Ensure your ARP funds have a long-term impact on teaching and learning
The American Rescue Plan Act provides more than $120 billion to help schools and communities recover from the COVID-19 pandemic. Learning Forward is the leader in helping states, systems, and schools establish a clear strategy for professional learning focused on the social, emotional, and academic needs of students and educators, and ensuring leaders at all levels sustain a culture of collective responsibility that accelerates learning for all students.
Ensuring the success of your post-pandemic recovery efforts requires thoughtful planning and implementation. We help you plan, design, implement, and evaluate coherent systems of professional learning that equip teachers and leaders at all levels to meet the needs of each student and family they serve.
Educator professional learning is the primary vehicle for developing your team’s capacity to meet this year’s challenges, including:
- Identifying unfinished learning and accelerating your response;
- Developing strong mentoring and induction programs;
- Implementing a consistent process of classroom observation and feedback;
- Maximizing assets and resources in your schools;
- Planning a multi-tiered approach to adult and student social-emotional needs; and
- Ensuring equitable outcomes for all students.
We help systems implement research-based strategies to address unfinished learning and ensure that all students engage with grade-level, standards-aligned content and receive appropriate supports.
Systemwide planning
We work with district leadership teams to set a vision for equity and excellence in their systems and establish clear strategies for recovery and reinvention planning. We help systems assess their current state, maximize assets and resources, ensure alignment of your acceleration initiatives, and ensure a commitment to equity and social-emotional learning across your system.
School leadership
We support school leaders who are on the front lines of meeting the needs of each student and family they serve. We help principals plan and implement collaborative professional learning, provide effective observation and feedback, and engage all educators in improvement cycles that create a culture of collective responsibility for adult and student learning in their schools.
Coaching and mentoring
We develop coaches and mentor teachers who help both new and experienced teachers set goals for accelerating student learning, and implement strategies that ensure every student has equitable access to strong instruction and appropriate, grade-level content guided by high-quality curriculum and instructional materials.
Learning teams
We help schools develop true cultures of learning in which data-informed, teacher-led, collaborative professional learning drives student success. We help schools implement a learning team cycle and create the conditions for team learning so your schools have a culture of continuous improvement as you implement recovery strategies.
Learning networks
Learning Forward convenes networks of systems that work collaboratively to build capacity and leadership to create policies and practices for effective professional learning; employ equity-centered improvement theory and practices; support schools and systems to strengthen and align college and career standards, curriculum, instructional materials, and professional learning; and employ continuous improvement cycles focused on proven recovery strategies.
Educator professional learning is the primary vehicle for developing your team’s capacity to meet the challenges of the coming year. Learning Forward's Recovery & Reinvention Planning is a powerful investment of your American Rescue Plan funds. For more information, contact Sharron Helmke, acting vice president, professional services, at sharron.helmke@learningforward.org, or visit services.learningforward.org.
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The American Rescue Plan for leaders of educator learning
Click the video above to see Learning Forward’s Chief Strategy Officer Melinda George and Chief Learning Officer Frederick Brown explain what the rescue plan means for education; how the funds can be used; and how Learning Forward Professional Services can support you to plan, implement, and assess the impact of your recovery and reinvention strategies.
