goals of teacher education

121 SMART Goals for Teachers (Examples to Copy and Paste)

Goals teachers can set for their upcoming school year can include implementing a new teaching strategy, creating new teaching resources, or beginning a reflective journal.

Generally, I recommend using the SMART framework for goal setting. The SMART framework, standing for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound, offers a structured approach for setting goals. It was first put forward by Doran in 1981 (Doran, 1981).

Here are the five things you need in your Teacher SMART Goals:

• Specific : The initial step in applying the SMART framework is to set precise and clear objectives (Locke & Latham, 2012). Instead of vaguely stating to “improve class performance”, specify the goal – “improve the 5th grade’s average math scores by 20%”. 
• Measurable : Goals needs to be quantifiable to gauge their progress and eventual success (Doran, 1981). If the objective is to increase class participation, stating it as “increase student participation to 85%” is more measurable than simply saying “enhance student involvement”.
• Achievable: This means setting realistic and attainable goals. Challenging goals can motivate, but they must be attainable to keep morale up (Locke & Latham, 2012). For instance, expecting all students to get a perfect score in every subject is unrealistic. Instead, aim for achievable goals like “70% of students will score B grade or above on their final exams”.
• Relevant: Goals must be pertinent to the teacher’s work, aligning with other objectives and fitting within the larger educational context (Doran, 1981). If a teacher elects to “implement a new hands-on lab activity each week,” this goal is only relevant if the school has the necessary resources, and if this method suits the teaching style and subject.
• Time-Bound: Deadlines induce a sense of urgency, motivate action, and mark a clear end-point to assess achievement (Locke & Latham, 2012). For example, a goal could be to “improve student reading levels by 2 grades by the end of the academic year”.

With these guidelines in place, let’s look at some SMART goals for teachers.

Examples of Goals for Teachers

1. Grade Improvement: Improve class average on state math tests by 15% by the end of the year.

2. Parent-Teacher Conferences: Increase parent-teacher meetings for underperforming students by 25% within a semester.

3. Reading Levels: Increase average student reading levels by two grades by year’s end.

4. Field Trips: Hold two class field trips relevant to the curriculum each semester.

5. Personal Development: Attend one professional development workshop per month for the academic year.

6. Pedagogy: Implement a new teaching method (like flipped classroom ) and evaluate its impact by end of the semester.

7. Homework: Increase return of homework assignments by 30% in six weeks.

8. Guest Speakers: Organize 4 guest speaking events related to the curriculum over the academic year.

9. Technology: Incorporate technology in teaching at least once a week for the semester.

10. Absenteeism: Reduce absenteeism by 20% by the end of the academic year.

13. Community Service: Arrange 5 community service activities relevant to the curriculum per school year.

14. Punctuality: Improve punctuality so that all classes start on time, 4 days out of 5 days a week, for 6 months.

15. Grade Benchmark: Aim for 95% of students to score above a C on an end-of-unit exam.

16. One-to-Ones: Meet with each student individually for progress review twice every semester.

17. Real-World Examples: Incorporate real-world examples into lessons three times per week.

18. Assign Group Projects: Organize three major group projects per semester.

19. Science Lab Activities: Carry out a lab activity every two weeks in science class.

20. Art Projects: Plan to have at least one art-related class project each month.

21. Peer Tutoring: Establish a peer tutoring system in class by the end of the month.

22. Learning Materials: Create three new learning resources per semester.

23. Discipline: Reduce classroom disruptions by 20% over 6 months.

24. Outdoor Learning: Conduct one outdoor learning session each month.

25. Extra-curricular participation: Increase student participation in after-school clubs and sports by 15% by year’s end.

26. Parent Involvement: Send bi-weekly updates to parents to keep them informed and engaged.

27. Creative Writing: Improve students’ creative writing skills by incorporating one creative writing assignment every two weeks.

28. Presentation Skills: Arrange for every student to make at least 2 presentations before the class each year.

29. Note-Taking: Teach effective note-taking and have students demonstrate utilization at least once per week.

30. Classroom Environment: Reorganize the classroom to create a more conducive learning environment by next month.

31. Class Participation: Increase class participation by 20% by the end of the semester.

32. STEM Projects: Conduct 5 STEM projects throughout the academic year.

33. Health Education: Implement a healthy eating awareness program for students within the next two months.

34. Student-Led Discussions: Have students lead class discussions twice a week.

35. Increase Math Application: Have students apply math concepts to solve real world problems each week.

36. Educational Field Trip: Plan and conduct at least 3 educational field trips in a year.

37. Improve Student Behavior: Reduce referrals for student misbehavior by 15% by year’s end.

38. Historical Awareness: Ensure students can name important events in national history before the year end.

39. Meet Special Education Needs: Review and update each student’s Individual Education Plan (IEP) every semester.

40. Technology Skills: Introduce and get students proficient in three new educational software or tools by year’s end.

41. Foster Leadership Skills: Assign leadership roles in group projects to each student at least once a semester.

42. Improve Communication Skills: Get each student to participate in class debates at least twice a year (see more: communication goals ).

