Friday, March 24, 2017

Our Mission

To improve the learning outcomes and well-being of all children and youth by providing services and leadership in partnership with families, schools and communities.

Our Goals
  • Increase learning growth for students
  • Decrease the gap in achievement
  • Increase annual graduation rates
  • Increase gateways to post-secondary success

Jim Knight Instructional Coaching Workshops Coming in 2017-18

Jim Knight and his colleague Ann Hoffman will deliver instructional coaching trainings throughout 2017 and into 2018. These trainings are offered by Iowa’s Area Education Agencies and therefore, educators and administrators are welcome to attend in any of these locations. 

Knight and his colleagues have identified six essential domains (knowledge and skills) that need to be in place for instructional coaches to succeed. When any of these is missing, a coach’s chances for success are significantly diminished. The domains are:
1.    Understanding how to work with adults
2.    Understanding the coaching cycle
3.    Understanding high-impact teaching practices
4.    Understanding how to gather data and use video as a part of coaching
5.    Effective communication skills
6.    Effective leadership skills and systems thinking (what principals need to know about coaching) 


See this flyer for more information and how to register.


Social Studies Update From Iowa Dept. of Education

Stefanie Rosenberg Wager, Social Studies Consultant, from the Iowa Department of Education provides an update of all things social studies.

Iowa Core Literacy Resources Pages Now Available on Iowa Core Website

This week the Iowa Department of Education announced the launch of the Iowa Core Literacy Resources subject pages on IowaCore.gov under the Educator Resources tab. The Statewide Literacy Leadership Team, made up of members from AEAs, LEAs and Institutes of Higher Education, collaborated to select the content of these pages with resources in the areas of ELA/literacy instruction, assessment and professional development that support all students in meeting Iowa's academic expectations. Please share and promote this valuable resource!