The Department of Teaching & Learning supports the development of educational excellence by providing leadership in instructional initiatives, high-quality programs, equitable practices, and proactive human resource development. Our mission is to provide resources and programs that actively engage all members of the school community in continuous professional growth, designed to increase the success of all students.

EQUITY AND SCHOOL CLIMATE

All students must feel support and belonging to do their best. We know that the culture of a building effects the students' and teachers' relationships, the ability to make positive changes, motivation, and common practices. Through building the capacity in buildings to address culture and climate through an equity lens, we help build a culture where all students belong.

INCLUSIVE PRACTICES

We believe inclusive education should not just be viewed as a legal requirement, but as a positive and beneficial practice for all diverse learners. Through supporting inclusive school cultures and meaningful academic content, we foster belonging, self-esteem, and confidence for complex learners, ultimately setting them up for life-long success.

LOW INCIDENCE

When teams have high expectations for students with complex needs, they demonstrate skills and knowledge well above what has been previously assumed. Without the proper systems and supports, though, students suffer. Through working to build capacity of staff, we help to level the playing field and enable access to the general education curriculum 

MTSS ACADEMIC

As a framework, MTSS Academics facilitates the effective collaboration of adults to meet the needs of ALL students. Through increasing administrators' capacity for implementing MTSS and ensuring districts have effective systems for intervention, we help to ensure students with the highest needs have an efficient, responsive, and data-informed system that offers appropriate strategies for high-quality grade level content.

MTSS BEHAVIOR

Through providing administrators, teachers, and support staff the tools they need to be proactive and successful in a tiered approach for responding to behavior, we can assist in building positive relationships, creating a sense of belonging, and a positive climate that contributes to higher attendance, increased academic success, and fewer discipline referrals. 

SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT

All schools can benefit from developing an annual improvement plan - including, but not limited to, those schools identified by PDE as TSI, A-TSI, or CSI. Using data, we can help facilitate the processes for ongoing school improvement that ensures equity and creates an inclusive environment. 

STEM

By supporting a diverse, well-prepared, and high-quality STEM teaching workforce, we encourage long-term student participation in STEM by increasing its visibility, relevance, connections to the real-world, and community and global challenges. When we foster student exposure and provide opportunities to explore STEM-related concepts, we give them the opportunity to develop a passion and bridge the race, ethnic, and gender gaps present in many STEM fields.