District 204 stressing lifelong learning

Indian Prairie Unit District 204 has outstanding teachers who believe in lifelong learning.

It is this type of philosophy that serves as the bedrock for the success in what we do in teaching our students. So what is "lifelong learning?"

In education, there is different jargon used to define how teachers pursue lifelong learning. It includes professional development, human resource development, teacher training, staff development or even in-service education. We commonly use the terms professional development and/or staff development in our district.

Now that we know what it is, what does lifelong learning look like for our staff?

Some of Indian Prairie's traditional models of staff development include after-school classes. Indian Prairie offers a large number of courses from which teachers can choose, including topics that range from how to use technology to enhance student learning, to specific classes that engage support staff and teachers in strategies to facilitate learning for the variety of students we serve.

In addition to the more traditional after-school classroom approach, educators today are able to experience professional development opportunities through graduate programs at local colleges and universities, online learning opportunities, as well as in-building opportunities for collegial learning.

Regardless of the approach, increased student achievement is always the goal of professional learning for educators.

By forming "learning communities" that include district-level administrators, principals and teachers, we are truly expanding our definition of professional development. We now see lifelong learning that involves teachers planning and revising lessons together, walk-through data analysis to increase student engagement, teachers coaching other teachers, teachers observing one another, site visits to other schools, and using online technologies that allow teachers to interact with other teachers from across the globe. The goal is every educator learning every day to improve student achievement.

While it isn't a new initiative, the impact of the No Child Left Behind legislation also plays an important role in how we address lifelong learning efforts in our schools.

This legislation addresses how schools work with each student to elevate their academic performance from "below" to "meets" or, equally important, from "meets" to "exceeds." Currently our teachers use School Improvement Days to examine student data, determine best practices, and refine curriculum among teaching teams, departments and across grade levels to meet our school improvement goals.

If we are to raise the achievement expectations of our students, we must identify ways to support our teachers via professional development opportunities.

Does lifelong learning work? While it is important to have teachers believe in lifelong learning, it is equally important to see the difference in how we positively impact student learning. We are on the right path with identifying best practices for teaching our teachers and exploring ways to provide more opportunities to encourage targeted professional development that provides lasting results for students.

Our teachers' enthusiasm about learning is evident in their teaching and in preparing all students to be lifelong learners. At its most fundamental level, it's really all about the kids.

• Stephen Daeschner is superintendent of Indian Prairie Unit District 204. His column appears monthly in Neighbor.