Why do so many high-quality professional development units end up sitting on the shelf? Jason Adair and Debbie Robertson join the podcast to discuss the HOPE Protocol, a multimillion-dollar grant initiative designed to transform math instruction in North Carolina. 

By flipping the traditional PD model on its head, the HOPE framework—Hear, Observe, Plan, Enact—ensures that teachers don’t just learn about new strategies; they see them in action with their own students and plan for immediate implementation.

While the grant was used for math PD, the same framework can be used for any subject.

Key Takeaways

• The HOPE Framework: A breakdown of the four-stage cycle: Hearing the strategy, observing it in a live classroom, planning for implementation and enacting it right away.
• Breaking the Fourth Wall: How in-the-moment coaching allows professional developers to speak directly to observing teachers during a live lesson.
• The Power of the Graphic Organizer: Why giving observing teachers specific look-fors prevents them from focusing on trivial details and keeps the focus on student impact.
• Learning from Train Wrecks: Why a model lesson that doesn’t go as planned is often more valuable for identifying student gaps than a “perfect” performance.
• Removing Implementation Barriers: How the protocol eliminates the “that won’t work with my kids” mindset by demonstrating success (and struggles) in the teachers’ actual classrooms.
• Leadership’s Role: Why school administrators must be in the room to provide the space and support for these strategies to stick.

You can find this episode on Apple, Spotify, YouTube Podcasts, Amazon Music or wherever you listen to your podcasts.