Learning Forward

Learning Forward
Name	Learning Forward
Type	Professional association
Founded	1991
Headquarters	United States
Focus	Teacher professional development, instructional improvement
Leader title	Executive Director

Learning Forward is a U.S.-based professional association focused on teacher professional development and instructional leadership. The organization builds capacity for educators through standards, coaching, policy advocacy, and publications that aim to improve student outcomes. Its work connects practitioners, researchers, policymakers, and institutions to promote continuous professional learning across K–12 systems.

History

Learning Forward originated in 1991 from a consolidation of multiple professional groups active in educator development, influenced by initiatives such as the National Staff Development Council merger trends and national conversations sparked by reports like A Nation at Risk and reform efforts associated with No Child Left Behind Act. Early leadership included figures who previously worked with state departments and organizations such as the Council of Chief State School Officers and the National Education Association, while partnerships formed with institutions like the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Over time the association engaged with federal programs tied to the U.S. Department of Education and collaborated with research entities such as the American Educational Research Association and the Institute of Education Sciences to translate evidence into practice.

Mission and Programs

The mission centers on strengthening educator learning to advance student achievement, connecting to initiatives led by the National Governors Association and local districts such as the Chicago Public Schools and Los Angeles Unified School District. Programs include implementation supports similar to those in networks like the Learning Forward Network and partnerships with universities such as Harvard Graduate School of Education and Teachers College, Columbia University. Major efforts align with statewide reforms in places including California Department of Education and New York State Education Department, and they intersect with standards work by the Council for Exceptional Children and Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.

Professional Learning Standards

Learning Forward developed a set of standards for professional learning used by districts and agencies alongside frameworks from the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards and the Common Core State Standards Initiative implementation supports. These standards address practice areas familiar to practitioners in systems such as Dallas Independent School District and Fairfax County Public Schools, and they inform credentialing and coaching models linked to programs at Vanderbilt University and University of Michigan. The standards have been cited in policy discussions involving the Every Student Succeeds Act and in guidance produced by the Education Commission of the States.

Publications and Resources

The organization publishes journals, briefs, and toolkits used by educators and leaders, comparable in circulation to periodicals from the Phi Delta Kappa International and the American Institutes for Research. Signature publications include practitioner journals modeled on scholarship from the Journal of Teacher Education and practitioner guides used in professional learning communities found in districts like Seattle Public Schools and Denver Public Schools. Resources have been co-developed with research partners such as the RAND Corporation and referenced in reports from the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development.

Organizational Structure and Membership

Learning Forward is governed by a board of directors and staffed by professionals with backgrounds in state associations like the Massachusetts Teachers Association and national entities such as the National School Boards Association. Membership includes individual educators, coaches, district leaders, and state affiliates comparable to membership bases of National Education Association affiliates and state professional development networks in Texas Education Agency jurisdictions. Professional credentials and certification pathways are managed in collaboration with certification bodies similar to the American Board for Certification of Teacher Excellence.

Impact and Evaluation

Evaluations of Learning Forward's initiatives have been conducted in partnership with research organizations including the Urban Institute and the Center for American Progress, and program outcomes have been studied in contexts such as Baltimore City Public Schools and Cleveland Metropolitan School District. Impact assessments reference student achievement indicators used by agencies like the National Assessment of Educational Progress and are considered in policy deliberations by entities such as the Brookings Institution and the Aspen Institute. Continuous improvement cycles advocated by the organization draw on evidence synthesis from the Institute for Healthcare Improvement and implementation science literature from RAND Corporation and university research centers.

Category:Professional associations based in the United States Category:Teacher professional development