43. Increase Reading Comprehension: Introduce two new reading strategies each semester.

44. Classroom Blog: Develop a classroom blog and post updates weekly.

45. Robotics: Carry out two class projects involving robotics by year’s end.

46. Differentiation: Differentiate each lesson into 3 different delivery methods for the upcoming term and assess its value for students of different learning styles.

47. Critical Thinking: Incorporate problem-solving activities in the curriculum every two weeks.

48. Emotional Intelligence: Integrate one lesson per week that helps develop students’ emotional intelligence.

49. Coding Skills: Incorporate basic computer coding instruction into the curriculum by next semester.

50. Healthy Competition: Organize a class-wide academic competition at least once a semester.

51. Fitness: Introduce students to two new physical activities by the end of the academic year.

Personal Goals for Teachers

52. Course Enrollment: Enroll in an Advanced Studies course related to your teaching area by the upcoming summer.

53. Certification: Achieve a teaching certification in a new area within one year.

54. Time Management: Experiment with three new time-saving techniques over the course of a semester.

55. Tech Skills: Become proficient in two new educational software/tools by the end of the year.

56. Collaboration: Initiate and actively participate in one school-wide collaborative project every semester.

57. Language Proficiency: Attain elementary proficiency in a foreign language within a year.

58. Research: Write and submit an educational research paper to a peer-reviewed journal within a year.

59. Restorative Practices: Use restorative practice techniques in class management every week for a semester.

60. Fitness: Walk 10,000 steps per day or do a 30-minute workout at least three times a week.

61. Leadership: Attend a recognized leadership course for educators within two years.

62. Mindfulness: Practice mindfulness or meditation for 10 minutes a day for 30 consecutive days.

63. EdTech: Introduce two pieces of technology into your classroom every semester.

64. Grant Writing: Write and submit a grant proposal for your class or school before the end of the academic year.

65. Book Club: Join or start an educational book club with colleagues, and meet once a month to discuss books.

66. Well-being: Attend at least one professional development session on teacher well-being this year.

67. Networking : Attend one professional networking event a month for the next six months.

68. Learning Styles: Incorporate one new learning style within your teaching strategy each semester.

69. Career Advancement: Apply for a higher-level or administrative role within three years.

70. Environmental Education: Implement one environment-friendly practice in your classroom every month.

71. Portfolio: Create a professional teacher portfolio by the end of the year.

72. Blogging: Start a professional blog and write one post per month for the next year.

73. Cultural Competency: Include activities that promote cultural awareness and sensitivity monthly.

74. Self-Care: Set aside one weekend per month dedicated to self-care and relaxation.

75. Classroom Decoration: Redecorate your classroom in line with your students’ interests by the end of the month. 

76. feedback : Incorporate student feedback into your teaching strategy once a term.

77. International Education Trends: Research and present one international trend in education at the monthly staff meeting.

78. Diverse Authors: Include books by authors from diverse backgrounds in class reading lists every quarter.

79. Continuous Learning: Complete one online course in an area of interest every 6 months. 

80. Healthy Eating: Prepare a healthy lunch instead of eating out four days a week.

81. Problem-Solving: Practice problem-solving techniques every week for better decision making.

82. Public Speaking: Join a public speaking group like Toastmasters and attend for at least 6 months for better presentation skills.

83. Outdoor Activities: Spend a minimum of 30 mins outside daily for stress relief.

84. Budgeting: Stick to your personal budget for 6 months to improve your personal finances.

85. Social Media: Utilize social media for professional growth, posting or sharing educational content once a week.

86. Creative Writing: Write once a week in a personal journal to improve your creative writing skills.

87. News Updates: Make a habit of reading or listening to world news daily to stay updated.

88. Professional Development: Read 1 new pedagogical book per quarter to stay updated on teaching methods .

89. Work-Life Balance : Aim to leave work at work, avoiding taking grading or other tasks home more than once per week. 

Leadership Goals for Teachers

90. Team Building: Organize three team-building activities within the academic year to foster strong relationships among staff.

91. Leadership Workshop: Attend a leadership workshop before the next academic year to improve leadership skills.

92. Mentorship : Mentor a novice teacher for a semester, sharing experiences and recommendations.

See Also: 101 Mentorship Goals

93. Meeting Facilitation: Chair a committee or staff meeting once a quarter, demonstrating leadership competence.

94. Department Budget: Ensure the department stays within budget for the next academic year.

95. Communication: Implement a clear and consistent communication strategy with parents over the course of the school year.

