Standards for Professional Learning
Standards for Professional Learning offer educators the latest knowledge and insights to design, implement, and sustain high-quality professional learning.
Standards lead to environments in which educators and students have equitable access to powerful learning.
Hover over and click the graphic to explore the standards in more detail and navigate through the site.
Suggested first steps
This website is loaded with information and tools to power your work to establish, refine, and evaluate professional learning. Follow the steps below or customize your own learning journey.
Explore all 11 Standards for Professional Learning to build awareness.
Read the Essential Reading section to understand how standards shift results.
Choose either a relevant Action Guide or dig into Research to go deeper.
Meet with colleagues to determine your next steps.
Order your copy of the book
Order your copy of Standards for Professional Learning now! Includes the full explanation of each standard, a rich introduction explaining the history and foundations for standards, and a crosswalk to the previous version. Using the book supports individual and team study and ongoing discussions for educators committed to long-term implementation.
The book is $20 for Learning Forward members/$25 for non-members with volume discounts available. Purchase in our bookstore through this link.
Measure your current professional learning system
Whether you are new to the standards or in the process of implementation, Learning Forward's Standards Assessment Inventory will measure your current alignment with the standards, identify strengths and areas of need, and provide you with data about your professional learning system that has never been available before.
Self-paced online course
Ready to kickstart your learning about the standards? We have created a self-paced online course, Introduction to Standards for Professional Learning, that goes beyond the surface of the standards and looks at the key frames that describe the essential content of adult learning; process elements of professional learning; and aspects of the professional learning context, structures, and cultures that undergird high-quality professional learning.
This course builds your knowledge of the standards and how they outline a systemic approach to professional learning, and equips you with the knowledge you need to
- Communicate how the Standards work within a framework to support a comprehensive system for professional learning.
- Explain the connection between Standards for Professional Learning and improved student outcomes.
- Understand how applying the 11 standards in concert creates high-quality professional learning that results in improved educator practices and improved student results.
- Describe how educators in various roles use the standards to improve professional learning.
