Happy New Year!! How did this happen so quickly? Weren’t we just ringing in 2014? Cheers to 15 things to be excited about in 2015!

  1. Renewed federal support for early learning – Earlier in December, the White House held a Summit on Early Learning and announced investments of over $1 billion in early childhood education through federal awards and corporate and philanthropic leaders.
  2. E-books for teachers, coaches, observers, and administrators – We’ve recently released several new e-books for our different CLASS users. These free resources provide ideas for teachers, support for coaches, and observer tips. In 2015, we’ll be releasing more e-books, including one to support administrators who are implementing CLASS at scale.
  3. Head Start’s 50th anniversary – Fifty years ago, President Johnson launched Head Start. Since then the program has served more than 31 million children. Teachstone is proud to celebrate with the Head Start community as a sponsor of the National Head Start Association’s 50 Years of Opportunity and Teacher Appreciation Week in May. More details coming soon!
  4. Infant CLASS Professional Development – In 2014, we released the Infant CLASS measure. This year, we’re excited to support this measure with new online PD. Our team is hard at work to put together engaging online programs to support teachers of our youngest learners. We’ll have something for you in a few short months
  5. Speaking of infants... Last year, I told you that my son was expected in April (Oliver actually arrived on March 30th and is the best thing to ever happen to us). This year, there are so many Teachstone babies on the way! In just the next few months, we’ll welcome Baby Goodsell, Baby Bane, Baby Guengrich, and Baby Walker!
  6. The QRIS Compendium – If you haven’t yet had a chance to check out the BUILD Initiative’s QRIS Compendium, you don’t know what you’re missing! This new site serves as a catalog to compare QRISs and support states as they design and improve their systems. We’re proud to be the 2015 sponsor of such an incredible resource.
  7. Delivering on the Promise of CLASS – Speaking of systems, we have been hard at work on a new SAAS subscription-based service that will simplify CLASS implementation and support organizations’ investment in improving interactions and driving student achievement. We can’t wait to share more details with you very, very soon!
  8. Return of our NHSA Interactions Scholarship Fund – Our inaugural scholarship program was such a success (you can hear from two of our scholars here and here) that we have decided to do it again. Applications are officially open – we hope to hear from you soon!
  9. New online programs to support coaches – In February, we’ll release our final Instructional Support modules and a brand new online course designed to support coaches in giving CLASS feedback to teachers.
  10. 2015 Webinar Series – We are putting the final touches on our 2015 webinar series – four webinars designed to support teachers, coaches, observers, and administrators – but in the meantime, check out our free 2014 recordings here.
  11. A new way to leverage your CLASS observer certification – Last year we released the CLASS Observer Directory. Membership in the directory and downloading the directory were free through 2014 and we have decided to extend this free use of the directory into the start of 2015. Be sure to take advantage now!
  12. Improved customer support – we are always looking for ways to better support our customers. Our team has put in new processes to get back to you faster and with more answers. Don’t hesitate to call us or shoot us an email – we would love to hear from you!
  13. New and improved CLASS implementation guide – If you haven’t yet had a chance, the new year is a great time to check out our spankin’ new implementation guide. You’ll find practical, systematic approaches for improving interactions at scale.
  14. Our regional trainings – The new 2015 training calendar is out and this year will be a little different (for the better we think!). You’ll notice that there are 4 super big trainings – Atlanta, Chicago, Sacramento, and Charlottesville. At these trainings, we’ll have some special events – focus groups, meet and greets, etc. – that will offer you a chance to meet CLASS experts and network with your colleagues.
  15. And most important of all... the chance to meet and interact with each of you. Everything we do is in support of our educators, so hearing from you – understanding your challenges and receiving feedback on our products – is critical to our mission. This year, we’re excited to be taking on some new conference sponsorships – the Southern Early Childhood Association, National Head Start Association, BUILD, and others – so we hope to see many of you at our booths and events.

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