If you look through the metaphorical window of Advanced Learning Partnerships (ALP) much of what you’ll witness is ALP consultants working directly with school districts across the US and Canada. Over the past ten years, ALP has embarked upon partnerships of a wider variety with Dell Technologies and state agencies that have armed thousands of teachers with skills and competencies that have positively affected an innumerable amount of students’ lives. The range of purpose of the various partnerships is wide, though all focus on relevant and strategic support for educators, coaching, and administrators in the states being serviced.
Texas
Through an opportunity made available by the Texas Education Agency (TEA), Dell Technologies and ALP serve approximately 300 Independent School Districts (ISDs) as they strive to facilitate equitable, high-quality learning experiences for students in 2020 and 2021. School districts engaged in the Dell Texas Learning Network (DTLN) qualified to participate in two levels of optional professional learning support based on the resources acquired through Dell Technologies. The general level of support for DTLN school districts provided educators with an opportunity to access webinars, virtual courses, Twitter chats, and networking groups designed by ALP consultants with the landscape and nuance of Texas education in mind. Districts who qualified for an additional level of professional learning support commenced with personalized planning and implementation with a team of ALP consultants and Dell Education Strategists. Adjacent to the two levels of PL support available to DTLN participants, districts across Texas are offered an opportunity to learn from experts in esports, student-led help desks, cyber security, and digital literacy as part of the Texas Innovative Program Series.
Idaho
In partnership with the Idaho State Board of Education, the goal has been to support professional learning across the state. At the beginning of 2021, ALP consultants met with a working group of educators to talk about the state’s current state of professional learning. We discussed engagement, hot topics, and the avenues that teachers have for PL. We took the information we shared by the educator working group and created a website and facilitator guide with resources around blended learning, assessment, student engagement, and SEL that was shared with educators. We invited educators who facilitate professional learning to attend webinars to learn about possible approaches to using these resources. A need arose from those webinars for 1:1 coaching and grade-band-specific training, so we offered coaching and workshops over the summer. This fall, we invite district or site leaders, coaches, specialists, and teachers who are asked to lead professional learning (PL) in their building to participate in a cohort, learning alongside each other through 4 synchronous engagements and 1:1 coaching support from an ALP consultant.
Connecticut
In partnership with CT State Department of Education, ALP has worked to engage both individual districts and collaborations among districts on projects ranging from the meaningful integration of technology to systems-level planning and change leadership. You can read more about our collaboration here.
Michigan
The Regional Education Media Center (REMC) Association of Michigan serves the State’s educators through a diverse range of PL options, helping to create equitable, responsive experiences for teachers and coaches that apply research-backed practices and learner-centered outcomes. ALP and Dell Technologies partnered with REMC to design and facilitate personalized, diverse, and practical virtual courses for Michigan Educators. As a complement to the established catalog of REMC virtual courses, Dell Technologies, and ALP designed and facilitated convenient, just-in-time webinars for Michigan teachers, students, parents, coaches, and administrators. REMC also launched a successful micro-credential pilot program. Our partnership allows for this foundational work to reach Michigan educators through a scaled, two-phase implementation.
ALP Across State Boundaries
ALP works across state lines to bring best practices to the forefront and break down silos and barriers to improving practices in teaching and learning, and thus the field overall! The collaborative and forward-reaching practices of ALP consultants and our partners allow for the perpetual raising of bars in our expansive educational landscape.
