During this two-day workshop, participants will increase their capacity to coach and support collaborative teams as they engage in continuous improvement. Participants will learn how to provide the clarity, feedback, and support necessary for teams to grow in the right work, and leave with a plan for implementing best coaching practices in their school or district.

This workshop is focused on the practices and processes that will modernize grading and reporting systems to be more aligned to our standards-based instructional paradigm. By developing a standards-based
mindset, participants will come to see how a seamless relationship between the formative and summative purposes of assessment will maximize the potential success of each and every learner. Rather than being forced through a new policy, grading program, or report card template, long-term grading reform begins on the inside—how we rethink grading practices and processes—and works its way out.

In this two-day workshop, participants will acquire powerful tools, processes, and questions that lead to a deeper understanding of the moral imperative for a collective responsibility. Collective responsibility in a school is essential because it creates a culture where all staff members share ownership for the success of every student. This shared commitment fosters a strong professional culture grounded in collaboration and continuous learning.

During this two-day interactive workshop, school teams will learn Maria Nielsen's 15-day challenge to bring the PLC at Work process to life in their classrooms, schools, and districts using a specific structure and protocol across 15 day cycles.

We provide Leadership Development Institutes to principals, assistant principals, and district leaders designed to teach them specific leadership skills in the areas of the Nine Principles which are aligned with the Alabama Standards for School Leadership and the Alabama Principal Leadership Framework. Each LDI includes content, demonstration, live practice by participants, and an evaluation to determine level of advancement in leadership skills at the end of each session. LDI evaluation reports are shared with superintendents and leaders following each session and used to design the next sessions. Sessions are designed by the coach and the superintendent to help principals and assistant principals and other leaders with specific learning that meets their needs during the course of the school year.

This professional learning opportunity will help administrators learn, assess, create, and implement a culture of character in a school environment. Participants will attend six sessions led nationally known speakers on character along with time to design a school climate plan that will impact school culture. There is also a one day site visit to a school with a strong culture of character for participants to learn strategies can be implemented in their schools to improve the school climate.

This professional study is to assist administrators in building on a foundation of character development in schools to increase student voice and the adult culture to ensure continuous improvement. A book study, three face to face sessions, one on-site consulting visit by Hope Institute Character Coaches, and one site visit to a school implementing character development are requirements of the this professional study.

The purpose of this professional development is to assist school leaders in fine tuning the academic and social activities to increase academic achievement, relationships, school climate, and collective and individual character. There are four face to face sessions and a book study.

The Schools Foundation will host the Principally Speaking Network which will include three face-to-face full day sessions, a book study, and a school action plan. The sessions will feature dynamic speakers as well as collaborative sessions which will focus on leadership, school improvement, and active engagement in schools. Participants will be expected to attend all three sessions, complete the book study requirements, and implement a school action plan to qualify for the full 30 hours for APLDS.

The four days of in person training is for aspiring superintendents participating in the Superintendent's Academy. In the law training, topics include organization issues (federal government, state government, county and city boards of education), student issues, and employment issues. The finance training includes information about Alabama's budget and finance, revenue for school districts, state aid, foundation program funding, distribution of state funds, foundation program calculation, understanding and managing your reserve, IDEA fiscal responsibility, issuance of debt and how to borrow money, the child nutrition program, career tech, and transportation.