Duval County Schools has a long standing commitment to providing schools with instructional coaching support, both in the schools and on the county level. The Continuous Learning Cycle (CLC) is an 8 week school based course of study facilitated by Schultz Center district coaches. Cycle studies are framed around a particular school need the school identifies through disaggregation of student achievement data. The focus of the CLC is on lesson development; with the goal of improving instructional practice and student learning. The cycle includes group work and study in the areas of:

Lesson Study provides a process for groups of teachers and school coaches to work together in school-based professional learning communities to not only improve lessons, but to deepen their own understanding of content, their understanding of student needs and their understanding of teaching.

“Originating in Japan, lesson study is a cycle of instructional improvement focused on planning, observing, and discussing research lessons and drawing out their implications for teaching and learning more broadly. Research lessons are classroom lessons that provide an opportunity for teachers to 1) bring to life their ideas about effective teaching and 2) carefully record student learning and behavior and give each other feedback on the research lesson, the students, and on teacher and learning.”
Powerful Designs for Professional Learning – Lois Easton

Through Lesson Study teachers deepen their knowledge of content, pedagogy, and students’ thinking, and increase collaboration with their colleagues in PLC’s. By collecting data on the supports and barriers to students’ learning during lessons, teachers use the resulting information to improve their instruction – not just one lesson, but instruction more broadly.