It's hard to believe we are already in the 2nd quarter of the school year. It's been a newsworthy fall as Ohio gained national attention surrounding the repeal of SB 5, sending a clear message of public support for our schools.
 
We also have experienced the launch of our first ever joint conference with OAESA, Ready Schools and the Afterschool Network. During the Leading and Learning Conference, professionals gathered, networked and learned together as we strengthened our vision for learning systems that encompass serving our children from early childhood through k-12 and beyond through after school programs. We were inspired by Jamie Vollmer's powerful reminder that in these challenging times we must remember to let our communities know we are successfully tackling the many challenges our children face as a result of societal issues.
 
Your Learning Forward Ohio Board has also been hard at work raising awareness about the new Standards for Professional Learning. As this newsletter goes to print we are putting the final touches on a crosswalk document showing the connection between our existing Ohio standards and the new Learning Forward standards. We encourage you to learn more by visiting http://www.learningforward.org/standards. Learning Forward Ohio board members will be highlighting the new standards through our quarterly newsletters, conference presentations and regional and state meetings.
 
It's hard to believe that it's been 10 years since the last set of standards were adopted. Our new national standards make a strong connection between effective professional learning and improved student results. As cited on the Learning Forward website, "These standards call for a new form of educator learning. The decision to call these Standards for Professional Learning rather than Standards for Professional Development signals the importance of educators taking an active role in their continuous development and places emphasis on their learning. The professional learning that occurs when these standards are fully implemented enrolls educators as active partners in determining the content of their learning, how their learning occurs, and how they evaluate its effectiveness. The standards give educators the information they need to take leadership roles as advocates for and facilitators of effective professional learning and the conditions required for its success."