• Professional Learning

    The Public Schools of Northborough and Southborough professional learning is designed to develop educators’ knowledge and understanding, sustain growth and lead to refinements in practice. This is a collaborative and iterative process that expands educators’ capacity to improve student learning.  The District’s professional learning culture is built on a foundation of trust, mutual interdependence, an active role by all educators, and a shared belief that improved student learning must remain the ongoing goal of all professional learning.
     
    The following are tenants of the District’s professional learning experiences:
    • Experiences that are ongoing and situated within the educator’s practice, rather than “one‐shot” or “one and done” experiences that may or may not connect to practice (except in limited circumstances)
    • Continuous cycles of doing, reflecting/discussing, and refinement
    • Feedback loops from colleagues, coaches, and/or supervisors to assist the educator in reflecting on practice and determining any changes that may be necessary
    • Data supports the ongoing improvement of teaching and learning
    • External research and access to experts helps support the development of educators' instructional practice and content knowledge
    • Learning about content, balanced with learning about pedagogy

    The individual educator, each school, and District share responsibility for sustaining professional learning by planning and implementing a coherent system that attends to the accomplishment of an individual, school, and District goals.
     
    Professional Development Overview

  • Professional Development Overview - 2021-2022

    In the 2021-2022 academic year, educators will be engaged in two building-based Professional Development (PD) days, a District Professional Development Day, a teacher return day, and six hours of professional development.

    Day 1: August 30, 2021 - Building-Based Professional Development Day (District Welcome, Mandatory Training, and Faculty Meetings)

    Day 2: August 31, 2021 - Professional Development Day (Teacher Return Day) 

    Day 3: November 1, 2021 - Building-Based Professional Development Day

    Day 4: March 21, 2022 -District Professional Development Day

    Day 5: Flexible PD: Converted to six hours of PD to be completed between July 1, 2021, and June 30, 2022.