Investing in the expertise of our educators and staff through high quality professional development is a key strategy in pursuit of our mission of Excellence, Equity, Engagement, and Enrichment for every student.
This summer new and seasoned teachers and instructional staff took advantage of a series of workshops focused on:
- mastering the Common Core,
- delving into the new science standards,
- instructional strategies for English learners, as well as
- foundational knowledge for infusing culturally responsive practices with students, families, and co-workers.
The range of summer learning opportunities is displayed in the chart below.
Beyond the list of what’s offered in-house, many of our educators and specialized staff also participated in seminars, workshops, and retreats this summer to hone their skills and to share best practices with others. This team of Berkeley educators (pictured below) were engaged in a five-day institute at Harvard: Closing the Achievement Gap: Strategies for Excellence with Equity. The goal of the institute is for Harvard faculty to share research-based practices with school district leaders to ensure that with excellence comes equity.

Date | Professional Development Opportunities for Berkeley Teachers & Instructional Staff |
June 16, 17, & 18 | Cultural Competency Foundational Academies – Three full-day academies that will provide participants with foundational knowledge for infusing culturally responsive practices into their work with students, families, and co-workers |
June 23, 24, & 25 | Cultural Competency Foundational Academies – Three full-day academies that will provide participants with foundational knowledge for infusing culturally responsive practices into their work with students, families, and co-workers |
June 15 | NGSS 6th Grade Planning – Planning for implementation of NGSS Standards |
June 15-19 | Constructing Meaning Advance Summer Institute – BHS |
June 22-26 | Leveled Literacy Intervention Training |
June 15-19 | Systematic English Language Development – Train the Trainer |
June 25 & 26 | High School Math – Mathematics Vision Project Trainers |
June 29 & 30 | High School Math – Planning and Collaboration for using new curriculum |
August 26 | Middle School Common Core Math Curriculum Planning, 6th, 7th, & 8th – Creating an engaging, differentiated curriculum with A Story of Ratios (Common Core Math curriculum), technology integration, English Learner and equity strategies, and including planning, module debrief, and reviewing assessments. |
August 25 | Middle School NGSS Curriculum Planning: Curriculum mapping, writing, kit development, and lesson planning |
August 17, 18, 19 | Cultural Competency Foundational Academies – Three full-day academies that will provide participants with foundational knowledge for infusing culturally responsive practices into their work with students, families, and co-workers. |
August 19, 20 | Instructional Technology Collaboration Institute |
August 24 | New Teacher Orientation, K-8: Includes Information about Human Resources, Benefits, Technology |
August (TBD) | New Teacher Orientation, High School: Includes Information about Human Resources & Benefits |
August 25 | Elementary New Teacher Curriculum Training: Common Core Math |
August 26 | Elementary New Teacher Curriculum Training: Literacy |
August 20, 21, 26 | Constructing Meaning Training for New BHS Teachers – BHS |