Forest Hills presents 2024–25 districtwide professional development plan

Director of Instructional Services Kim Van Antwerp presented the Forest Hills Public Schools 2024–25 districtwide professional development plan to the Curriculum Committee on Sept. 11, 2024. She said the plan “is based on staff feedback, district goals, differentiation, and the limitation of staff being out of the classroom.”

The plan includes targeted training for teachers new to the district before the school year begins, with sessions covering Cultural Quotient (Cultural Intelligence), restorative practices, and CPR/First Aid. Committee member Kristen Covelle asked specifically about training for new teachers; Van Antwerp described a format intended to capture staff early in their careers while reducing time away from instruction and to steadily increase the number of staff trained over time through support from instructional coaches.

The committee discussed embedding professional development through instructional coaches to sustain training and noted there are additional group professional development events across schools beyond the districtwide plan. No formal board action on the plan is recorded in the transcript; the presentation was a review for committee consideration.