Greetings from TLA - March 2022

Dear Friends,

As the new calendar year began, so many educators picked up right where the pandemic in 2021 left them: struggling mightily to find the time, bandwidth, energy, and ideas needed to maximize outcomes for their students. 2022 continues to demonstrate why our collective work to tackle enduring challenges of equity by learning, sharing, and connecting is more vital now than it has ever been.

TLA has launched a variety of new initiatives – from our Virtual and Hybrid Learning Strategy Lab to the development of new tools and resources – to support advancement. Key to this has been getting proximate to those on the front line of response and innovation through direct conversations with system and school leaders, teachers, education informers, and an array of decision-makers. These powerful exchanges have reinforced the idea that while disruption has forced significant change to and rethinking of learning over the past two years, our children stand to gain so much if we learn from and hold onto game-changing approaches that serve the needs of students. By facing this crisis head on, we’re unearthing solutions for myriad challenges students faced even well before COVID hit.

The work you’ll find highlighted below are the products of our team's efforts in collaboration with partners and practitioners. We’re working together to make sense of what’s working (and what’s not) to center student learning and advance toward new and more sustainable levels. 

We are dedicated to ensuring all students receive the effective, equitable, and engaging education they need to reach their full and unique potential. As you’ll see below, our team continues to grow. We’re proud to be in a space of development at TLA that positions us to have an even greater impact and bridge the divide that has kept excellent education out of reach for many students. We’re thankful for your support and investment, and excited to continue this work together. Interested in how you can help? For development and partnership opportunities, please contact Jessica Mayorga.

Featured Work

Addressing Unfinished Learning

Last summer, the research and measurement team collaborated with Lindsay Unified School District to help them understand student learning and growth during the pandemic. Though the national narrative has largely taken a deficit perspective, looking at "learning loss," we approached the challenge from an asset-based frame and created a measurement plan to identify where students continued to make progress and grow. After publishing a set of strategies based on our review of the literature and an analysis of Lindsay's learners, we shifted our focus towards the field. 

Realizing that districts across the country continue to struggle with measuring student progress and accelerating growth, we published a how-to guide that district teams can use to examine their own data. We are also building out a Problem of Practice series to help practitioners and leaders to think about measurement from an asset-based perspective, adopt classroom practices to accelerate learning for all students, and identify system conditions to support the process. We think that this work meets an immediate need in the field as schools and districts continue to seek out new ways to support their learners.

Student-Centered Virtual and Hybrid Learning

When students work virtually – on snow days, in online courses, or as part of a hybrid learning model – they are tasked with working through challenges without the added benefit of close physical proximity to a teacher. This requires students to develop new strategies as independent learners, building skills to prioritize and pace their work, access the right content, track progress, and navigate their way to the right supports when they get stuck. In our newest Problem of Practice release, discover the ways in which educators can establish expectations and supports that address the unique challenges of virtual learning, taken from our conversations with real-world schools supporting successful virtual learning models.

New Faces at TLA

At the end of 2021 and into the first months of the new year, TLA excitedly welcomed several new faces to the organization. These new team members – with decades of experience, notable accomplishments, and demonstrated passion for education – will be leading and supporting multiple facets of TLA’s work, from communications and external relations, to research and measurement, to programmatic priorities. Learn more about our newest team members on the TLA Blog.

We're Hiring!

Are you interested in helping to lead TLA’s pivotal work for educators and students? Our organization is currently seeking to fill a number of positions and bring folks who are passionate about education to our team. Read about each opportunity below. 

We’re seeking to hire our first Chief Program Officer (CPO) at a crucial moment of strategic decision-making and growth. Reporting to the Chief Executive Officer and serving as a key partner in organizational strategy and leadership, the CPO will work collaboratively with the broader TLA team and leaders across the K-12 education field to drive shared action and impact. We're looking for a big-picture thinker who is dedicated to driving systems-level change to transform K-12 education. Interested in applying or know a great candidate? Learn more about the CPO role and apply.

We are looking for a Partner, Practitioner Learning. This is a unique opportunity for a mission-driven, emerging leader who is passionate about working with educators, leaders, and the people who support them to capture and share promising practices, cultivate networks for learning, and tackle collective challenges across the field. This position will report directly to TLA’s Chief Program Officer (CPO) leading the Practitioner Learning team’s work to ensure education practitioners can and do access the knowledge and resources they need to transform classrooms through platforms, programs, engagement points, and ongoing dissemination. The role currently has one direct report, but additional growth of the team is planned. For more information and to apply, visit our Job Opportunities page.

Two additional positions are also open, and we invite you to learn more about these opportunities and share them with potential candidates. Explore our openings for an Executive Assistant to the CEO, as well as our Communications Coordinator position with the External Relations team.

Tell us what's on your mind on social media and keep up with our work on the TLA Blog.