96. Progress Monitoring: Initiate a system to monitor and report department progress towards annual goals monthly.

97. Curriculum Development: Lead curriculum development efforts in your subject area for the upcoming year.

98. Policy Improvement: Lead an initiative to review and update school policies within six months.

99. Innovation: Propose and manage the implementation of one innovative teaching method or tool in your department within six months.

100. Collaboration: Foster an environment of collaboration, leading to the joint planning of at least two cross-curricular lessons each semester.

101. Professional Development: Plan and facilitate at least two professional development activities for your peers during the school year.

See More Leadership Goals Here

Short-Term Goals for Teachers

102. Reading Strategy: Introduce and implement one new reading strategy in lessons over the next week.

103. Class Participation: Increase class participation by 10% in the coming month.

104. Technology Integration: Incorporate one new educational technology tool in class within the next two weeks.

105. Parent Communication: Send progress reports to all parents in the next two weeks.

106. Professional Development: Register for an upcoming seminar or workshop relevant to your subject area.

107. Classroom Management: Implement a new classroom management strategy by next month.

108. Project-Based Learning: Plan and execute a project-based learning activity in the next six weeks.

109. Assessment Strategy: Develop and apply a new assessment strategy in the coming month.

110. Feedback Integration: Incorporate student feedback into lesson planning for the following month.

111. Health Awareness: Initiate a health awareness week in your class within this semester.

Long-term Goals for Teachers

112. Curriculum Development: Overhaul the curriculum for your subject area by next academic year.

113. Certification: Obtain a certificate in instructional technology within the next two years.

114. Leadership Development: Step into a leadership role, such as department head, within three years.

115. Research Publication: Write and publish an article in an educational journal within the next year.

116. Community Engagement: Establish a sustainable community service project involving students, to be implemented by the end of the school year.

117. Multicultural Education: Within a year, incorporate educational materials and activities that embrace and promote multicultural awareness.

118. Career Progression: Plan to achieve a higher role in educational administration within five years .

119. Network Expansion: Build a robust professional network with educators worldwide over the next two years.

120. Educational Policy: Work to influence local or state educational policy in the next five years.

121. Lifelong Learning: Commit to learning a new teaching strategy or tool continually, aiming to Master five new approaches within the next five years.

SMART Goals for Teachers Template

Get the Google Docs Template Here

Once you’ve set your goals, put in place 3-5 ‘objectives’, which are the actionable steps you will take to meet the overall goal or goals.

Also, your goals need to be personal to you, your classroom, your students, and your setting. So, copy and paste the above teacher goals examples, but also, remember to edit them so they match the personal development you think you need looking forward to the next academic year, and best of luck with your new class!

For goals for your students, use this printable goals for the school year template – a great first lesson for the year!

Doran, G. T. (1981). There’s a S.M.A.R.T. Way to Write Management’s Goals and Objectives. Journal of Management Studies, 70-75.

Locke, E. A., & Latham, G. P. (2012): Building a practically useful theory of goal setting and task motivation. American Psychologist.

Chris Drew (PhD)

Dr. Chris Drew is the founder of the Helpful Professor. He holds a PhD in education and has published over 20 articles in scholarly journals. He is the former editor of the Journal of Learning Development in Higher Education. [Image Descriptor: Photo of Chris]

• Chris Drew (PhD) https://helpfulprofessor.com/author/chris-drew-phd/ 5 Top Tips for Succeeding at University
• Chris Drew (PhD) https://helpfulprofessor.com/author/chris-drew-phd/ 50 Durable Goods Examples
• Chris Drew (PhD) https://helpfulprofessor.com/author/chris-drew-phd/ 100 Consumer Goods Examples
• Chris Drew (PhD) https://helpfulprofessor.com/author/chris-drew-phd/ 30 Globalization Pros and Cons

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What Are Your Top Professional Goals as a Teacher?

Ready, Set, Goals!

Professional Goals for Teachers [Ideas, Tips & Examples]

What are your top goals as a teacher? For most educators, the list probably starts with making the most meaningful difference in the lives of your students.

Of course, there are many other professional goals shared by teachers across all grade levels and disciplines.

However, amid the demands of running classrooms and teaching those inquisitive — and, yes, often distracted — young minds, it can be difficult to find a quiet moment or two to reflect on personal and/or professional goals that might be very important to you as a teacher.

10 Professional Development Goals for Teachers

1. Becoming a Better Teacher

Top teachers understand that embracing “lifelong learning” applies to educators as well as the students. This means fueling your desire to improve throughout your teaching career, through your reading and research (such as these tips on teacher preparation and planning ), as well as through teacher workshops and other opportunities.

