No one questions that excellent instruction is the key to student learning.  The question we ask is:  What skills will enable school leaders to improve the quality of teaching and learning for all students?

We realize how critical it is to provide leaders and teachers with the skills necessary to support excellent classroom practice and we also know that this work needs to be thoughtful, intentional, and focused.  That’s the intent of our research-based instructional framework, the 5 Dimensions of Teaching and Learning (5D), composed of the core elements that constitute high-quality teaching.

We customize CEL’s 5D professional development to meet the specific needs of school leaders and teachers.  Some components of this professional development include:

• Overview Session – A one-day training to engage participants in learning about the 5 Dimensions and 13 Sub-Dimensions of Teaching and Learning.  Videotaped clips of classroom instruction, examples of student work, and collegial conversations are used to guide participants as they practice using each dimension as a lens for analyzing classroom practice.

• Guided Walkthroughs – A CEL facilitator leads a series of on-site classroom walkthroughs to help  participants practice using the 5D instructional framework within the context of their own school and district.  Participants gather evidence of teacher practice and student learning to assist in their analysis of classroom instruction and to guide the improvement of teaching and learning.

• Leadership Coaching – Personalized coaching extends the 5D learning and informs instructional leadership decisions within a school and district.  Leaders learn how to provide feedback to teachers regarding classroom instruction and analyze data to plan professional development with a goal to improve student learning.

Unlike most other instructional frameworks, 5D is accompanied by a sophisticated online assessment that measures a leader’s capacity to analyze quality  teaching and learning. To learn more about CEL's pioneering 5D assessment, click here.