As a director of Constituent Services at ASCD, I work with the best and the brightest educators leading our affiliates around the world. It is a sincere honor and privilege. And this time of year, as affiliate boards begin meeting, reflecting, and planning, I have the opportunity to work with them virtually and face-to-face and support them in their important work. Representing ASCD, I enjoy bringing the collective resources of the world's premier professional education association to our leaders in the field. What I enjoy the most, though, is learning from our affiliates as they share their successes and opportunities.
Here are some examples from the road this spring:
- ASCD and its affiliates have made the successful case for the whole child approach in the national and global dialogue on education.
- The Whole Child Tenets nicely align with and complement (PDF) the Common Core State Standards.
- There are opportunities to meet the needs of teachers and students not already being addressed.
- Educators continue to respond to quality, targeted professional development that meets their immediate needs.
- Teachers are still learning how to understand and implement the instructional shifts necessary to effectively teach the Common Core State Standards.
- Ongoing job-embedded professional development is an effective way to model and apply effective