One of the best ways to continue improving your knowledge and skills is to regularly complete educator professional development courses and programs. A great way to keep up with new trends and teaching strategies, professional development courses are available on hundreds of important topics, including:

• Classroom Management
• Reading and Literacy
• Technology in Education
• Bullying Prevention
• And many, many more

2. integrating technology in the classroom

Technology is having an important impact on how education is evolving, as teachers implement new strategies and technological tools designed to enhance student learning and to prepare them for success in today’s digital world. 

Of course, technology permeates our lives in countless ways, with most modern students glued to a screen for a big chunk of each day. Fighting technology is, of course, futile; finding valuable ways to incorporate it into your classroom can make a big difference for your students.

Some teachers are finding success using such tech teaching strategies as podcasting or engaging students and parents alike with a classroom website. The article “10 Ways to Use Technology in the Classroom” references such tools as Flipgrid and Google Classroom , a free web service used by an estimated 30 million teachers and students. Google Classroom is designed to help teachers more efficiently create, distribute and grade assignments, boost collaboration, offer instant feedback and foster seamless communication, all in an easy-to-use, paperless format. For teachers who find the Google’s G Suite for Education useful, there is also the option of becoming a Google Certified Educator .

3. Advocating for Continuous Lifelong Learning

Since most educators are also passionate lifelong learners, they understand the importance of instilling that “lifelong learning” ethos in the hearts and minds of their students as well. This is easier said than done, of course, but it helps to stay mindful of these themes:

• Mentoring students’ intellects by helping them develop problem-solving, critical- and creative-thinking skills
• Helping them find and hone their voice by working on developing communication skills and confidence in expressing themselves
• Inspiring students by demonstrating your belief in their abilities and providing the support they need to succeed in their academic challenges

Read about additional strategies in “8 Lesson Plans to Promote Lifelong Learning.”

4. Earning National Board Certification

Earning certification as a National Board Certified Teacher through the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS) is a rigorous and expensive process. But according to the organization, “The evidence is clear. Board-certified teachers positively impact student learning.”

NBPTS describes the program as an “opportunity to connect professional learning with classroom practice (that) brings to life a teacher’s experience, helping them reflect on individual student learning needs” ( see video ).

The National Board embraces five core propositions regarding “what accomplished teachers should know and be able to do to have a positive impact on student learning.”

• Teachers are committed to students and their learning.
• Teachers know the subjects they teach and how to teach those subjects to students.
• Teachers are responsible for managing and monitoring student learning.
• Teachers think systematically about their practice and learn from experience.
• Teachers are members of learning communities.

For one educator’s perspective on why earning NBPTS certification was “totally worth it,” check out Cult of Pedagogy education blogger Jennifer Gonzalez’s report on “Conquering National Board Certification.”

5. Sharpening Your Presentation Skills

Do you use tools like PowerPoint or Keynote to create slide educational presentations? Many teachers do, but the majority are probably no masters of this technology. Jennifer Gonzalez also draws on personal teaching experience to advocate for powering up your PowerPoint and overall presentation skills by reviewing the principles espoused in the book “Presentation Zen: Simple Ideas on Presentation Design and Delivery” ( see video ).

Key principles of “Presentation Zen” include:

• Limit text on slides: “Your slides are meant to supplement your talk, not provide all the content. If you stick to just a few words per slide – the most important ones – you’ll be forced to speak to your audience , which will be so much more engaging for them.” Additional details can be provided on a handout and perhaps assigned as reading. If your presentation is compelling, students will be more motivated to read more.
• Make it visual: “Images are incredibly powerful for making a point and strengthening cognitive processing. Anytime you can represent an idea visually, rather than just in text, your slides will actually be helping your students remember the concepts better.” Author Garr Reynolds elaborates in his “Presentation Zen” TEDx Talk .
• Tell a story: “Your overall message will stick much better if it’s told as a story. This may be challenging at first, but once you make the decision to find the story in the content, you may be surprised.”

5 REASONS WHY CONTINUING EDUCATION MATTERS FOR EDUCATORS

The education industry is always changing and evolving, perhaps now more than ever. Learn how you can be prepared by downloading our eBook.

6. Improving Classroom Management

Are your students consistently well-behaved, orderly and attentive? The answer to this question varies greatly among classroom teachers, and the methods for improving classroom management are of great interest to teachers of all grade levels and subject matter. After all, creating a more organized classroom can boost student engagement while reducing teacher stress.

Thoughtco.com offers several useful classroom management tips and suggests that the start of a new school year is the ideal time to implement any changes you may be considering. Tips include:

• Utilize a time management tool
• Use color-coding for visual organization
• Implement a homework checklist and/or homework contract

Online courses on classroom management are another highly effective way to treat yourself to a fresh look at your organizational habits and find room for improvement.

