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From The Director

Raise expectations as well as support for the time we set aside for collaboration

By Stephanie Hirsh
April 2013
In their 2012 Annual Conference keynote address, Michael Fullan and Andy Hargreaves discussed the major tenets of their book, Professional Capital: Transforming Teaching in Every School (2012). The ideas at the heart of their book are the foundation of our commitment to effective collaboration as key to improving schools for students and their teachers. Hargreaves and Fullan write about the important roles of human and social capital in sustained improvement. Human capital is about the qualities of individuals. In the context of schools, human capital is a teacher’s cumulative abilities, knowledge, and skills developed through formal education and on-the-job experience. Many reform efforts have focused on improving just this aspect of capital. In some situations, accountability becomes the primary driver for improvement, while in others,

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Authors

Stephanie Hirsh

Stephanie Hirsh ([email protected]) is executive director of Learning Forward.

References

Bryk, A.S. & Schneider, B. (2002). Trust in schools: A core resource for improvement. New York, NY: Russell Sage Foundation.

Hargreaves, A. & Fullan, M. (2012). Professional capital: Transforming teaching in every school. New York, NY: Teachers College Press.

Leana, C.R. (2011, Fall). The missing link in school reform. Stanford Social Innovation Review, 9(4), 34.

MetLife. (2012). The MetLife survey of the American teacher: Teachers, parents, and the economy. New York, NY: Author.


Stephanie Hirsh

Stephanie Hirsh retired in June 2019 after 31 years with Learning Forward, an international association of more than 13,000 educators committed to increasing student achievement through effective professional learning. Hirsh led the organization as its executive director for the last 13 years where she presented, published, and consulted on Learning Forward’s behalf across North America.


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