Lindbergh School District honored for excellence in staff development

The Lindbergh School District recently was selected to receive the first Commis-sioner’s Award of Excellence for Staff De-velopment.

This is the first year that the awards are being presented, and Lindbergh is the only district in the St. Louis area to be recognized in what will be an annual presentation.

Lindbergh was invited to apply for the award and was one of 16 districts in the state selected to receive a site visit.

As Kathy Bade, instructional specialist, explained in a district news release, “We shared our best practices with them, and they were impressed. We were one of only six districts in the state to receive this award.”

Staff Development Committee members worked within the district’s theme: Achieve, Believe, Connect.

“Focusing on student achievement, believing in all children and making connections with colleagues, students and our community sets the stage for high achievement standards,” Bade stated. “Our goals are to improve student learning, meet district improvement goals, and improve teacher practices…”

In the release, Superintendent Jim Sand-fort stated, “Staff development is something that runs deep throughout the district. Our Professional Development Com-mittee has done an exemplary job in presenting solid, fundamental training for our staff.

“Receiving the Commissioner’s Award of Excellence shows that we are not only meeting our goals, but serving as a role model for the state,” Sandfort added.

Richard Rice, president of the Missouri Staff Development Council, commended Lindbergh’s professional development model for “supporting high levels of learning for all by communicating and facilitating standards-based staff development practices. Lindbergh School District’s selection represents a unique honor and serves as a testament to the district’s professional de-velopment practices and their impact on student achievement.”

A number of departments and committees work together to organize and deliver ongoing training, including: the Profes-sional Development Committee, the Tech-nology Department, the Curriculum and Instruction Department and the Personnel Department.

Bade explained, “Professional development is carefully planned and executed throughout the year to enable teachers to make connections with curriculum, in-structional strategies and best practices in education.

“Academic plans have been developed for all buildings to provide measurable achievement goals and key strategies in grades K-12. The Academic plans provide a frame of reference for administrators, teachers, secondary department chairs and the Board of Education,” she added.

Lindbergh staff members Laura Conti and Susan Fluegel will join Bade in sharing the district’s best practices at the 2003 Show-Me Professional Development Con-ference this month. Their presentation will highlight Lindbergh’s professional development practices and illustrate how the district integrates National Staff Develop-ment Standards into its practices.

“MSDC’s goal is to increase the use of the national standards in all districts’ professional development practices,” MSDC member Marcia Haskin stated, noting that Lindbergh is a “front-line ambassador to assist other districts in their efforts to up-grade their professional development prac-tices to reflect those standards.”