School Type: Public	School Setting: Rural
Level: Elementary	School Design: Traditional
Content Presented By:
National Awards Program for Model Professional Development

Design and Implementation

• Career Ladder. The Career Ladder model offers structured support for new teachers and self-directed support for veteran teachers. In consultation with the principal and the grade-level team teachers, the ladder creates three-year professional development plans that set individual goals for more effective instruction. The plans are designed to assist with school, grade level, and classroom needs, and the plans outline the specific activities that will help teachers attain their goals. The professional development plans involve constant self-assessment through the use of teaching portfolios, through which teachers monitor their progress based on student achievement.

• Increased Incorporation of Students' Culture. Two-thirds of the teachers at Ganado are Anglo, and the staff realized that the Navajo community that they served had specific cultural needs which the curriculum and teaching techniques were failing to accommodate. The staff integrates learning with the Diné (Navajo) philosophy of education to align the curriculum with local values and utilize computers and multimedia labs to capitalize on the students' learning styles. To better understand the community they serve, the school sends regular correspondence to parents, and parents teach teachers about the Diné culture.

• Collaboration Among Staff. Communication and continuous reflection are integral elements of Ganado's school culture, and the school holds regular grade-level meetings to discuss curriculum and student needs. In such meetings, the staff looks at specific results of a particular initiative or activity and reflects on why they achieved those results. They continually discuss individual children and how to better accommodate students' difficulties and learning styles.

• Partnerships with Outside Organizations and Institutions. Six partners support Ganado's professional development plan: (1) Bread Loaf School of English, Middlebury College, Vermont; (2) Northern Arizona Writing Project; (3) Northern Arizona University; (4) Diné College; (5) Northland Pioneer College; and (6) Tempe Elementary School District. Through these partnerships, Ganado is closely linked to the latest research and best practices in teaching and learning, and the school also receives specialized assistance from university personnel (e.g., in LEP classes).

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