7. Expanding the Role of Parents

There are many well-documented benefits to getting parents more involved in the education of their children, and no shortage of strategies for making it happen. These include:

• Emphasizing an open-door policy
• Encouraging parents to come in and volunteer
• Assigning a family project
• Inviting parents to come to a Fun Friday event
• Assigning homework that includes family participation
• Using technology like podcasts or a website to connect parents to the classroom

The list of benefits is long and, according to LearningLiftoff.com , applies to parents, teachers and schools, as well as to the students themselves:

• Higher grades and test scores, enrollment in more advanced programs
• Better school attendance and homework completion rates
• Improved social skills and behavior
• Increased self-esteem
• Higher likelihood of graduation and advancement to post-secondary education

8. Finding a Mentor

Schools that have formal mentoring programs that pair veteran teachers with less-experienced counterparts have multiple benefits for both parties. Whether or not your school operates a formal mentoring program, you can always: 

• Reach out to a more experienced colleague if you are new to teaching
• Offer a helping hand and an open ear to a younger colleague, if you have some experience under your belt

Learn more about strategies for and benefits of mentoring in the Schoolology.com post, “The Benefits & Importance of Educational Mentoring.” Beyond mentoring, per se, cultivating relationships with your teaching colleagues creates opportunities to learn from each other’s experiences, to serve as professional support networks and to increase in-school camaraderie while also developing friendships.

9. Adjusting Your Mindset

Do you dread certain aspects of your job, or are you excited and motivated to head off to school each day? Your mindset has “a powerful impact on how you experience your work and whether or not you continue to grow and thrive,” Jennifer Gonzalez writes in “Goal-Setting for Teachers: 8 Paths to Self-Improvement.”

She notes that reading is a great way to cultivate a healthy mindset, and recommends several books including “Awakened: Change Your Mindset to Transform Your Teaching” and “Unshakeable: 20 Ways to Enjoy Teaching Every Day … No Matter What.”

Mindfulness is also championed by TeachHub.com in a post titled “A Teacher’s Professional Development Goals,” which suggests that focused breathing and intentioned awareness can help teachers, or professionals in any field, push out distractions and free the mind to focus fully on the task or matter at hand.

10. Taking Professional Development Courses

As a teacher, you spend many of your waking hours teaching courses — perhaps it’s time to consider taking one for a change. Educators regularly take professional development courses for a wide range of reasons, including some that connect directly to achieving the goals discussed above. Motivations include staying up to date on new teaching trends and strategies, positioning yourself for salary advancement or career opportunities, or simply following a particular passion or interest to expand your mind. 

Plus, it’s easier than ever to do so now that more educational institutions are offering such learning opportunities online to provide greater scheduling flexibility for busy working teachers.

For example, the University of San Diego’s Division of Professional and Continuing Education offers hundreds of high-quality courses and certificate programs designed to motivate teachers, enhance instruction and stimulate student learning. Here are just a few of the topics:

• Beginning Teachers
• Educational Leadership
• Special Education
• English as a Second Language
• Multicultural Studies
• Love of Language

Courses are taught by dedicated, experienced, engaging instructors, including many from the USD faculty. The university offers so many options that you are sure to find opportunities for professional growth that align with your interests and passions as an educator.

Discover Continuing Education Courses for Teachers at USD >>

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23 Teacher Professional Goals Examples for 2024

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As a teacher in 2024, it's important to have clear goals in mind that will help you achieve success in the classroom and positively impact your students.

From improving student achievement, to fostering a growth mindset , the 23 goals listed below will serve as a comprehensive guide for teaching professionals looking to excel in their careers.

Whether you are a seasoned veteran, or just starting out… these goals will help you stay focused, motivated, and effective in your role as an educator. But keep in mind, it is not the goals themselves that will level you up as a teacher .

Instead, it is a combination of the pathway they generate, as well as the effect they have on your students when successfully executed, that will make you a much stronger educator.

By keeping these goals in mind and continuously working every day to achieve them, you will be a completely different person by the end of the year. So, what are we waiting for? Let's dive in!

Table of Contents

What is Teacher Professional Goals?

Teacher professional goals are objectives that teachers set for themselves to ensure they can manage a classroom full of well-rounded students , while improving upon results that could lead to career-defining moments.

These goals are typically aligned and may focus on many different areas – including student achievement, classroom management, instructional strategies, and professional growth.

These specific goals are important as they cross a variety of challenging areas in the classroom, from inclusivity to fostering creativity.

By setting daily, weekly, and monthly checkups for yourself , you will eventually realize that you have achieved many of the goals we lay out below by the end of the school year. 

15 Teacher Professional Goals for Success

1. improve student achievement through assessments..

Student assessments are a critical tool for teachers as they can uncover in which areas their students need additional support. This information can then be used to inform what areas of study need to be focused on so students can move the needle on their education. 

