Professional Development

Professional Development

iLearn Schools Professional Development Philosophy

The iLearn Schools’ mission as a school district is to ensure that all students learn. In order to achieve this mission, it is imperative that the district teaching staff continuously learn and develop their capacity to serve our diverse students and their families. Our district believes that to increase the learning of all students and close the achievement gap requires effective professional and staff development.

In essence, iLearn Schools believes that effective professional development:
  • Focuses on and improves student learning;
  • Allows for collective study and implementation of research based practices;
  • Establishes a culture of quality for the work of adults and students;
  • Requires time and other resources devoted to professional learning;
  • Is active, collaborative, reflective and ongoing;
  • Demonstrates respect for teachers as professionals and as adult learners;
  • Is at the heart of continuous student, teacher, school and district improvement.
The ultimate purpose and outcome of effective professional development is to increase student learning. Therefore, effective professional development involves collaborative and reflective examinations of formative and summative assessments, including student work, to understand students’ needs and interests related to rigorous academic learning including academic content standards.

To achieve this challenging expectation, iLearn Schools has developed the following professional development model:

  • The iLearn Schools Summer Institute for Teaching and Learning: This two week summer training institute is offered to newly hired teaching staff members and offers professional learning in school and classroom climate, instructional planning practices and procedures, technology based instruction etc. A modified one week training program is offered during the institute to returning teaching staff members.
During the course of the school year, iLearn Schools offers monthly professional development programs that are either school based (addressing the needs of individual campuses) or district based (addressing the needs of the entire district)
Effective professional development demonstrates respect for teachers and other staff as adult learners. It provides sufficient time and follow-up support for adults to master new content and strategies and to integrate them into their practice. The goals and direction of the iLearn Schools professional development program supports this notion. Our district believes that through professional development, we honor our teachers. iLearn Schools takes pride in being a learning institute that empowers its teaching and non-teaching staff to take responsibility for continuous learning through personal and professional development.

iLearn Schools Summer Institute

iLearn Schools Summer Institute is designed to introduce and train teachers on best practices in instruction, classroom management, the use of technology to enhance lessons and technology as a learning device for students.