Professional Development
GEO Academies uses the TAP system in its schools to ensure that ALL of its students achieve at a high standard—and that college can become a reality for all of our students. TAP stands for The System for Teacher and Student Advancement.
Using the TAP frameworks, our qualified teachers are able to benefit from approximately 12 hours of professional development and support PER MONTH—and sometimes more. Professional development is spread through weekly Cluster meetings with a Master teacher, individual meetings with a Mentor or Master teacher, classroom observations, and follow-up meetings. Support for teachers is individualized based on each teachers’ strengths and needs. The Professional development calendar and events are developed each year based on teacher needs—there is no cookie cutter schedule that is re-used repeatedly. Master and Mentor teachers are invested in the growth and success of all teachers in the classroom and assess progress of students through data, guiding teachers to create plans and classroom cultures that lead each teacher to success.
Each school sets growth goals for the entire school, including state test score goals and End-of-Course Assessment score goals for students. In order to meet these goals, master and mentor teachers provide extensive support and professional development to all teachers, starting from their first year. GEO Academies sets high expectations, and we provide a high level of support in order to meet these goals. We are a data-driven school—we use qualitative and quantitative data to inform professional development and support based on each teacher’s individual needs.
Learn more about the TAP system and its transformational effect:
Each school also offers qualified teachers multiple opportunities to attend Doug Lemov Teach Like a Champion trainings multiple times a year with all associated costs covered.
Learn more about Doug Lemov and Teach Like a Champion:
teachlikeachampion.com/training/
Teach Like a Champion provides practical, concrete, and effective teaching methods and actions to enable teachers to be successful in the classroom and put their students on the path to college. The program is based on the book by Doug Lemov and his observations of top teachers and their successful classroom practices in high-need schools. GEO teachers receive training in Teach Like a Champion instructional techniques throughout the year through cluster meetings and ongoing professional development, as well as through Teach Like a Champion conference attendance. This training, along with TAP training discussed above, is critical to the continuous improvement of staff and increasing their teaching effectiveness.