Lastinger Center for Learning Links
The Lastinger Center for Learning would like to encourage you to make use of the following links to learn more about those engaged in transforming child well-being and learning. Just click on each header to get started.
Active Learning Practices for Schools (ALPS)
This site offers a vast array of resources and tools for developing curriculum units.
Annenberg Institute for School Reform
The Annenberg Institute for School Reform offers an especially good resource section of print and web publications, articles and multimedia packages grouped by topics on equity, school design, accountability and leadership.
Center for Research on Education, Diversity, and Excellence--CREDE
Based at the University of California, Santa Cruz, CREDE assists the nation's population of diverse students, including those at risk of educational failure, to achieve academic excellence. The purpose of CREDE's research is to identify and develop effective educational practices for linguistic and cultural minority students, such as those placed at risk by factors of race, poverty, and geographic location.
Center for Research on the Education of Students Placed At Risk- CRESPAR
The Center for Research on the Educational of Students Placed At Risk believes that schools must replace the "sorting paradigm" with a "talent development" model that sets high expectations for all students, and ensures that all students receive a rich and demanding curriculum with appropriate assistance and support.
Children's Literacy Initiative
The Children's Literacy Initiative works to enhance the opportunity for children from low-income families to enter school ready to learn and, once in school, to be successful in learning to read. CLI works to increase children's literacy skills and to foster a love of reading by providing professional development for teachers of pre-kindergarten through third grade students.
Coalition of Essential Schools
The Coalition of Essential Schools offers a variety of resources through their web site, and sponsors an annual conference that brings together educators, students and others from across the country. The Coalition also runs an on-line community space on the EdGateway at www..edgateway.org. Further, CES centers across the country offer summer institutes, including coaches’ training for Critical Friends’ Groups.
Early Childhood Initiative Foundation
The mission of the Early Childhood Initiative Foundation is:
"To ensure that all children in Miami-Dade County have the community's attention, commitment and resources and, hence, the chance to develop intellectually, emotionally, socially and physically so that they are ready and eager to learn by the time they reach first grade."
The Foundation works with the Lastinger Center for Learning to ensure seamless transitions from early childhood to elementary school by developing powerful channels of communication between and among practitioners.
Florida Association of District School Superintendents
The mission of the Florida Association of District School Superintendents is to assist and support superintendents in providing leadership to ensure that every student in Florida acquires the skills, knowledge and attitude to be contributing members of our democratic society through leadership development programs focused on student achievement, building relationships with business and governmental leaders, and communication and networking services.
Florida Association for Staff Development
The Florida Association for Staff Development, Inc. promotes professional growth, leadership and support for those involved in facilitating learning opportunities for the educational community.
This site offers a variety of educational games, puzzles and curriculum guides.
Harvard’s Programs in Professional Education
Harvard Programs in Professional Education coordinates Project Zero’s summer institute “The Project Zero Classroom”, as well as several other institutes and conferences each summer and throughout the year.
Holmes Partnership is committed to school districts, universities, and community leaders working to create a reasoned and strong voice together for renewal in our nation's schools.
The Partnership is in interested in making a greater impact on teaching practice and policy in each state, accessing the latest promising practices in teaching and learning, generating research that makes a difference locally and nationally, and acting as a powerful voice in educational reform and renewal.
Lesson Study Research Group at Columbia
The Lesson Study Research Group at Columbia provides information, resources, and networking opportunities to the community of American educators who are interested in lesson study.
Looking at Student Work Collaborative (LASW)
Looking at Student Work Collaboratively is a group of educators across the country that incorporate the examination of student work in their practice. The LASW web site was created by this group and includes many helpful resources including information on protocols for investigating student work collaboratively, web links and an excellent bibliography and research section.
This site provides access to numerous mentoring and induction links.
If you are interested in finding information on how to become Nationally Board Certified, please view this site.
National School Reform Faculty (NSRF)
The National School Reform Faculty believes that critical friendships and facilitative leadership are essential to healthy learning communities, adult growth, and student achievement. NSRF sponsors an annual conference for educators interested in furthering their knowledge of and skills in facilitation.
National School Reform Faculty New York
The National School Reform Faculty New York website includes a number of protocols and activities for practitioners.
