At the beginning of his recent Framework for Teaching workshop, educator Duffy Miller explained how administrators could positively impact student learning through the evaluation of teachers’ lesson plans. Life-long learning is one of the educational cornerstones in Garden City Public Schools. “It is essential that we remain current concerning the educational issues we confront and that we understand and utilize the best methods available,” commented Superintendent of Schools Dr. Robert Feirsen.

With this goal in mind, school district administrators regularly attend staff development workshops on a variety of pertinent and timely topics, e.g., just prior to the start of this school year, administrators attended The Framework for Teaching by educator Duffy Miller. As a component of teacher evaluation systems, mentoring programs, and professional development, The Framework for Teaching is used as a tool to improve instruction. Mr. Miller has presented at national conferences with Charlotte Danielson, author of The Framework for Teaching, and has been a national trainer and consultant with Educational Testing Service in Princeton, New Jersey on the Pathwise program, and the Keeping Learning on Track (KLT) program of formative assessment. In this framework, the complex activity of teaching is divided into 22 components (and 76 smaller elements) clustered into four domains of teaching responsibility: planning and preparation (Domain 1), classroom environment (Domain 2), instruction (Domain 3), and professional responsibilities (Domain 4). The Framework may be used for many purposes, but its full value is realized as the foundation for professional conversations among practitioners as they seek to enhance their skill in the complex task of teaching.

Dr. David Markowski, practitioner at The Cody Center for Autism and Developmental Disabilities, Stony Brook University, trained all district administrators with the most recent information about ASD. On February 4, 2010, district administrators attended a second workshop by Duffy Miller, Continuum of Practice: Deepening Understanding of the Framework Facilitating Instructional Conversations, in which Duffy focused on Domains 1 and 3 -describing how teachers can plan and implement classroom activities that promote full engagement in the learning process. Duffy will return for a third session with district administrators this spring.

In mid-December, Garden City Public School administrators participated in an in-depth workshop about Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) presented by Dr. David Makowski from Stony Brook University’s Cody Center for Autism and Developmental Disabilities. This workshop was in response to a New York State mandate requiring training of special education administrators in meeting the needs of students with ASD. Because the district feels so strongly about providing staff development in this area, training was provided for all district administrators.

A State Department of Education Approved Training Provider, Dr. Markowski presented a comprehensive overview of autism, the latest research findings, and shared field experiences which illustrated characteristics of individuals with ASD. At the conclusion of the training, all administrators were required to pass a test in order to receive the state certification of completion.

“We are committed to providing our staff with research-based staff development programs that are aligned with district goals,” commented Dr. Fino Celano, Assistant Superintendent for Personnel. “Through such programs, district educators receive training in proven best practices in the field of education.”