Developing Coherence through Teacher Collaboration

Background

Elizabeth T. Hughbanks Elementary School is a Pre-K to Grade 5 school in Rialto, California, serving a diverse population in a high poverty community. The partnership with Generation Ready began when the principal set up the infrastructure to improve the overall culture of learning for the school. This engagement was the first time teachers in the school had experienced professional learning that was ongoing and job-embedded.

Goals for the Work

The goals for the professional learning were set in collaboration with the Administration team and reflect the findings from the initial observations:

• To deepen Grade 3 students’ comprehension of increasingly complex texts by implementing small group, text-based discussions.
• To increase the volume and quality of Grade 4 students’ writing of informational texts.

Outcomes of the Work

This engagement was the first time teachers in the school had experienced professional learning that was ongoing and job-embedded. The outcomes were:

• Grade 3 teachers implemented small group, text-based discussions.
• Significantly increased student talk.
• Increased volume and quality of student writing.
• All Grade K to 3 teachers implemented a process of taking running records.
• Teachers agreed to plan together.