One of the biggest takeaways was understanding the importance of shifting from passive learning to active application. By providing teachers the space to experiment, reflect, and refine, we encourage genuine growth.

The Why

This presentation was born from my personal and professional evolution as an educator. Over the past 17 years, I’ve taught in a variety of settings—self-contained Kindergarten, testing grades, and most recently 2nd grade ELAR and Social Studies. I recently served as the Early Childhood Lead Teacher at the University of Texas Elementary School, a small PreK–5 public charter affiliated with the UT Austin College of Education. This year, I’m stepping into a new role as our campus Reading Interventionist and Literacy Coach, with the responsibility of supporting Tier 3 instruction and facilitating much of the school’s professional learning.

My call to action comes from lived experience. I’ve sat through professional development that didn’t connect, didn’t challenge, or didn’t last. Too often, PD has felt like a checkbox instead of a catalyst. However, my exposure to AVID’s learning philosophy—especially during their national conferences—planted the seed for change. AVID emphasized moving away from “sit and get” PD, instead modeling what learning should look like for both students and adults.

That seed grew roots this summer when I attended the Solution Tree PLC Conference. It clarified my belief that sustainable school change hinges on strong teacher collaboration and purposeful learning. With UTES under pressure from low STAAR scores, our path forward must involve more than urgency—we need alignment, modeling, and ownership. This presentation reflects the urgency of our situation and the belief that teachers deserve better support.

The What

To create this call to action, I built a slide deck in Canva structured around Nancy Duarte’s storytelling model, especially her Sparkline strategy: balancing “what is” with “what could be.” The presentation identifies the gaps in traditional PD and contrasts them with a vision of authentic, embedded, and impactful learning that mirrors what we want for students.

The presentation outlines five key principles of effective professional learning (Gulamhussein, 2013), applies our campus’s real-time systems (DIBELS, IXL, DMAC), and speaks directly to the expectations for data-driven instruction at UTES. Each slide is aligned to what teachers are experiencing—and what they could experience—if we shift to a “Go and Show” PL model.

This presentation is intended for my school’s leadership team, teacher leaders, and district partners. It's designed not just to share ideas, but to create momentum for action in the 2025–2026 school year.

The How

I used Canva to build a visually cohesive and accessible presentation. The narrator script was written to sound authentic and conversational, integrating real stories, research, and campus initiatives. I used color, imagery, and layout to support Duarte’s advice on visual storytelling.

All references are cited in APA format and linked in my ePortfolio along with my narrated slide deck, BHAG & 3-Column Table, and full PL outline.

This wasn’t just an academic assignment—it was a leadership step. I’m not just preparing to lead professional learning. I’m preparing to change how it’s done.