Creating great schools
Research shows that the single most powerful determinant of
student achievement is teacher effectiveness. It is critical,
therefore, to recruit, hire, support, develop, and retain strong
talent at both the classroom and leadership levels and develop a
dedicated corps of truly exceptional educators.
A relentless commitment to student success
Underlying our Top Talent initiatives are our beliefs about what
constitutes effective leadership and teaching. These beliefs guide
all decisions concerning hiring, deployment, professional
development, evaluation, and promotion.
The resources in our Top Talent program offer a rich array of
tools to support leadership and teacher identification,
recruitment, and retention. Our goal is to develop a culture of
educational excellence where accountability is the norm, continuous
improvement is a shared responsibility, and the professional
environment is collegial, supportive, and focused on what’s best
for students.
Creating leadership opportunities for teachers
EdisonLearning provides opportunities for teachers to grow, such
as becoming lead teachers (heads of small teaching teams),
curriculum coordinators (content area experts), and other
leadership roles. These opportunities keep high-performing teachers
in positions where they have the greatest impact on achievement
while supporting them in their professional growth.
Professional development that drives results
To ensure that new principals are prepared from the outset to
increase student achievement, EdisonLearning offers either a New
Principal Training Program or an extended Principal Fellowship
Program. Prior to assuming responsibility for their own schools,
EdisonLearning principals get the support they need to start
right.
In addition to school leaders, every member of the instructional
staff creates a professional development plan to focus improvement
efforts throughout the year. Intensive pre-service training,
structured coaching, and mentoring, local and regional conferences,
and site-based professional development sessions target teachers’
specific needs to build effectiveness rapidly.
Collaboration, teamwork, and professionalism that benefit
students
All teachers benefit from one daily period that is exclusively
devoted to house team planning and professional development. In
addition, teacher leaders participate in regular school leadership
team meetings that support their growth with hands-on experience
and principal-guided professional development activities.
We apply a standard of professionalism to public education akin
to that of other sectors and thereby reward results, foster a
climate of continuous improvement, and establish a clear strategy
for improving the quality of teaching to maximize student
achievement.