Today through Friday I'm posting individual reflections from a group call with three current and former Connecticut Superintendents. Grateful to Throughline Learning's newest board member Paula Talty for making these fantastic connections.

Conversation #11 was with Maureen Brummett who is the proud Superintendent of Newington Public Schools. Not only is Maureen the current Superintendent, but she was also a graduate of Newington High School, bringing her full circle.

Maureen approaches professional learning in her district strategically, emphasizing the talent and expertise that already exists alongside conference attendance as a way of expanding the district's repertoire and network. I was particularly excited to hear how Newington is engaging paraprofessionals in professional learning, and encouraging paras to become special education teachers through the design of certification pathways.

"In Newington, our professional learning ecosystem consists of home-grown facilitators, external providers, and conferences to push our thinking and expand our network. When the district calendar allows, the model of starting with a half-day workshop has the best chance of success because we’re building knowledge at the same time we’re giving educators built in time to start applying what they’ve learned.

Since we know 'one-and-done' professional development doesn’t work, we use ongoing classroom observations and feedback cycles to determine how successful teachers are feeling implementing new strategies.

When it comes to group learning experiences, we try to switch things up. Sometimes we group based on interest level, around ability or familiarity with the approach, or we group heterogeneously so peers can push each other.

We’re also eager to include paraprofessionals and other support staff into our professional learning offerings. They have unique skills, needs, and experiences that aren’t always incorporated well into traditional professional development offerings. I’m really excited about the pathways that the talented paraprofessionals in our district can access to become special education teachers."