"All professionals need to [collaborate] otherwise they are not [in] professions because people don't share their expertise." In a profession that has traditionally been siloed, where walls and doors create natural barriers, how might educators better leverage collaboration as they grow in their practice? As part of an 8-part "Thought Leader" podcast series, join our conversation with Dr. Andy Hargreaves (Emeritus Profession at Boston College Lynch School of Education, Visiting Professor at University of Ottawa, and President/Co-Founder, ARC Education) as we delve deeper into the transformational power of collaborative professionalism. For those who may want to extend the learning evoked by the podcast, the following facilitation guide (https://bit.ly/2v6lRiE) has been developed to help with next steps in deepening the shared learning. This series is brought to you in collaboration with Learning Forward, the only professional association devoted exclusively to establishing and sustaining highly effective professional development for educators. To learn more about Learning Forward, visit www.learningforward.org. myPD Unplugged is a production of the Office of Curriculum, Instruction, and Professional Development in Long Beach Unified School District. 

How would knowing that your students' families were paying $50,000/year for their child's education impact your instruction? How can you reduce your D/F rate by as much as 80% in one semester? As part of an 8-part "Thought Leader" podcast series, join our conversation with Dr. Doug Reeves (International Keynoter, Researcher, Author, and Founder of Creative Leadership Solutions) as we delve deeper into the the relationship between equity and excellence. For those who may want to extend the learning evoked by the podcast, the following facilitation guide (https://bit.ly/31cq00s) has been developed to help with next steps in deepening the shared learning. This series is brought to you in collaboration with Learning Forward, the only professional association devoted exclusively to establishing and sustaining highly effective professional development for educators. To learn more about Learning Forward, visit www.learningforward.org. myPD Unplugged is a production of the Office of Curriculum, Instruction, and Professional Development in Long Beach Unified School District. 

In an increasingly competitive world, grades have become a currency of sorts in education, but do they really measure student learning? What do we do if a student doesn't do any of the work, but aces the final? How are we to respond when a student puts in all of their effort to learn, but fails an exam? How might our grading better reflect their learning? As part of an 8-part "Thought Leader" podcast series, join our conversation with Dr. Thomas Guskey (Senior Research Scholar at University of Louisville and Professor Emeritus at University of Kentucky) as we delve deeper into the history of our current grading practices, their impact on student motivation, and potential best practices to better reflect student learning. For those who may want to extend the learning evoked by the podcast, the following facilitation guide (https://bit.ly/2RiaY5S) has been developed to help with next steps in deepening the shared learning. This series is brought to you in collaboration with Learning Forward, the only professional association devoted exclusively to establishing and sustaining highly effective professional development for educators. To learn more about Learning Forward, visit www.learningforward.org. myPD Unplugged is a production of the Office of Curriculum, Instruction, and Professional Development in Long Beach Unified School District. 

Conversations about racism have become more amplified in recent years and, as educators, we have a responsibility to surface how it affects the systems we inherited and our response to removing barriers to access for all. As part of an 8-part "Thought Leader" podcast series, join our conversation with Courtlandt Butts (Equity Program Manager of Government/NGO Partnerships at the Pacific Educational Group and Leader in the Courageous Conversation TM Protocol) as we consider ways to make conversations about race and racism, both productive and insightful. Listen to Courtlandt's deep historical understanding and comprehensive framing, as he helps educators navigate the complexities of these conversations in education. For those who may want to extend the learning evoked by the podcast, the following facilitation guide (https://bit.ly/2QUzAS6) has been developed to help with next steps in deepening the shared learning. This series is brought to you in collaboration with Learning Forward, the only professional association devoted exclusively to establishing and sustaining highly effective professional development for educators. To learn more about Learning Forward, visit www.learningforward.org. myPD Unplugged is a production of the Office of Curriculum, Instruction, and Professional Development in Long Beach Unified School District. 

As part of an 8-part "Thought Leader" podcast series, join our conversation with Valeria Brown (PD Manager/Facilitator for Teaching Tolerance, Board of Trustee Member for Learning Forward, and Founder of Clear the Air) as we unpack the implications of social justice teaching in public education. Listen to Val's enlightening, disarming, and personal narrative, as she helps educators navigate the complexities of equity in education. For those who may want to extend the conversation evoked by the podcast, the following facilitation guide (https://bit.ly/36EjSjo) has been developed to help with next steps in deepening the shared learning. This series is brought to you in collaboration with Learning Forward, the only professional association devoted exclusively to establishing and sustaining highly effective professional development for educators. To learn more about Learning Forward, visit www.learningforward.org. myPD Unplugged is a production of the Office of Curriculum, Instruction, and Professional Development in Long Beach Unified School District. 

As the nation continues to wrestle with making meaning of college AND career readiness, why does Linked Learning make sense for America's high schools? How can a school that is already working, change to become even better and stronger -- transforming the high school diploma from a certificate of completion to a passport teeming with opportunities? Join Edward Steinhauser (Linked Learning Pathway Coordinator) and Renee Shipman (Assistant Principal) of Wilson High School in Long Beach, CA as they tell the story of their school's transformation from a traditional high school to a Linked Learning College and Career Ready school. In their second full year of implementation, with only half of their student population in Linked Learning Pathway Programs, they offer valuable insights, lessons learned, and wise words to guide others who have the courage to tackle the challenge of preparing every student, every day for an increasingly competitive and shrinking world. 

Grading is a "technical process," but how deeply do we consider the mechanics of a grade? On the current 100 point grading scale, there are 60 degrees of failure, and only 40 degrees of passing. In the words of Dr. Thomas Guskey, "A grading scale in which two-thirds of the designated levels describe failure also implies that degrees of failure can be more finely distinguished than degrees of success" (On Your Mark, 28). Does this make intuitive sense, let alone, is it a fair assessment of learning? Join us for Part 2 of our discussion with Dr. Chris Lund (Assistant Superintendent of Research and School Improvement, LBUSD) as we unpack the mechanics of a scaled grading, as an alternative to the traditional grading scale. Could we be on the threshold of better representing student learning in a grade?

Do our grades tell the story of student achievement, progress, or learning that we want them to tell? Who is the audience for our grades? Why does it matter? Join Dr. Chris Lund, Assistant Superintendent of Research and School Improvement in Long Beach Unified, in Part 1 of a 2-part series, as he challenges us to consider our conventional wisdom around current grading practices. Using Dr. Guskey's work around grading as an anchor, listen in and see how we might better help our students "make the grade."

As the single most powerful lever in improving student achievement (1.57 Effect Size), collective efficacy holds a critical role in closing the achievement gap. In Part 2 of this series, three educators dig more deeply into the "mechanics" of building collective efficacy. Listen in on Jennifer Crockett, Kim Duenas, and Amy Pendray of LBUSD as they discuss the enabling conditions, intentional actions, and developed beliefs that nurture powerful instructional teams that engage in rich cycles of team learning. 

According to Dr. Hattie, collective efficacy (the belief that together we are responsible for and are able to positively impact student learning) is the single most powerful lever in increasing student achievement, overcoming even socio-economic factors in education. Effective instructional teams (any team that meets regularly for the purpose of learning together to increase student achievement) embody a culture of collective efficacy leading to a focus on improving common instructional practice resulting in increased student achievement for all. Listen to Jennifer Crockett, Kim Duenas, and Amy Pendray of Long Beach Unified discuss their learning about what makes collective efficacy such a powerful force.