About a year ago, I attended the National Head Start Association’s Winter Leadership Institute in Washington, DC, and had the opportunity to sit in on an Instructional Support workshop given by my colleague, Sara Beach. It was one of the first times Teachstone® had delivered this type of a session, and based on the packed house and overwhelmingly positive evaluations, we knew we had stumbled across a real need in the Head Start community.
Without fail, every time I ask someone in Head Start where they are struggling, mastering the Instructional Support domain and providing feedback on the CLASS™ tool are the first areas mentioned. And for good reason: these are tough challenges. They're not something you can master by simply reading the CLASS manual or by watching a few videos. They take time, strategies, and practice. At Teachstone we want to support Head Start as it strives to improve in these areas, so we are launching the NHSA Interactions Scholarship Fund!
The NHSA Interactions Scholarship Fund will provide a free seat for one NHSA grantee at each 2014 Teachstone regional training of Instructional Support Strategies or our new feedback training (to be released soon!). These trainings are designed for early childhood education leaders with in-depth CLASS content knowledge, including coaches, center directors, technical assistance providers, and others supporting teachers’ and providers’ growth. The scholarship is open to all NHSA grantees who meet these criteria and apply through our site by February 21st. The scholarship recipients will be announced by mid-March.
We’re excited to read your applications and learn more about how you plan to improve Instructional Support and feedback in your programs! Learn more here.