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The Professional Learning Organization for Educators
April 2022
What's New with LFTX
Powerful Practices for Professional Learning
Expert facilitators Trish Hinze and Terri Iles will help both new and experienced professional learning facilitators gain knowledge, tools, and strategies for face-to-face, virtual, and hybrid professional learning.
Learn to implement a professional learning framework, grounded in the Standards for Professional Learning, that promotes high levels of learning and retention, and increases learners’ capacity and desire to implement new learning. Course Begins Tomorrow - April 14 ​
New Board Members Announced
Lori Fuller
Teaching & Learning Coordinator
Fort Sam Houston ISD
Dr. Glenda Horner
Director of Professional Learning
Cypress-Fairbanks ISD
Dr. Chris Summers
Assistant Superintendent
Sealy ISD
Earlier this month, Learning Forward Texas announced the appointment of three experienced educators to its Board of Directors. Lori Fuller, Dr. Glenda Horner, and Dr. Chris Summers will replace Laura Aldis and Laurie Vondersaar, who are completing their terms.
Debi Tanton, President of Learning Forward Texas, said, “I am thrilled to welcome these professionals into the Learning Forward Texas family! Their varied experiences and knowledge will benefit our organization as we seek to provide the highest quality resources and learning opportunities to educators throughout the state.” Read the Press Release for more information.
LFTX Blog
Strategies to Optimize Your Impact
Summer is a time for self-reflection and goal setting. Summer also gives teachers and administrators time to think about who they are becoming as a result of their experiences, and to reflect on their developing identities as educators and people. How can we make the most of this opportunity to strategically plan for our own professional growth? Vernon Wright Shares his thoughts about how educators can make the most of their summertime related to their own self-development.
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March Survey Says?
What is your familiarity with instructional playbooks?
An instructional playbook is a concept developed by Jim Knight based on his extensive experience with instructional improvement. It is a professional learning tool and a process used in instructional coaching.
We wanted to know how many of our readers were familiar with instructional playbooks and how they were being used.
70.6% Gold - I have some experience developing and/or using instructional playbooks.
23.5% Red - I’ve heard of instructional playbooks but have not used them in my work
5.9% Green - Developing and using instructional playbooks is a key element of my professional learning work
0% Blue - This is a new idea for me.
Some of the responses to how you are using instructional playbooks in your work:​
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Raise Up Texas initiative
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To identify and clarify high-impact instructional strategies and create a checklist for each strategy. To assist teachers in implementing the instructional strategies and provide clarity for all. In partnership with the Instructional Coaching Group, we created a district playbook and an example in Knights book.
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Campus instructional training and onboarding of new teachers
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Compiling a toolbox for teachers as they create goals for themselves
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Literacy pedagogy
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Instructional Coaching, Behavior Management
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Supporting Teachers, guiding them to utilize specific instructional strategies for specific purposes
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To align our campus on best practices with continuity across grade levels and contents
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We use instructional playbooks with our HRS work.
April Survey
Summer Learning Goals
Summer is a time is an important time of year in the professional learning calendar. How do use the summer months to reflect and set goals for the following year?
Click here to take the April Survey
2022 Conference Updates
Learning Forward Texas Conference Scholarship Winner
Congratulations to Lisa Contreras, the 2022 Annual Conference Scholarship winner. Lisa is the Assistant Principal at Travis Elementary in Lamar CISD. The Conference Scholarship is offered annually to help an educator who wants to learn and grow professionally by attending our conference. The Board looks forward to seeing Lisa at our conference this year. Thank you to everyone who took this time to apply for this scholarship.
Visit the Conference Website
Conference proposals have been reviewed, selected, and added to the conference website. Visit the Conference website and click on the Sessions tab to see a searchable list of sessions. Click on the Speakers tab for a list of speakers. The conference app will launch in May, and you can save your sessions to a schedule in the app.
Stars At Night - 30th Anniversary Reception
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The 30th Anniversary committee continues to plan the celebration of our 30th Conference. We will honor the "giants who came before us" the ones that began the great tradition of meeting annually to network, collaborate, and learn. If you are a former board member and are interested in attending the reception, contact Terri Iles.
LFTX is looking for Conference Sponsors and Exhibitors
Sponsor and Exhibitor information is now available on the
2022 Learning Forward Texas Annual Conference Website.
Click here for Sponsorship Packages and Exhibitor Information.
Regional Affliates
What are Regional Affiliates?
All Learning Forward Texas Regional Affiliates meet regularly to discuss professional learning topics that are relevant to their context and leadership responsibility is shared among participants.
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LFSETX - For districts in the Houston area, including ESC Regions 4, 5, and 6.
The next virtual meeting will be on April 19, 10:00 am, and Katy ISD and Lamar Consolidated ISD will be presenting. Click here for more information about LFSETX.
LFNTX - For districts in North Texas, including ESC Regions 10, 11, and 12.
Learning Forward North Texas will be meeting at Richardson ISD on May 13, 2022.
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LFWTX - For districts in West Texas, including ESC Regions 14, 15, 17, and 18.
Learning Forward West Texas had its last meeting of the year on April 1st. Contact Anna Jackson at ajackson@learningforwardtexas.com to be added to their email list.
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LFCTX - For districts in Central Texas, including ESC Regions 13 and 20. The LFCTX steering committee met last week and is making plans this spring for a launch later this year. Look for more news from the Central Texas steering committee.
Shared Resources
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Asking good questions is a leader’s superpower - The Learning Profession - It’s pretty amazing that one of the most powerful tools you have as a leader is something you’ve been doing since you first started talking.
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A framework for supporting new teachers - Edutopia - Despite the fact that many new teachers enter the field hoping to make a positive impact on the lives of students, data reveals that many don't make it to their second year of teaching. So, what happens between the completion of student teaching and the end of the first year as an official classroom teacher?
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Upcoming Events from Learning Forward Texas
​​Summer Workshop Registration Now Open!
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Contact Lisa Ham, Executive Director, to book a workshop in your district.
512-266-3086 ext. 1
Upcoming Events from Learning Forward
Kickoff Week for Revised Standards for Professional Learning-
Save the date!
On April 25-29, Learning Forward will celebrate the revised Standards for Professional Learning release. Each day will feature an opportunity to learn about the revised standards with a panel of professional learning leaders. (Registration opening soon)
First look: Standards for Professional Learning
Monday, April 25, 3 pm ET
Getting to know Standards for Professional Learning
Tuesday, April 26, 3 pm ET
Congressional briefing: How standards and policy move practice
Wednesday, April 27, 3 pm ET
Standards for Professional Learning at all levels of the system
Thursday, April 28, 3 pm ET
The research foundation for Standards for Professional Learning
Friday, April 29, 3 pm ET
