AIU and Pittsburgh Public Schools to Hold Regional Best Practices Event at Baldwin High School

Pittsburgh Public Schools and the Allegheny Intermediate Unit will partner to provide the second annual Regional Best Practices Summer Institute event at  on Wednesday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Through their partnership, the AIU and Pittsburgh Public Schools will focus on implementing effective change efficiently to ensure that Allegheny County is known for successful teaching.

The AIU is a branch of the Pennsylvania Department of Education and provides specialized education services to 42 suburban public school districts, including , and five vocational and technical schools, and operates 12 family centers and three schools for exceptional children.

The second annual Regional Best Practices Summer Institute was organized so that educators throughout the county could share their professional knowledge and expertise. This day-long event will focus on measures of teacher effectiveness.

National, state and local educational experts will share best practices, challenges, solutions and lessons learned regarding the importance of effective teaching and measuring effective teaching.

Baldwin-Whitehall School District Superintendent Dr. Lawrence C. Korchnak will be one of the educators to issue opening remarks.

Corinne Herlihy, project director of Harvard University's National Center for Teacher Effectiveness, will deliver the opening keynote address.

Additional educators from Allegheny County school districts, the Pennsylvania Department of Education, the Pittsburgh Federation of Teachers and The Pennsylvania State Education Association, as well as representatives from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and The Grable Foundation, are scheduled to attend.

The Regional Best Practices Summer Institute is an example of how regional collaboration can address larger issues related to student achievement and the teaching profession.

Dr. Linda B. Hippert, executive director of the Allegheny Intermediate Unit, said that the partnership between the AIU and Pittsburgh Public Schools will allow educators throughout the region to share and learn from each other, an important component of any successful school system.

“Our vision is for Allegheny County educators to be recognized as being community leaders,” Hippert said, “exemplifying best practices and engaging students so that they maximize their potential with results that contribute to a quality workforce.

“We desire to be the model for others to follow.”

Experts from Pittsburgh Public Schools will discuss a variety of issues on Wednesday, such as engaging and leveraging effective teachers, improving teaching and learning environments, rewarding and recognizing effective teachers and schools, and implementing information-technology systems that support effective teaching.

“In Pittsburgh, we are focused on the work that will advance the teaching profession in a way that has the greatest impact on increasing student achievement,” said Dr. Linda S. Lane, superintendent of Pittsburgh Public Schools. “A partnership with the AIU will ensure that we are working together with districts across Allegheny County to increase teacher effectiveness throughout our region.” 

For more information about this event, contact Sarah McCluan at 412-394-3472 or at sarah.mccluan@aiu3.net.