6 Steps to Improve Teacher Coaching Practices
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Many studies have shown that teachers who receive coaching in addition to instruction are far more likely to implement the practices they learn in workshops than teachers who only participate in professional development courses.
Maximize the impact of professional learning and improve instructional quality and academic achievement in your district or site next school year by following the six coaching best practices outlined in this checklist.
Pivot Learning and CORE can also help you strengthen instruction with our coaching and professional development services. Our expert team of coaches are skilled at job-embedded coaching, individual or small audience support, and blended learning tools to develop your internal coaching capacity, instructional practices, and organizational management initiatives.
Partnering with School Communities to Prepare All Students for the Future
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Beyond High School from Pivot Learning builds post-secondary and career preparation into the high school experience through an equity-centered approach that supports communities as they innovate and transform their schools.
Watch this short video to hear how Oceanside High School and Monterey Peninsula Unified School District have improved the college and career readiness of their students by working with Pivot Learning.
To learn more about Beyond High School and working with Pivot Learning to implement this comprehensive school redesign model, visit our product information page.
What’s new at CORE?
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Check out CORE’s new 3rd edition of the popular Teaching Reading Sourcebook, with content updates and a brand new chapter on MTSS. Assessing Reading: Multiple Measures, 2nd Edition has also been revised with new, clearer test instructions and an easy-to-use format.
CORE is excited to be a reseller of the digiCOACH Advanced Teacher Coaching Platform. They will be integrating digiCOACH into their work with districts and schools to strengthen instructional practice and improve outcomes for all students. Learn more about digiCOACH.
You can learn more about CORE’s approach to professional learning, and gain insights and strategies, in their most recent newsletter and blog post written by CORE President Linda Diamond, A Standards-Aligned Curriculum with Excellent Implementation is Still Not Enough.
Also consider participating in CORE’s Online Elementary Reading Academy, a facilitated online, asynchronous course that starts September 19. The course teaches educators the essential components of reading instruction with clear and explicit models immediately applicable to the classroom.
Check out these on-demand webinars, that you can view at your convenience:
- 4 Must Do’s for Math Instruction, a one-hour on-demand webinar with Dean Ballard, CORE’s Director of Math. The webinar examines all four requirements and share tips and techniques to ensure they are all incorporated into math instruction.
- Ensuring Education Equity & Excellence for Students with Disabilities, a webinar featuring Dr. Michelle Hosp and our very own Dr. Arun Ramanathan, presents a special look at special education following the Supreme Court ruling on Endrew F. v. Douglas County School District RE-1.
- Recent Advances in Understanding Word-Level Reading Problems: Implications for Assessment and Effective Intervention, with Dr. David A. Kilpatrick.
- Learn research-based practices in Supporting Struggling Math Students, presented by Dean Ballard, CORE’s Director of Math.
Resources to Support Your Learning & Practice
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Over the past several weeks, Pivot Learning has presented at several innovative industry events to share insights, practices, and tools with the education community. We’d like to share those resources with you to support your learning and practice.
Linked Learning Convention 2019, Palm Springs, CA
Community-Centered School Redesign
Understand how Pivot’s community-centered design process helped several communities to begin, grow, and sustain deeper learning experiences for school improvement.
Using Design Thinking to Develop Community-Centered Linked Learning Pathways
Learn how Pivot’s change design approach supports designing and implementing effective Linked Learning models.
Growth Culture: A Transformative Approach for Achieving Your Goals
Uncover strengths, needs, and opportunities for equitable Linked Learning programs.
Deeper Learning 2019, San Diego, CA
Deeper Learning for Grown Ups!
Develop a growth culture at your organization in order to foster deeper learning for both adult leaders and students.
Partnering with Our Communities to Design Better Pathways
Align current organizational processes with community partnerships to design and implement successful college and career pathways.
Creating Deeper Learning Environments for Design Teams
Integrate design thinking, growth culture, and equity into your organization’s culture to develop deeper learning environments for both students and adults.
Small School Districts’ Association 2019 Annual Conference, Sacramento, CA
Better Together: Small School Network Towards Continuous Improvement
In partnership with the El Dorado County Office of Education, Pivot Learning’s Rural Professional Learning Network shared best practices for continuous improvement using change design. The Rural Professional Learning Network also facilitates cross-district and cross-county site visits to provide growth opportunities for classroom visits, student panels, and critical friends feedback.
