Six Boston Public Schools leaders to participate in prestigious Academy for Staff Developers

BOSTON - Six officials from the Boston Public Schools (BPS) have been accepted into the National Academy for Staff Developers, a prestigious learning experience provided by the National Staff Development Council (NSDC) aimed at improving the quality of teaching and learning in all schools.

BPS participants in the program are:

• Casel E. Walker, Acting Assistant Superintendent for Teaching & Learning
• Khita Pottinger, Acting Director of School Leadership Institute
• Kenneth Salim, Director of New Teacher Support
• George Cox, Director of Center for Leadership Development
• Cathleen Kral, Instructional Leader for Literacy Coaches
• Jesse Solomon, Director of Boston Teacher Residency

This six-member team joins 46 individuals who are members of NSDC's 19th academy. These educators began their work in July 2007 in association with NSDC's Summer Conference in Denver, Colorado and are slated to graduate in December 2009 at NSDC's Annual Conference in St. Louis, Missouri. They join 1,200 other educators who have participated in the extended 2½-year learning experience and have gone on to become recognized leaders of professional development in their states and throughout the country.

"We are very proud that six key leaders are representing the Boston Public Schools in this innovative program," said Superintendent Carol R. Johnson. "Professional development is a critical ingredient in our citywide strategy to improve student achievement, so it is essential that we give schools the tools they need to create professional learning communities that help all students achieve proficiency."

Joellen Killion, NSDC's Deputy Executive Director and leader of the NSDC Academy, said, "The Academy focuses on developing deep understanding of professional learning with the intention of impacting the work of the Academy graduates. Academy graduates gain knowledge and skills to transform the professional learning within their own organizations with the goal of improving student learning."

This extended learning experience models NSDC's vision for professional learning and teamwork in schools. Academy members work collaboratively to learn about and solve significant student learning problems within their school, district, or organization. Participants are immersed in inquiry-based and problem-based learning in order to identify solutions to the problems they and others bring; experience a model of professional learning that exemplifies NSDC's Standards for Staff Development; and construct knowledge and develop skills necessary to transform their learning, their work, and their organizations.

Academy members include district administrators, principals, teachers, and personnel from local, state, and national educational agencies, as well as university faculty, independent staff development providers, and leaders from nonprofit educational organizations from throughout the United States and Canada.

The National Staff Development Council's purpose is ensuring that every educator engages in effective professional learning every day so every student achieves. For more information, visit www.nsdc.org.

4 schools, and recently won the Broad Prize for Urban Education as the top city school district in the country.