Knox Education develops customized teaching tools for dozens of
schools and school districts. For over 20 years we’ve
published these tools in books and videos. Now we’ve
made it easier to work with us by building this website
which includes access to the entire collection of materials
and updated versions of documents. We post new material
all the time, so be sure to check in often for what’s new!
Too often professional development programs use the expert
workshop model where passive participation is a norm (Sparks,
1997). A selected expert lectures. Staff rate the speaker—not the
training or the impact on their professional skills. Changes in
practice are rare in passive learning environments. This is not
the Knox training model!
Knox Educational Associates believe change relies on making
connections—building relationships between people, concepts, and
prior knowledge. School change requires a comprehensive system of
professional development, which empowers staff to emerge,
develop, and prosper as partners building a learning community
through engaged interaction and discourse. Knox staff development
supports an increase of knowledge, skills, and the capacity to
perform well. It is an integrated process that translates
immediately into classroom practice.
The Knox menu of services is extensive and responsive to site
requests—we pride ourselves in providing services that are
customized to each school’s particular situation, rather than a
“one size fits all” program. It is possible to have an agent of
the firm come to the school and develop an individualized program
based on site observations in conjunction with council from site
leadership.
Our instructional skill building programs provide a multi-faceted
approach to training that includes:
Presentations: theory, demonstration, and application of
research-based strategies—extensive use of video clips and
photos bring practices to life
Demonstration lessons: use of the strategies with your
students in your classrooms
Grade level or department collaboration: integration of
the strategies with the site’s curriculum and pacing
Coaching: observations and feedback for individual
teachers or teams to support changes in teaching and accelerate
achievement
Development of customized tools: collaboration and data
analysis tools, organization of curriculum pacing documents,
student test chat forms, etc.
Recent topics include:
“Together is “Better”: transition to Common Core with
integrated units for reading and writing
Year-long planning for Common Core in ELA using existing
textbook material
Writing Intervention: differentiating instruction so that all
writers can meet grade level expectations with the Common Core
ELD “all day long” and during the specific instructional
block