Teachers should use assessments on a regular basis to make minor or major adjustments to the curriculum in order to continue helping students achieve their goals.

More specifically, having assessments on a weekly or monthly basis can help the teacher gauge whether their students are meeting the goals needed for end-of-year testing. 

2. Foster a positive and inclusive classroom culture. 

Fostering a positive and inclusive classroom culture is crucial to creating an environment where all students feel valued and supported.

This goal requires teachers to actively work towards developing a welcoming atmosphere that celebrates the diversity of their students and promotes inclusivity.

Fostering positive relationships among students, promoting open communication, and addressing any issues that may arise in a respectful and constructive manner are some of the foundations that building an inclusive classroom is built from.

In an inclusive classroom, students should feel comfortable expressing their thoughts and ideas, and teachers should actively engage with all students, encouraging their participation and involvement in class activities.

Teachers can also promote inclusivity by integrating diversity into their curriculum, highlighting different perspectives and cultural experiences, and creating opportunities for students to work collaboratively through a multitude of projects.

By creating a positive and inclusive classroom culture, teachers can help their students feel supported, valued, and empowered to reach their full potential.

3. Utilize technology effectively in teaching. 

The modern world is an increasingly tech-filled landscape. Using it effectively, however, is still something that needs to be prioritized, especially as an educator.  

While using it can be tremendously advantageous, teachers must set goals when it comes to using technology to create an engaging and dynamic learning experience that supports student growth and development.

Teachers need to be familiar with a suite of software applications that can help them as well as their students better engage with classroom topics. Since many students have different learning styles, these tools can be used to help bridge the gap in disparity among students. 

Teachers should also be mindful of the potential drawbacks of technology and ensure that it is used in a manner that enhances rather than detracts from student learning.

This may involve balancing the use of technology with traditional teaching methods and making sure students have access to the necessary resources and support to effectively utilize technology. 

4. Implement evidence-based teaching practices. 

Evidence-based teaching refers to the use of teaching strategies that have been supported by research and shown to be effective in classrooms across the country.

This requires teachers to stay up to date on all the latest educational research and best practices while being willing to continuously reflect on and refine their teaching methods. 

This means that teachers need to be proactive when it comes to seeking out professional development opportunities and engaging in ongoing learning . This may involve attending workshops, conferences, and webinars, as well as participating in collaborative learning communities.

By considering evidence-based teaching practices, teachers can ensure that they are providing their students with the best possible classroom experience and environment. 

5. Develop strong relationships with students and families. 

Developing strong relationships with the families of your students is a crucial aspect of effective teaching. Teachers that build positive relationships with family members, especially parents, can create a supportive environment that fosters student engagement.

Being approachable, understanding, and empathetic to family needs can go a long distance in setting students up for future success. 

Try initiating frequent communications with family members. Keeping your door open and actively listening to their concerns and ideas as well as providing support and resources when needed can prove instrumental for the student.

Teachers can also involve families in the learning experience by hosting events and activities that promote family engagement. Sharing information about their student's progress and achievements is another tried and true method of keeping the family engaged. 

6. Foster critical thinking skills and collaborative environments.

Encouraging students to think critically and analyze information for themselves will help them develop the problem-solving skills they need to succeed down the line.

This means teachers should create learning experiences that challenge students to think deeply about some of the concepts they learn in the classroom so they can apply them to the real world. 

Using hands-on activities, field trips, discussions, and simulations where there is more room for play will give students the foundation to apply their learned subjects more applicable to the real world through critical thinking. 

This extends to group activities like projects that students can collaborate on with their peers. After all, so much of what we do in the real world is driven by collaboration.

7. Continuously grow and develop professionally.

Continuous professional growth and development are essential for teachers looking to stay effective with the changing social and technological shifts that happen in our world.

By attending workshops, conferences, and webinars, as well as participating in collaborative learning communities, teachers can gain skills and use the resources to remain at the top of their profession.

Additionally, evaluating your teaching methods on a regular basis and seeking out feedback from colleagues is a great way to develop professionally. A love of learning and an openness to try something new should be tools in every teacher's toolbox. 

8. Encourage student engagement.

Encouraging engagement is one of the best ways you can set your students up for success. With a plethora of distractions ready to take effect in today's world, ensuring positive student engagement with subjects is paramount. 

By creating an interactive and hands-on learning environment that gets the students thinking outside of the box about old concepts in new ways, teachers can help foster this positive engagement. 

Try incorporating student-led projects into lesson plans and provide opportunities for students to work with real-world materials and technology. Incentivizing students with extra credit can be another effective way to encourage their engagement in a subject. 

9. Use the data.

Thanks to the influx of tech tools, “the data” is used everywhere, whether you are in the hospital or in a business meeting. So why shouldn't it be used in the classroom?

