Matt Micciche, Head of School
Friends School of Baltimore
The world needs what our children can do.

Friday, March 2, 2012

Study Proves that Students Benefit when Teachers Collaborate

The link below gives a brief overview of an important - if unsurprising - finding from researchers at Stanford University.  The article (also linked below), entitled "The Missing Link in School Reform," states that students gain when teachers are given the opportunity to collaborate with and learn from each other.  Close collaboration has always been part of the professional culture at Friends, but we are taking an important next step towards this goal by introducing 8 PLUSS days into the calendar for the 2012-2013 academic year.  On PLUSS (Professional Learning to Uphold Student Success) days, faculty will have 2 hours to collaborate in a variety of ways, all with the goal of enhancing student learning.  We'll share more about the plans for and results of these days in the future.

Overview - http://bit.ly/y5EqNd
Article from Stanford Social Innovation Review - http://bit.ly/wPgPqN