigart - Founder and Principal, Sweigart Consulting, LLC, PA
Michael Barbour - Associate Professor of Instructional Design, Touro University, CA
Mark Deschaine - Associate Professor of Educational Leadership, University of Mississippi, MS
Said Elizabeth LeBlanc, co-founder and CEO of the Institute, “It was our intention to provide space for reflection and knowledge-sharing, while also helping document, in real-time, the challenges and opportunities afforded by school leaders’ recent experience in moving to remote learning - and to help plan for the coming months.”
The i4tl team is supporting schools and districts across the country as they are beginning to look ahead to how we will return to school. Most school leaders are planning for a range of scenarios, including improved options for remote learning, phased reentry into brick-and-mortar settings, and flexible hybrid/blended learning models that will allow students, families, and teachers to safely transition between these new ways of learning. The Leadership Conversation Series is free and publicly available at https://www.instituteforteachingandleading.org/i4tl-learning-continuity.
ABOUT i4tl
The Institute for Teaching and Leading is dedicated to helping schools, districts, administrators, and teacher-leaders create more personalized, student-centered learning environments. The i4tl consulting team supports schools in imagining their future goals and making that vision a reality. We specialize in program design, strategic planning, implementation, and program evaluation. We offer professional development for administrators, leaders, and teachers that spans the spectrum of blended learning, customized to meet the needs of diverse schools, faculties, departments, and districts. The Institute’s work in education research helps to further the field and accelerate adoption of promising practices. We work with schools, districts and states to build equity and sustainability in the field of education. Find out more about our services, projects and partnerships at i4tl.org.
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