Professional Learning
South Georgia Districts Form Network To Develop Engaging Student Work
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Photos by Sharah N. Denton, M.S.
n the first partnership of its kind, five south Georgia school districts are collaboratively developing in-depth strategies to provide students with highly engaging work. The goal is school transformation. The network, called the Professional Association of Georgia Educators South Georgia School District Network, is working with PAGE and the Coastal Plains Regional Education Services Agency. Approximately 140 teachers, principals and superintendents in the school districts of Berrien, Brooks, Lowndes, Tift and Valdosta City are participating. Through the network, school personnel are developing deep understandings
January/February 2015
of their students and communities—and of each other. Educators are examining exactly “who” their students are, a critical step in developing engaging work that causes students to want to learn, resulting in learning at a profound level. Questions the educators are exploring include: • What factors influence our students’ desire and ability to learn? • How do our students prefer to learn and present their work? • Do our students see links between learning opportunities and their future? • What factors outside of school inhibit or support learning? The professional learning series is
informed by the Schlechty Center’s model for student engagement. “The fundamentals are based on solid research,” says Berrien County Schools Superintendent Danny Hayes. Sessions focus on the core business of each district, resulting in deepened understanding of local needs and district standards. Reaching Beyond Schoolhouse Walls
The PAGE South Georgia School District Network, formed in September 2014, will span several years. Though still in its infancy, its sphere of influence is already widening to include community members beyond schoolhouse walls. In order for school transformation to occur, all stakeholders—teachers, principals, superintendents, parents and community leaders—must all work together, states PAGE Executive Director Dr. Allene Magill. Additionally, to help guide the process, participants in the network are using the PAGE Communities Conversations website at pageconversations.com as a key resource. The PAGE South Georgia School District Network sessions are hosted by Brooks County Schools, under the direction of Superintendent Owen Clemons, at the J.H. Wells Education Center in n Quitman.
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