INSTRUCTIONAL PRACTICE

Research indicates that high-quality teacher induction programs improve teacher retention, save district resources, and accelerate development of early career educators, particularly those who have been emergency certified. EDUTAS uses proven new teacher induction strategies to build individual capacity and establish a support network for early career educators. One of the most influential components of an effective teacher induction program is the mentoring relationship. EDUTAS can either train district staff members for successful mentoring relationships or arrange for trained external mentors to support early career educators.

EDUTAS also offers instructional leadership coaching, mentoring, and professional learning for assistant principals and new administrators. Learn more.

EDUTAS embraces the Visible Learning approach to teaching and learning grounded in Professor John Hattie’s research. EDUTAS staff and partners guide teams of teachers and instructional leaders to identify and use high-leverage instructional strategies and organizational elements to enhance student experiences.  We partner with certified consultants to provide Foundations of Visible Learning and Visible Learning for Literacy and Math.

Students, teachers, and educational leaders all benefit from accurate information about student learning trajectories, curriculum efficacy, and intervention progress. Data-driven instruction is a process by which this information is readily available for collective and individual decisions about next steps in teaching and learning. Based on Paul Bambrick-Santoyo’s Driven by Data: A Practical Guide to Improve Instruction, our data module guides educator teams to identify, represent, and use data consistently to make high quality educational choices.

Engaging instructional practices are crucial for student learning. EDUTAS provides professional development on evidence-based, high-engagement, low-preparation instructional strategies for all students. Professional learning sessions are structured to introduce the strategies through hands-on experience and participation in the strategies. Because these strategies are low-prep, teachers can begin using them in the classroom the very next day!

EDUTAS provides Strategic Instructional Planning and Design focused on standards-based lessons, units, and courses. With decades of successful classroom, leadership, and administrative experience, our team facilitates collaborative development of engaging and rigorous instructional plans.

To learn more about Curriculum Mapping, which is one component of Designing Instruction, please visit our Archived KnowledgeBase.

Rooted in the seminal work of Dr. Robert Marzano, EDUTAS’s professional development on academic vocabulary instruction supports building students’ background knowledge and concept attainment. Professional learning experiences provide practice in the six-step process for teaching vocabulary and demonstrate a variety of engaging instructional strategies to reinforce terms and concepts.

EDUTAS facilitates learning opportunities focused on evidence-based, culturally-responsive strategies for parents, coaches, and teachers of English learners (ELs). EDUTAS offers two signature programs developed by Dr. Rosie Garcia-Belina: (1) The English as a Second Language (ESL) Coaching Model develops coaches of classroom teachers who serve English learners. (2) Parents Advancing Readiness for Educational Success (PADRES) engages and trains school district parent liaisons and parents of EL students.

To learn more about improving the educational experience of English Learners and the requirements under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), please visit our Archived Knowledge Base.

Social and emotional health impacts individual student learning experiences. EDUTAS provides community-based professional learning opportunities and tools for teachers, administrators, and other adults to develop the whole child. EDUTAS leans on current social emotional learning research, including development of cognitive, metacognitive, social emotional, and motivational competencies, to combat bullying, redress trauma, and build student self-efficacy.

Collective teacher efficacy is the number one influence on student learning as identified by Dr. John Hattie. EDUTAS partners with internationally recognized thought leaders Dr. Jenni Donohoo and Dr. Peter DeWitt to establish and sustain school cultures rooted in collaborative leadership and collective teacher efficacy. This practice enables rigorous learning and accelerated growth for students.

Knowing exactly what students understand and what they need to learn next is a key component of instructional practice, particularly in classrooms with a personalized learning approach. Our formative assessment work is informed by Margaret Heritage’s research and practical approach to formative assessment in classroom instruction. “Formative assessment is an on-going assessment process integrated into instruction. In formative assessment, teachers gather and respond to evidence of student learning in relation to the learning goals during the course of instruction” (Center for Standards and Assessment Implementation). EDUTAS experts and partners lead educator teams to identify learning intentions and success criteria, prepare for formal and informal evidence gathering, and respond to student learning.

To learn more about Classroom Assessments, please visit our Archived Knowledge Base.

In the midst of a multitude of initiatives and educational system changes, it is important for schools to maintain focus on student outcomes. EDUTAS assists school teams in analyzing data, prioritizing needs, and identifying schoolwide strategies to address one high-leverage instructional priority aligned to the school’s vision, mission, and philosophy. The Schoolwide Instructional Focus provides coherence among multiple initiatives and frames the ongoing work of professional learning communities and collaborative teacher teams.

EDUTAS partners with Focused Schools, founders and authors of The Power of Focusand Focused Schools.

Dr. Jim Knight and Dr. John Hattie agree that both students and educators benefit from feedback as they are learning and honing new skills. EDUTAS leads educators to engage in meaningful dialogue with one another and with their students as partners in identifying best practices and next steps for accomplishing learning and instructional goals. Actionable, specific feedback, focused on evidence of learning enhances interactions between teacher and student, administrator/coach and teacher, and teacher peers that accelerate learning.

Contact us for early literacy resources and processes. We partner with the Center on Early Childhood Professional Development and other subject matter experts, coaches, and authors to create impactful professional development opportunities customized to your needs. Our joint work is focused on developing knowledge and skills of educators and parents of young children. We often share early literacy resources on the EDUTAS Facebook page.