Learning Labs Blog & Forums
Investing in Teachers, School Outcomes, and Children
by Alyson Adams
The Issue: A common theme we hear throughout the Learning Labs community is a lack of resources to support the higher learning of early childhood teachers and the need to retain outstanding teacher leaders. One innovative solution involves providing full scholarships to teachers seeking a master’s or specialist degree in education while simultaneously retaining teachers and building quality learning environments for…
A Life’s Purpose: Affordable Care and Education for All Children
by Dave Lawrence
Measurable success, enduring success is particularly difficult when you are trying to build a “movement” for all children. Niccolo Machiavelli, wrote in “The Prince” a half-millennium ago: “There is nothing more difficult to conduct, or more uncertain of success, than to take the lead in the introduction of the new order of things.” For me “the new order of things” means…
QRIS: Improving the Quality of Childcare
by Jesse Leinfelder
Quality Rating Improvement Systems (QRIS) are emerging in many states as the solution to raising quality in the market-based child care industry. Are you offended by the term “industry” applied to early care and education? Many policy makers and agency leaders think of child care like public school—but it is not! The only “public” child care programs are federally-funded Head Start…
Leading for Racial Equity Institute
by Don Pemberton
Educational, community and philanthropic leaders explored the personal dimensions of racial equity during the Leading for Racial Equity Institute, held Dec. 15-17, 2009, in Miami, Fla. Sponsored by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation and hosted by the Florida Learning Labs partners, the institute also engaged participants to identify and eliminate racial structural barriers. Participants included Learning Lab representatives from Mississippi, Hawai‘i and…
Nurturing Communities of Practice in Your Neighborhood
by Pete Bermudez
The Thrive by Five (TBF) Communities of Practice (CoP) Institute was held on November 3-5 at the Edgewater Hotel in Seattle, Washington. The institute was designed to train parent educators and other early learning professionals to facilitate CoPs in their respective organizations. A total of 21 participants representing 13 organizations including a team from the Mississippi Center for Education Innovation (MCEI)…
Lastinger Center Partner School Principal Institute
by Philip Poekert
The Lastinger Center for Learning at the University of Florida just finished holding a leadership institute for 38 principals from across the state of Florida. Collier, Duval, Miami-Dade, and Pinellas Counties were represented at the event, which was held in the St. Petersburg area. Over the day and a half event, principals came together to examine their views of master teachers,…
Early Childhood Curriculum Learning Communities
by Philip Poekert
Ready Schools Miami and the Early Learning Coalition of Miami-Dade/Monroe recently embarked on an effort to improve the implementation of early childhood curricula, targeting the HighScope and Creative Curriculum. Over 40 childcare centers across the county began participation on September 29, 2009. The project combines rigorous curriculum training provided by national curriculum experts with learning community facilitation techniques designed to maximize…