Carnegie Foundation Summit on Improvement in Education, San Francisco, CA
Leading the Change: Using Improvement Strategies to Implement Instructional Materials
In partnership with the California Department of Education and EdReports, the California Curriculum Collaborative supports districts in their work to adopt and implement high-quality instructional materials for continuous improvement and improved student achievement.
Interested in learning more about how we can support your organization? Contact us.
Making the Most of the Governor’s Budget Proposal
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Recommendations from the LCFF Test Kitchen for Aligning Reporting Requirements
Governor Newsom’s January budget proposal outlines plans for a single web-based application that can merge various district reporting tools to increase efficiency and public understanding. Drawing on the experiences of the LCFF Test Kitchen, a new brief offers four recommendations for making the most of this proposal:
1. Articulate the goals and desired outcomes of a single web-based reporting platform to align reporting structures.
2. Engage end users throughout the development process.
3. Foster competition to generate an innovative, single web-based reporting platform design.
4. Create structures and supports to build trust between school districts and their communities.
Through a process that values end users and fosters innovation, we can both support and improve upon the Governor’s proposal, thereby helping to create the conditions for continued progress in our schools and communities.
For more information about the LCFF Test Kitchen, please visit lcfftestkitchen.org.
You can also find the brief and more information about LCFF on the California Collaborative on District Reform (CCDR) website.
LCFF Test Kitchen is a partnership with:
CCEE, CCDR, Pivot Learning, and WestEd.
THE BIG SQUEEZE: How Pension Costs Threaten Educational Equity
Category: Equitable Education Spending
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A new report from Pivot Learning finds that California’s unfunded pension costs threaten educational equity.
California’s chronic underfunding of teacher pensions is pushing school districts into financial distress, forcing them to make painful cuts that will increasingly harm both the state’s teachers and its most vulnerable students, according to a report released today by Pivot Learning. Read more »
It’s Been a Busy Conference Season for Pivot Learning
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In March and April, Pivot Learning presented at several innovative industry events where we shared insights, practices, and tools with the education community.
Linked Learning Convention 2019
Palm Springs, CA
- Community-Centered School Redesign
Wednesday, March 20, 2019, 11:15am – 12:15pm
A practitioner panel will discuss how Pivot’s community-centered design process helped several communities to begin, grow, and sustain deeper learning experiences for school improvement.
- Using Design Thinking to Develop Community-Centered Linked Learning
Pathways
Wednesday, March 20, 2019, 1:45 – 3:00pm
Learn from practitioners how Pivot’s change design approach supported them to identify the community roles and resources needed to design and implement effective Linked Learning models.
- Growth Culture: A Transformative Approach for Achieving Your Goals
Thursday, March 21, 2019, 9:45 – 11:00am
Assess your own organization’s growth culture to uncover strengths, needs, and opportunities for equitable Linked Learning programs.
Deeper Learning 2019
San Diego, CA
- Deeper Learning for Grown Ups!
Wednesday, March 27, 11:00am – 12:30pm
Learn from practitioners how to align current organizational processes with community partnerships to design and implement successful college and career pathways.
- Partnering with Our Communities to Design Better Pathways
Wednesday, March 27, 2:00 – 3:30pm
Learn strategies and resources to develop a growth culture at your organization in order to foster deeper learning for both adult leaders and students.
- Creating Deeper Learning Environments for Design Teams
Friday, March 29, 9:00 – 10:30am
Learn how to integrate design thinking, growth culture, and equity into your organization’s culture to develop deeper learning environments for both students and adults.
Small School Districts’ Association 2019 Annual Conference
Sacramento, CA
- Better Together: Small School Network Towards Continuous Improvement
Monday, April 1, 9:45 – 10:40am
In partnership with the El Dorado County Office of Education, Pivot Learning’s Rural Professional Learning Network will speak to their experience with continuous improvement using change design.
Carnegie Foundation Summit on Improvement in Education
San Francisco, CA
- Leading the Change: Using Improvement Strategies to Implement Instructional Materials
Poster Sessions:- – Tuesday, April 16, 5:30 – 7:00pm
- – Wednesday, April 17, 3:00 – 4:00pm
- – Thursday, April 18, 7:00 – 8:30am
In partnership with the California Department of Education and EdReports, this poster presentation will detail how the California Curriculum Collaborative supports districts in their work to adopt and implement high-quality instructional materials for continuous improvement and improved student achievement.
