In striving to increase childhood literacy rates, The Windward Institute remains committed to providing renowned professional development and expanding upon the expertise of The Windward School.

This month, The Windward Institute team shares resources about effective professional development and instructional pedagogy from the classrooms at The Windward School. We invite you to read the highlighted resources to learn more about what the research says about effective professional development and translatable classroom practices. These resources illustrate the practices and pedagogy of The Windward School and better inform the broader educational community.

1. Writing Next: Effective Strategies to Improve Writing of Adolescents in Middle and High Schools (Graham & Perin, 2007).

Writing Next: Effective Strategies to Improve Writing of Adolescents in Middle and High Schools (Graham & Perin, 2007), commissioned by the Carnegie Corporation of New York, examines the research supporting eleven strategies to boost student writing skills. The Writing Next (2007) report has informed The Windward School proven methodology and provides a research-based understanding of the expository writing instruction courses and workshops offered by The Windward Institute.

2. Every Child Reading: A Professional Development Guide (Learning First Alliance, 2000).

The Windward School offers unmatched professional development for its faculty and staff through The Windward Teacher Training Program (WTTP). The Windward Institute expands upon the commitment of the School to provide renowned professional development for the broader community while leveraging the expertise cultivated in Windward’s faculty and leadership.

The Early Child Reading: A Professional Development Guide (Learning First Alliance, 2000) identifies key pillars for successful professional development including:

• Whole school commitment
• Coherence of content, pedagogy, and professional development
• Strong leadership in modeling the commitment to research-based practices and curriculum, diverse resources, and invest in professional development
• Shared expertise and collaboration through modeling, mentoring, and professional learning communities
• Investment of time and resources

3. Beyond PD: Teacher Professional Learning in High-Performing Systems (Jensen, Sonneman, Roberts-Hull & Hunter, 2016).

The 2016 report commissioned by the National Center on Education and Economy further illustrates the power of effective professional learning. While the Learning First Alliance (2000) outlines standards of professional development, Jensen and colleagues (2016) demonstrate the applicability and scalability of high-performing professional development programs in action.