National S.E.E.D Project on Inclusive Curriculum
Seeking Educational Equity & Diversity, a staff-development equity project for educators, establishes teacher-led faculty development seminars in public and private schools throughout the United States and in English-speaking international schools. A week-long SEED Summer Leaders’ Workshop prepares school teachers to hold year-long reading groups with other teachers to discuss making school curricula more gender-fair and multi-culturally equitable in all subject areas.
National Staff Development Council
The National Staff Development Council views high quality staff development programs as essential to creating schools in which all students and staff members are learners who continually improve their performance.
The National Writing Project sponsors intensive summer institutes and supports networks of teachers engaged in inquiry and writing about their own practice through its centers in all fifty states. Check their web site to locate a Writing Project site near you.
No Child Left Behind Resources
For information and resources related to No Child Left Behind Legislation, please view this site.
Professional Development Toolkits
Professional Development Toolkits is a Department of Education resource site that pertains to educator recruitment and professional development.
Project for Enhancing Effective Learning--PEEL
The project for Enhancing Effective Learning operates as a network of autonomous and voluntary groups of teachers who take on the role of interdependent innovators. The teachers agree to meet regularly to reflect on their practice, and to provide mutual support and stimulation for the processes of teacher and student change.
Coherence is provided by the shared concerns about passive, dependent learning and by structures that allow teachers to learn from and share new wisdom with teachers in other schools as well as a few academic friends. These structures include books, PEEL SEEDS, (the journal of the PEEL collective) an annual PEEL conference, PEEL collective meetings, a range of short courses and in-service activities on this website including over 1000 articles on the database.
Project Zero Harvard University
This research group at Harvard Graduate School of Education offers a variety of on-line and on-site learning opportunities for educators, and an extensive list of publications in the PZ bookstore
PZ Rounds provides on-site learning opportunities include summer institutes and monthly “rounds,” which represent an opportunity to engage in looking at student work brought by participants.
SERVE is an education organization with the mission to promote and support the continuous improvement of educational opportunities for all learners in the Southeast. The organization's commitment to continuous improvement is manifest in an applied research-to-practice model that drives all of its work.
Building on research, professional wisdom, and craft knowledge, SERVE staff members develop tools, processes, and interventions designed to assist practitioners and policymakers with their work. SERVE's ultimate goal is to raise the level of student achievement in the region.
This site is a great resource for teachers, because of its large number of valuable educational links.
Southeast Center for Teaching Quality
The Southeast Center for Teaching Quality improves student learning by shaping policies through developing teacher leadership, building coalitions, and conducting practical research.
The Southern Maine Partnership strives to support the development of schools that fulfill the promise of public education through promoting equity for all learners now and in the future.
SPARK--Supporting Partnerships to Assure Ready Kids
A partner of the Lastinger Center for Learning, SPARK is a national initiative to help communities unite resources to better prepare children for school. Seeking both "ready children" and "ready schools", SPARK ensures smooth transitions to school by aligning preschool and elementary school settings.
The Study Circles Resource Center is dedicated to finding ways for all kinds of people to engage in dialogue and problem solving on critical social and political issues. This site includes profiles of community, student and other groups using structured dialogue around a shared focus, guides and evaluations of study circle initiatives.
Tapped In is a website that brings together educators both locally and worldwide to cultivate a community that supports each teacher as a professional in:
- Planning and conducting learning projects with colleagues and students
- Participating or leading topical discussion groups
- Managing and attending online courses
- Mentoring other educators
- Trying out new ideas in a safe, supportive environment
Teacher Inquiry and Literacy Research Resources
The Teacher Inquiry and Literacy Research Resources site for the Rhode Island Adult Education Teacher Inquiry Project has a robust list of links to web resources on teacher inquiry and action research.
University of Florida College of Education Faculty
Browse here for contact information of College of Education Faculty at the University of Florida.
Wachovia Foundation Teachers and Teaching Initiative
With the help of the Lastinger Center for Learning, the Wachovia Foundation "Teachers and Teaching Initiative" is improving approaches to teaching and learning within high need, urban elementary schools throughout Florida.
WIDE World provides on-line continuing education courses which draw educators from around the world in focused inquiry and learning related to classroom practice.
The mission of the W.K. Kellogg Foundation is to:
"Help people help themselves through the practical application of knowledge and resources to improve their quality of life and that of future generations."
The W.K. Kellogg Foundation has provided the Lastinger Center for Learning and the Early Childhood Initiative Foundation a generous $10 million grant to serve as leaders in the Ready Schools movement.
