Develop education leaders
Successful communities depend on effective and visionary leadership. We can meet the challenge of moving toward a 21st-century learning model when we equip our greatest resource—people—for the future.
Working with educators and others invested in improving education, the Microsoft U.S. Partners in Learning program developed multiple resources that support the development of strong leaders within learning communities.
On this page:
For all learning community participants
Microsoft Institute. A unique, three-day professional development experience that provides education and government leaders with tools and resources to create and support innovative environments and organizations that integrate the latest technology and pedagogical models.
Education Competencies. Educators, learners, administrators, and parents can use this tool to support their professional growth and to bring rigor to the hiring process.
For educators
Microsoft Innovative Teachers Program. This program enables teachers to network with a community of their peers, find help using technology to transform teaching and learning, and gain opportunities to be recognized for their innovations in the classroom.
- The Innovative Teachers Network (ITN) enables educators to learn from one another, share content and challenges, and collaborate on new approaches to teaching and learning through national and international portals. Register for ITN.
- The Innovative Teachers Forums, a set of regional, national, and worldwide events, identify and reward exceptional examples of technology in the classroom.
Sunshine Connections. A partnership with the Florida State Department of Education produced this online collaborative environment that fosters innovation, providing Florida's teachers with Web-based tools linking them to student data, material about curriculums, document management, collaboration tools, and communications capabilities.
For education administrators and school-transformation experts
Michigan Leadership Improvement Framework Endorsement (MI LIFE). MI-LIFE is a stimulating, inspiring, and challenging online tool that allows school leaders to confront and question their current assumptions about leading, teaching, and learning. MI-LIFE was developed through a unique partnership with the Michigan Department of Education and Microsoft.
Virginia Turnaround Specialist Program. This executive education program is designed for experts who are charged with turning around consistently low-performing schools. The program focuses on leadership challenges, strategic change, decision-making, communications, and partnering, and was designed in partnership with the University of Virginia and U.S. Partners in Learning.
For learners
CareerForward: Career Preparation in a Global Economy. An online course designed to help learners think about and answer real-world questions, such as:
- What is the global economy, and does it affect my future?
- What am I going to do with my life?
- What kind of career would I be good at?
- What would it take to run my own business?
Available free to students around the world, this 20-hour, media-rich, online learning program was developed through a unique public-private partnership between the Michigan Department of Education, Michigan Virtual University, and Microsoft U.S. Partners in Learning.
For all learning community participants
