Raising Teacher Practice: A Diocesan PD Journey

Tuesday, December 12 @ 12:00pm EST

"For years, we have been encouraging educators to make data-informed decisions and give their students a voice in their learning. Yet, we have not applied this same approach to professional development for our teachers. The myEduscape platform puts learning in the hands of teachers using data-driven PD recommendations, allowing them to grow based on their own needs. We finally have a means to authentically respond to teachers' professional learning needs thanks to Eduscape." 

-Bonnie Milecki, Assistant Superintendent of Catholic Schools, Diocese of Trenton

Purpose: Enhance teacher recruitment and increase teacher retention by delivering high impact, high quality professional learning to teachers and school principals.

Teacher recruitment and retention has become an endemic challenge for public and non-public school leaders. The increased pressure on teachers to maintain and raise student performance coming out of the pandemic has caused many of them to leave or consider leaving the profession. The Diocese of Trenton’s leadership team decided to address these challenges by implementing a comprehensive professional development program that offers on-demand eLearning opportunities that give teachers agency while aligning to overall Diocesan and site-based instructional goals.

The results-to-date have yielded the following:

Average rating for engagement, value, quality, ease of use and likelihood of recommendation

96%

participation rate by the Diocese’ 1,000 educators

  • Active engagement in office hours and team meetings
  • Development of platform features that align with the Danielson framework
  • Overwhelming positive feedback on relevancy of course content

The next phase of the program will use data to provide targeted and job-embedded coaching and interventions to continue advancing teacher practice.

Panelists

Dr. Vincent de Paul Schmidt

Superintendent of Catholic Schools, Diocese of Trenton

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As a national leader in education, with 30 years of combined classroom and administrative experience, Dr. Vincent de Paul Schmidt has been a builder of school systems that impact the formation and educational outcomes of the next generation of leaders. Prior to working as the Superintendent of Catholic Schools for the Diocese of Trenton, Dr. Schmidt served the Church in various capacities across the country. He began his administrative career as Principal at Holy Family School in the Diocese of Belleville in Illinois and later served school communities in the Archdiocese of Saint Louis, Diocese of Springfield, and the Affton School District. Later joining a Diocesan team as Associate Superintendent of Schools in Kansas City-Saint Joseph, Dr. Schmidt began his work in administrative oversight. Dr. Schmidt has served as Superintendent of Schools for the Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston and the Diocese of Toldeo. In addition to his Diocesan work, Dr. Schmidt is a National Catholic Schools' Consultant and currently acts as an Adjunct Professor at Immaculata University. He holds a Doctor of Education from Saint Louis University. Dr. Schmidt and his wife, Dana Marie, have been married for 27 years and they have three sons.

Bonnie Milecki

Assistant Superintendent of Catholic Schools, Diocese of Trenton

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Bonnie Milecki currently serves as Assistant Superintendent of School Development and Operations for the Diocese of Trenton. Her two-decade long career in education has included work in Catholic, public, and independent schools, and in elementary, middle, high school, and college classrooms, as both a teacher and administrator.  Her professional expertise and research is centered in experiential learning and adult learning, with a focus on program initiation and integration. During her years in the classroom, Bonnie taught English, Multimedia Production, Film Studies, Journalism, and Leadership.  She has a Master of Arts in Education Leadership, Management, and Policy from Seton Hall University, and is a certified NJ principal and school administrator. Bonnie has completed the School Leaders Institute at Harvard University’s Graduate School of Education, and the Executive Women in Leadership Certificate at Cornell University.  Most proudly she is a product of K-12 education in the Diocese of Trenton.

Erin Sailor

Director of Professional Development, Eduscape

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Erin began her career as a Teach for America corps member in an integrated co-teaching setting as a special education teacher and reading interventionist in the classroom. During her time as a tenured teacher leader in New York City, Erin developed school-wide curriculums, facilitated and monitored the effectiveness of professional development, and was named a Model Teacher by the NYC DOE. Scaling her passion for equitable education with Eduscape, she collaborates daily to provide teachers and students with the experiences and resources they need. Erin holds a BS in history and sociology from Loyola University Maryland, a MA in special education from Fordham University, as well as holds certifications as a SCRUM project manager, Google Educator, Microsoft Innovative Educator, and ISTE Certified Educator.

Facilitator


Dr. Matthew Murphy, Ed. D.

Retired Superintendent, Ramsey School District

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Dr. Murphy served as the Superintendent of the Ramsey Public Schools from 2012 until his recent retirement. Before that he served as the Chief School Administrator in the River Vale Public Schools. Prior to becoming a Superintendent, he served as the Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction, Director of Elementary Education, and Principal in the Westwood Regional School District. He began his career in Wyckoff, New Jersey as a teacher, a building-based technology coordinator, and a Vice Principal. Dr. Murphy is also an adjunct professor at Ramapo College where he teaches in the Educational Leadership program which emphasizes the role a leader has in curriculum and supervision. Dr. Murphy earned his Doctorate and Professional Diploma from Fordham University. He earned a Master's of Science/Technology in Education from Long Island University and a Bachelor's Degree in Elementary Education from the University of Rhode Island.


In this interview, Dr. Vincent de Paul Schmidt, Superintendent of the Diocese of Trenton, shares how the myEduscape professional learning platform is revolutionizing the way his teachers grow professionally.

Read the Case Study to discover the key to the Diocese' solution. Download Empowering Educators: How The Diocese Of Trenton Is Flipping The Switch On Catholic Education here!

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