Greetings!  My name is Emily Harris and I am the Principal at Winterboro High School.  Winterboro High School is a rural school located in Talladega County, Alabama.  Five  years ago, Winterboro High School was one of 6 schools in the nation awarded the title of a National School Change School.  We changed our school culture dramatically and positively and now we are tasked with sustaining this change 5 years later! Teacher Academy is one facet we have implemented to sustain this change with our Teachers!

Every teacher loves Monday faculty meetings….said no teacher ever!  Teacher Academy is a new twist.  It is job embedded professional development.  Every Friday at Winterboro High School, teachers meet during their planning time, for professional development….thus ending the cycle of staying late on Mondays!!

Why you ask?  As administrators, it is important to model for your teachers what best practices are!  What better way than to meet with teachers in small groups to meet their needs and not the needs as a whole.  Granted, some days, everyone will get the same lesson but at WHS we try to cater to the needs of the teachers during their session.  It is often teacher led, which promotes leadership, and is extremely data driven.  Throughout the year, I will post after each Friday’s session.  Please feel free to comment and learn with us!