Professional Interest Communities Directory

Assessment for Learning 

Website: www.ascd-assess4learning.org

• Allows members to share philosophy, visions, and strategies for developing and implementing effective and balanced classroom and school system assessment programs.
• Communicates with members through a newsletter to share information and resources regarding the critical role of assessment in the learning process.

Facilitators: Robert Hogg, Michael Rulon 

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Brain-Compatible Learning 

Website: http://braincompatiblelearning.org

• Promotes awareness and understanding of how brain research translates into practice.
• Shares information on brain-compatible education through conferences, workshops, and newsletters
• Connects educators with mutual interest in the brain as the organ for learning.

Facilitators: Pauline Stonehouse

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Competency-Based Education

• Help members know more and do more to design a competency-based classroom and competency-based system while sharing best practices, new learnings, and tools for implementation.
• Advocate for a transformative education system that meets the needs of 21st century learners.

Facilitators: Jason Ellingson

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Early Childhood Education 

• Fosters the dissemination of information, knowledge, research, and resources among individuals who share a common purpose and commitment to early childhood education.
• Examines critical issues in order to promote understanding and thinking skills, placing an emphasis on planning and implementing developmentally appropriate practices and programs.

Facilitators: Tim Kinard, Kathleen Fite

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Gifted and Advanced Learners 

• Raise awareness regarding the unique academic, social, and emotional needs of gifted and advanced learners.
• Serve as a forum for current and relevant dialogue regarding designing, supporting, and sustaining effective, diverse gifted education programs and services.
• Support and advocate for equity and access of culturally, linguistically, and socio-economically diverse gifted and advanced learners to gifted education programs.
• Share promising practices and current research in the field of gifted education.

Facilitators: Jaime Castellano, Diane Heacox, Nielsen Pereira

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Global Education 

• Develops and sustains communication on global and multicultural perspectives and initiatives.
• Provides programming and resources for global education and plays an advocacy role in support of the same.
• Provides a vehicle for mutual assistance, allowing members to share information about models and best practices, challenges, and solutions.

Facilitators: Anne Baker 

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Higher Education and K–12 in Service of Teaching and Learning (HEKSTL) 

• Focuses on the connections between higher education and K–12 as they influence preservice and inservice teacher preparation to improve the quality of teaching and learning in schools.
• Informs and contributes to the discussion about "research-based" decision making as it relates to teaching (training).
• Enhances the ASCD value of partnering by collaborating with more institutions of higher education.
• Identifies and develops collaboration models that match the needs of a variety of institutions.

Facilitator: Diane Heacox

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Hispanic/Latino American Critical Issues 

Website: www.fascd.org/hcin.htm

• Commits to enhancing the academic achievement of Hispanic/Latino American youth.
• Serves as a forum on contemporary and relevant issues as related to the education of Hispanic/Latino American youth.
• Strives to narrow the achievement gap and increase input of Hispanic/Latino American educators on relevant educational issues.

Facilitators: Hilda Baca-Fetcenko, Jaime Castellano

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Holistic Learning and Spirituality in Education

• Shares programs, instructional strategies, and research designed to help make students more "whole" in terms of body, mind, and spirit.
• Fosters a reverence for life and members' development of a comprehensive framework for the teaching of holistic education.

Facilitator: Gary Babiuk, Susan Schiller 

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Holocaust Education

Website: www.holocaustnetworkgroup.org

• Strengthens the conditions for a just and humane life in society by collecting and disseminating knowledge and information concerning the Holocaust (1939–45).
• Serves as a forum to further the understanding of the events of the Holocaust by focusing on the historical context and the myriad of instructional strategies requisite to understanding the past, sensitizing students to the causes and consequences of these events, and recognizing the need to be actively involved in preventing future transgressions.

Facilitators: Brian Kahn, Cindy Wilson

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Interdisciplinary Curriculum and Instruction 

• Promotes the development, implementation, and evaluation of interdisciplinary curriculum at all levels of education.
• Helps members share information on integration of cross-disciplinary approaches.

Facilitator: Lois Stanciak

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International Alliance for Invitational Education 

• Members share the mission to enhance lifelong learning and promote positive change in organizations.
• Cultivates the personal and professional growth and satisfaction of educators and allied professionals.

Facilitators: Melissa Cain, Joan R. Fretz

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Literacy, Language, and Literature

Website: www.languageliteracyliteratureascdnetwork.com

• Serves as a resource of professional interests and concerns relating to policy and practice in the language arts instructions program.
• Provides opportunities for sharing inquiry and response concerning mutual efforts in areas of language, literacy, and literature.
• Provides information on materials to teach the arts of language and literature and on application across the curriculum.
• Serves as a reference for annotated professional and children's books and highlights from current professional journals.

Facilitator: Esther Fusco

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Mentoring Leadership and Resource 

Website: www.mentors.net

• Shares experiences with others involved in mentoring.
• Learns from others about their mentor programs.
• Provides a vehicle for mentoring initiatives.
• Promotes new teacher induction training.
• Establishes models for professional development through mentoring.

Facilitators: Richard Lange, Amelia Hicks

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Multiple Intelligences 

• Promotes the use of multiple intelligences as a tool to improve individual instruction and help all students learn.
• Provides a forum for members to share strategies and techniques for implementing multiple intelligences.

Facilitator: Thomas Hoerr 

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Performance Assessment for Leadership 

Website: www.shsu.edu/~edu_pal

• Promotes an integrated view of the educational leader's role.
• Advocates the improvement of educational leadership programs.
• Provides a forum for sharing what works in performance-based assessment in leadership preparation programs.
• Influences planning and evaluation groups, such as accreditation and state-related organizations, to align practice with research.
• Provides opportunities to engage with colleagues in reflective dialogue and self-renewing practice.

Facilitators: Barbara Polnick, Karla Eidson

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Personalized Learning

• Advocating for our schools in meeting the needs of 21st century learners, Personalized Learning is an intentional shift in our approach to teaching and learning. 
• Components of discussion include mastery learning, instructional technology, and flexible learning environments in terms of space, time and pace, so they are student-driven with a teacher-facilitated approach.

Facilitator: Jill Thompson

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Professional Capital 

• Exploring the need for collective action by teachers and leaders to drive effective and long lasting change in our schools.
• A fresh approach to strengthen professional effectiveness.

Facilitator: Pauline Stonehouse

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Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) 

In today’s age of accountability, schools are called upon to increase student achievement. One strategy utilized to improve instruction and thereby increase student achievement is to employ teacher collaboration through professional learning communities.  

This ASCD Professional Interest Community provides a forum for educators to share research, explore the benefits and associated challenges of professional learning communities, and network with others on the topic.

Facilitator: Lori Stollar 

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Teacher and Principal Evaluation 

• A forum for teachers, administrators, professors, and students who are interested in this challenging and important topic. 
• Designed to facilitate communication about this issue of growing national interest and to provide a network of insight and support. 
• Please join us as we share ideas, strategies, and resources.

Facilitator: David Silverberg

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