Data can provide valuable insights into student strengths and weaknesses, and help teachers make informed decisions about instruction. What subjects are students struggling with and which students are struggling with, what subjects are critical questions that can be solved by looking at the data?

Regularly assessing student performance, analyzing the results, and using the information to inform lesson plans is a workflow that would never have been dreamed up twenty years ago. 

Teachers need to have a clear understanding of the data they collect as well as how to interpret it. This may involve using data to differentiate instruction, identify areas where students need additional support, or just adjust teaching methods to better meet the needs of their students. 

10. Integrate in-demand skills for the 21st century.

In some ways, the school system is still stuck in the 1950s. But there are opportunities to integrate skills like digital literacy , collaboration, and problem-solving, which are essential for students to thrive in a rapidly changing world.

To integrate these skills into daily lesson plans, teachers need to think outside of the box as well as consider the data on student performance.

Setting some time apart from the regular lesson to teach these skills through short exercises and bringing in guests from the real world to talk to students can be a great way to achieve this. 

11. Develop strong classroom management skills.

Strong classroom management can foster a safe, positive, and productive learning environment. Effective classroom management involves creating clear expectations and routines, managing student behavior, and creating a classroom culture that recognizes how students are feeling and meets them there. 

Classroom management relies on the teacher understanding their roles and responsibilities as well as executing a strong set of strategies for management.

This may involve using proactive strategies, such as setting clear expectations and routines, as well as reactive strategies, such as redirecting misbehavior or addressing disruptive behavior. Developing these skills can help the teacher support learning and success for all students.

12. Collaborate with colleagues.

Collaborating with colleagues allows teachers to share ideas, resources, and best practices and can lead to improved teaching and student outcomes.

To collaborate effectively, teachers must have strong communication skills, and be open to new ideas and approaches . They should also be proactive in seeking out opportunities to collaborate with their colleagues, and be willing to share their own expertise and experience.

Collaboration can take many different forms, from regular meetings online or in-person to working together on school-wide initiatives or projects. 

13. Provide individualized instruction. 

Differentiating instruction often involves tailoring teaching methods and materials to meet the individual needs of each student . This is a complicated task because each student varies greatly in their strengths and weaknesses.

To provide individualized instruction, teachers must have a strong understanding of each student's abilities, interests, and learning styles. They should also develop a strong set of teaching strategies and technologies to help each student succeed in the weekly or monthly curriculum.

Teachers can also work to build strong relationships with students and families to better understand what home life is like and, therefore, get better clues on what might aid them in the classroom. 

By providing individualized instruction, teachers can ensure that all students can learn and reach their full potential. This can lead to improved student engagement and motivation, and higher student achievement.

14. Foster creativity and innovation.

Encouraging students to think outside the box and embrace new and creative ideas can lead to better subject matter retention. Hands-on learning that gets students off their feet and moving around can be a great way to spark their innate creative talents.

Teachers can do this by creating a supportive and inclusive learning environment that values and encourages creativity , no matter where the child goes with it.

They can also incorporate activities and projects into their lessons that spark creativity and provide opportunities for students to explore their own interests and ideas. This can lead to improved student engagement and motivation, and higher student achievement.

15. Foster a growth mindset in students. 

A growth mindset is important for everyone, not just students. Fostering it at a young age can set the child up for success well beyond the classroom.

Developing a growth mindset involves embracing challenges and persevering through difficulties to uncover the hidden potential in one's own talent. By creating a supportive and inclusive learning environment, teachers can get students to take more risks and embrace challenges.

A safe environment that ensures students that everything will be ok if they fail is one of the most crucial things a teacher can create in the learning space. Fostering a growth mindset helps students build up the resilience they will need as they face challenges in life.

Having a growth mindset means embracing challenges as opportunities for learning and growth. If you want to learn more, then take a few minutes to watch this video:

16. Increase attendance.

Are you in a situation in which you're having issues with maintaining student attendance? Before you get mad at the students, try to understand their situation. Some students may have a troubled home life.

Some students may be floating between two homes because their parents are going through a divorce . Some students may just not be motivated or are dealing with an undiagnosed learning disability.

Whatever the reason, you can use different steps to increase attendance by promoting a positive attitude towards school. Establish your own attendance tracking system to see if you notice patterns and trends that are alarming.

Begin by checking out last year's attendance rates and make it a goal to increase it by a certain percentage, such as 10% or 20% for the current year.

When you encourage positive reinforcement in the classroom and reward any student for good attendance, students will feel that their voices are being heard. Then they’ll be more likely to show up on time.

17. Increase reading levels.

If you're trying to increase reading levels, you don't have to rely just on the school curriculum. Encourage students to read as often as possible with tools they prefer.

Give students 5 or 15 minutes of in class time to read their own book or article. Or you can consider reading out loud to students from a book that you're reading at home or a different academic book. Choose a current news article, comic book, academic book, or poetry book to read out loud together as a class.

