Summer Spotlight: Closing the Achievement Gap

During the summer many educators take the opportunity to develop their skills through professional development opportunities. More than 1500 educators come to the HGSE campus every summer to participate in a professional education experience. Programs in Professional Education offers a variety of leadership development opportunities tailored to K–12 and higher education leaders. The programs not only let you recharge and connect with like-minded individuals, but they also show you how to apply what you learn directly to your work for years to come. There are still a limited number of openings this summer. Learn more about how you can develop your skills through Programs in Professional Education.

One of PPE’s programs this summer is Closing the Achievement Gap: Strategies for Excellence with Equity — being held on campus June 29 – July 3. The goal of the program is to help educators learn how to raise achievement levels for all students — while narrowing the gaps between groups — by increasing teacher, student and family engagement. School leaders and other educators including superintendents, assistant superintendents, directors of curriculum and instruction, principals, assistant principals, teachers, and teacher leaders, are encouraged to enroll, as are teams of educators from the same community.

Senior Lecturer Ronald Ferguson, faculty director of the Achievement Gap Initiative at Harvard University, is faculty chair of Closing the Achievement Gap. In this edition of the EdCast, he discusses what participants can expect from attending next month's institute.

About the Harvard EdCast 

The Harvard EdCast is a weekly series of podcasts, available on the Harvard University iTunes U page, that features a 15-20 minute conversation with thought leaders in the field of education from across the country and around the world. Hosted by Matt Weber, the Harvard EdCast is a space for educational discourse and openness, focusing on the myriad issues and current events related to the field.