Building Capacity to Lead Professional Learning
In recent years school systems have found the need to develop new structures to engage educators in order to disseminate knowledge throughout their workforce. This strand provides understanding, strategies, models, and tools to build and expand the efficacy of collaborative learning and in the process achieve higher student outcomes.

Goals
To provide workshops and presentations focusing on one or more of the following:
• Identifying and using the expertise from within the system to support new structures for professional learning.
• Understanding what a “professional learning community” (PLC) is and how to use it to enhance teacher learning.
• Exploring the models, tools, and resources available to facilitate professional learning.
• Using mentoring and coaching as a means of supporting and retaining teachers.
• Examining research-based strategies for creating and maintaining study groups.
• Using student data to identify needs for professional development.

Criteria
Proposals will be evaluated on the extent that they:
• Align with one or more strand goals.
• Align with state and national science education standards (NSES and Benchmarks).
• Are based on current and available research and issues in science.
• Involve participants through activities and/or discussion.