Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Professional Development topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
District outlines multi‑year 'Leaders in Learning' professional development plan
Summary
The board heard a presentation on a new coherent professional development system for 2025–26 that uses 19 teacher leaders, three PD modules (data, differentiation, restorative practices), and a plan to scale K–12 and tie PD to classroom implementation checks.
Lawrence Township officials presented a multi‑year professional development plan they called 'Leaders in Learning,' designed to create coherent, district‑wide instructional practice across K–12.
The program on its first year onboarded 19 teacher leaders (three per elementary building, four at Lawrence Middle School) who developed three modules delivered across three district PD days in three‑hour blocks: data and assessment (including Lexile/Quantile frameworks), differentiation, and responsive/restorative communities. The district said it will survey participating teachers after the March 20 PD day and monitor classroom implementation to measure whether the training is reflected in day‑to‑day teaching.
The director of student achievement framed the effort as a move away from isolated, external consultants toward leveraging in‑district expertise, with teacher leaders running sessions, offering laboratory classrooms for peer observation and supporting induction for new staff. The presentation said leaders in learning will be expanded in 2026–27 and could become part of individualized teacher learning plans or credentialing in later years.
District officials emphasized that specialized outside training will still occur where necessary (for example, subject‑specific math or literacy training), but they said the coherent model reduces duplication and ensures consistent access to high‑impact practices across classrooms.
