During the last two years, superintendents have been inundated with talks of learning loss and the need for educators to attend to the social and emotional needs of their students. Oftentimes this conversation has been couched in a negative light or framed from a deficit-based perspective about students and their future. We believe it is time to move beyond this limiting conversation focused on filling perceived gaps and instead renew our collective focus on creating the conditions for high-quality teaching and learning.

As a community of educators, it is imperative that we shift our focus to what we want for our students, frame the right educational questions and, just as importantly, work to answer these questions with strong researched-based approaches. At our January 2023 Retreat, we plan to tackle the following:

What does the research say about the design principles for teaching and learning that are needed for all students to achieve and thrive at high levels?

Understanding our unique contexts by exploring:

  • Beyond the pandemic, what assets, experiences and challenges are students bringing to the classroom?
  • What is the scope of student needs that exceed what teachers can usually support?
  • What strategies, opportunities, and tensions exist to move forward productively to meet the moment and design a system that works for all learners?

How can we create environments and conditions that support student learning and well-being?

Photo by Allison Shelley for EDUimages

How do we build a strong web of relationships among students, peers, families and educators that support learning and growth and buffer students from negative experiences and stress?

We will discuss the role of the superintendent in understanding the research on the effective integration of teaching and learning with attentiveness to student well-being. Thoroughly explore the role of the superintendent in helping to develop the structures, incentives, and supports necessary to build these types of classroom learning environments to scale.