Monterey City Council to hear ideas to rein in housing costs
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Our recent Crisis on the Coast event held earlier this March continues to bring attention to the homeless crisis in our community. The Monterey Herald mentioned Pivot Learning’s report, “Crisis on the Coast: The Bay Coastal Foster Youth and Homeless Student Populations.“ The report outlines a study we conducted in partnership with National Center for Youth Law about how the region’s soaring housing costs and lower wage jobs has contributed to the growing housing crisis. Learn more about the report and download a copy.
Excerpted from the Monterey Herald
MONTEREY — Cynthia Tiberend has posted a Go Fund Me video asking for help and explaining how the Monterey resident is facing the loss of her home of 23 years and the uncertainty that she will be able to afford a new place to live.
The short video did not explain the reason Tiberend must leave her home and an email to the Carmel resident who posted the page for Tiberend was not returned Monday.
“I’m very stressed, very frightened,” Tiberend said in the video. “I was given to May 7 to vacate my apartment. I might need movers because I may need to move farther away because I cannot secure housing in the Monterey area. I never thought I would find myself in this situation but here I am.”
She is not alone. New findings released on March 15 by an Oakland-based nonprofit called Pivot Learning highlight the role of region’s soaring housing costs and lower wage jobs has on the growing housing crisis. Pivot works with schools to tackle any number of educational challenges. It became involved with Monterey County when it found that 10 percent of students in the county were considered homeless by the state Department of Education.
On Wednesday, Monterey planning staff will present a new report to the City Council during a study session that presents both challenges and opportunities to address the crisis. The report notes both the income disparities in Monterey that contribute to the crisis and the policy measures the city can take to provide more affordable housing units.
Read the Full Story
Free Math Implementation Workshops
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Calcurriculum and the California Department of Education are partnering to offer free workshops this May and June to help county offices, districts, and charter management identify opportunities and strategies to improve their math program implementation.
May 20-21, Sacramento
June 18-19, Santa Ana
The workshops will be beneficial to districts needing Tier 1 math curriculum support as well as targeted support for districts designated for assistance. During the workshop, participants will:
• Investigate their instructional materials
• Consider possible adaptations or supplemental materials
• Plan for how to improve the math program in their schools
Want a preview of what will be covered in the workshop? Check out the Implementation Guide.
Register your team today. Spaces are limited and the deadline to register is May 3rd. The workshop is free and meals will be provided. Participants will need to cover their own travel, hotel, and other incidental costs.
CalCurriculum is a partnership between EdReports and Pivot Learning.
Monterey County’s homeless student population is massive, so what are officials doing?
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The Californian is helping spread the news about the Crisis on the Coast event we held on March 11th at the Monterey County Office of Education in Salinas, CA. The panel and forum discussed the report “Crisis on the Coast: The Bay Coastal Foster Youth and Homeless Student Populations” that outlines the findings of a study conducted by Pivot Learning and National Center for Youth Law. Read the full report to learn more.
Excerpted from The Californian
Local education and nonprofit leaders are hoping to better identify and help homeless students in Monterey County, where about one in 10 pupils qualify as homeless, according to a November study – a number some suggest is low.
Monday, the Monterey County Office of Education and Salinas City Elementary School District co-hosted a discussion hoping to understand the state of education in communities impacted by family homelessness and recommend solutions for students.
Published by Pivot Learning and the National Center for Youth Law, the study “Crisis on the Coast: The Bay Coastal Foster Youth and Homeless Student Populations” found increases in homeless and foster students in Monterey County. The county also had far fewer services for these students compared to urban areas in the greater San Francisco Bay Area.
It spoke to the community's future, said Gary Vincent, executive director of the Epicenter, a local nonprofit serving homeless and foster youth. “If you are concerned about the youth in this county at all, this should be a wake-up call for us and a call to action now.”
While Monterey County had average rates of foster youth within the Bay Area region, it far outpaced other counties in the rate and total number of students experiencing homelessness. Local homeless and foster students are more likely to be English learners and people of color.
“What it did, the bottom line, is it raised awareness in our community,” said Salinas City Elementary Homeless Liaison Cheryl Camany.