Practice What You Teach: Connecting Curriculum & Professional Learning in Schools

Improving teaching and advancing student learning require weaving together both the curriculum that students engage with every day and the professional learning of teachers. This paper describes the research supporting this argument, profiles three examples of educators integrating curriculum with professional learning, and provides key takeaways for state, district, and school leaders.

The School Leader and Teacher Checklist and the System Leader Checklist are resources designed to help improve outcomes for students by improving teacher development in schools using the recommendations from Practice What You Teach. Grounded in research and the experience of successful school systems, the checklists identify key actions and enabling conditions to prioritize when organizing professional learning around high-quality instructional materials.