Helping Teachers Make A Positive Impact

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PVs Notes aD Helping Teachers Make A Positive Impact (NAPSA)—While summeris of- ten a time when students and par- ents enjoy their vacation, it can 4thy ee = te = 4 also be a time for teachers to go back to school. That’s because summeris a key time for many professional development programs that are designed to help teachers meet the ever-changing demands of the classroom. For example, ASCD—oneof the leading providers of professional development programsfor teachers—hosts a number of conferences and institutes around the country to improvethe efficacy of educators. At these gatherings, thousands of educators are exposed to ideas, techniques and strategies designed to improve teachereffectiveness and support the success of each learner. Making An Impact Typically, topics covered at these events will range from techniques for improving classroom performance to strategies for implementing high-quality curriculum. Many believe that what makes these programs stand out is that they have a real impact on educators who participate and, ultimately, their students. This seems to be a characteristic of professional development programs that are considered outstanding. According to a recent study by Scholastic, 85 percent of educators said good professional development programs had either a very Works, Effective Teacher Supervision, and Professional Development and Bullying Prevention. dent achievement. ascd.org. strong or strong impact on stu- uk a Many teachers believe that a good professional development program can have a real impact on student achievement. A Focus on Development In addition to conferences and institutes, ASCD also offers a vari- ety of in-person and online professional development resources for educators of all levels. These books, courses, videos and more aid teach- ers in the never-ending effort to meet the needs of today’s diverse and evolving student population. Promoting Best Practices Founded in 1943, ASCD (for- merly the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development) is an educational leadership organization dedicated to advancing the best practices and policies for the success of each learner. The theme of this year’s summer conference in St. Louis, Mo., is “Revolutionizing the Way We Teach and Learn.” The topics addressed at this event will include 21st Century Learning Skills, Classroom Instruction That To learn more, visit www.