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Quality Teaching Makes the Difference

What schools do matter enormously.  And what matters most, in fostering student achievement, is quality teaching.  Educators, parents, civic leaders and policy makers are demanding that all students meet challenging, rigorous standards of performance.  At the same time, the landscape of many classrooms has become increasingly diverse, characterized by students with multiple performance levels and a variety of social and emotional needs.  As these two realities converge, highlighting the need for teachers who can make a difference, a third issues arises:  a shortage of quality teachers.

In the March 2001 issue of Educational Leadership, it is suggested that in order to prepare students to meet these high standards, "We must convert our educational system from a filter that screens some children out, to a pump that propels all children forward" (Johnson and Taylor, p. 55).  This workshop will examine teaching practices that address this goal.  Participants will explore what quality teaching is, brain based teaching strategies that foster student learning, and organizational practices that inspire, promote and sustain quality teaching.  Workshop participants will leave the session having experienced models of quality teaching, with a handout of practical resources they can use immediately.