Professional Development

“One constant finding in the research literature is that notable improvements in education almost never take place in the absence of professional development . . . every successful instructional  improvement program, curriculum revision project, school restructuring design, or systemic reform initiative has at its center the provision for high-quality professional development.”

Thomas Guskey

The most important research finding that is common to all successfully designed and implemented school professional development programs is that there is a significant increase in academic achievement for all students.  A common ingredient that is also found in these professional development programs is their unrelenting reliance on what is known as the effective schooling research.  This body of educational research identifies and describes the strategies, methods, and practices most often found in effective classrooms, schools, and school districts throughout the nation.  It is common practice for stakeholders who participate in these highly successful professional development programs to be actively engaged in acquiring the essential knowledge and necessary skills, that when applied, ensure all children do in fact learn at high levels.  These individuals are dedicated and committed to learning virtually all the time what it takes to improve their teaching and learning environments.

Educational Renaissance was founded for the sole purpose of providing quality professional development opportunities for those who genuinely care about improving the overall educational effectiveness of their schools and school districts.  Educational Renaissance believes it is imperative that schools and school districts use the effective schooling research when considering and designing their professional development programs and to that end have designed each and every one of their professional development topics and corresponding workshops to incorporate the effective schooling and research-based findings, that time-after-time have proven to work.

Educational Renaissance further believes it is vitally important for schools and school districts to build the capacity to sustain their professional development efforts in order to dramatically impact student learning.  Therefore, Educational Renaissance provides within all their professional development workshops significant time to discuss what will be needed and what must occur for the knowledge and skills acquired to be successfully applied and to sustain systemic school improvement.