You can get students to further participate in reading by allowing each student to pick a book, article, or poem that the entire class has to read by the following week, and everyone will get together and discuss it.

18. Increase creative writing opportunities.

Writing is just as important as reading at all levels. You can incorporate writing prompts along with your reading segments. In other words, have students write something related to the book, poem, or article they’re assigned every week.

Allow students to read their writing out loud and have each class discussion around it. You can also encourage students to keep a journal in which you'll give them writing prompts. Collect the journals every week and give supportive feedback to what students write, regardless of how little or how much they write in it.

You can also allow students to provide writing prompts for the class and turn it into a fun or serious activity, depending on the topic. 

19. Hire a career coach.

Teaching is your career that you've put a lot of time and effort into. There's nothing wrong with hiring a career coach to move you further along, regardless of how many years you've been in the game. A career coach will help you clarify the career goals you have as a teacher. Maybe you want to remain in the classroom.

Maybe you want to switch over to a different age group. Maybe you want to open an online tutoring school or move to international teaching. A career coach can help walk you through the process to help you achieve such a goal within a realistic amount of time.

If your career goals involve having to achieve a certification, do certain networking, learn a new subject matter, a career coach can give you the tools you need to get started.

20. Encourage peer teaching help.

While you may already be doing collaborative group work and teamwork, you can also take it a step further by encouraging students to teach the class for a certain segment.

You can even make it more structured by having students prepare a short lesson plan around any topic of their choosing, but they have to find a way to work it into the overall class subject.

Give students positive feedback about their particular lesson plan and teaching method. This can encourage more shy students to use their voices and show them how they can teach anything.

21. Incorporate current events into teaching.

Regardless of what subject you teach, you could find a way to incorporate current events into your curriculum. For example, if you're a math teacher, you may want to discuss numbers by talking about how Warren Buffett does stock trading or the percentages in which Bitcoin has risen or fallen for today.

Do you teach history? Try to find something that happened on this day 10, 50 or 200 years ago. You can use different sources ranging from videos, podcasts, and documentaries. You can also create in-class or homework assignments based around current events. 

22. Watch other professionals teach.

You can always learn so much from watching other professionals teach. Don't make the mistake of thinking because you're an experienced teacher that you couldn't learn from a new one, or that you can’t learn from a teacher who's been teaching as long as you have.

Different teachers have different methods that can vary based on their personality, culture, and life experience. You can gain a lot from opening up your horizons and seeing how your peers are doing things.

If you don't feel comfortable watching peers at your school, ask to visit another school. Whether it's one at your teaching level or a different one, you can get a better grasp on how different teaching methods work.

23. Invite an observer.

On the flip side, have someone watch you teach . While it can be nerve-wracking when you're being assessed by professional administration, it may not be so nerve-wracking when you're inviting someone in to observe you.

Invite another teacher that you trust and will give an honest opinion. You can also record yourself teaching and send a video to another peer at your school or who works elsewhere. 

Final Thoughts on Teacher Professional Goals

Teachers have a major responsibility for the role they play in developing the future pillars of society . As every student is different, and an individual, it is important to meet each child where they are to help them succeed in class. Every student must be treated on a case-by-case basis.  

Beyond succeeding in the classroom, fostering a love for challenges and creativity can be an instrumental concept to shape a student's life outside academia . Learning and educating is a lifelong process.

Hopefully, these teacher professional goals examples give you some ideas for what you can do in your own classroom and beyond.

And if you want more SMART goal ideas and examples, be sure to check out these blog posts:

• 10 SMART Goals Examples for an IEP (Individualized Education Program)
• 11 SMART Goals Examples for Special Education Teachers
• 9 SMART Goals Examples for Teachers

Finally, if you want to take your goal-setting efforts to the next level, check out this FREE printable worksheet and a step-by-step process that will help you set effective SMART goals .

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Teacher education and learning outcomes

This brief examines the impact of teacher education on the quality of education. It provides suggestions of how educational planners and decision makers can improve the effectiveness of initial teacher education programmes and continuing professional development (CPD) to improve teaching quality.

Many countries are unable to recruit and train enough teachers to provide universal access to both primary and secondary education (Education International and Oxfam Novbib, 2011; UNESCO IICBA et al., 2017). Some countries hire unqualified and/or untrained teachers to fill the gap. (ADEA, 2016). Globally, 85 per cent of primary teachers were trained in 2018, whereas in sub-Saharan Africa, only 64 per cent of primary and 50 per cent of secondary teachers were trained in 2018–17 (UIS, TTF, and GEMR, 2019).

Sustainable Development Goal target 4.c seeks to increase the supply of qualified teachers (Education 2030, 2016). Five of the seven indicators relate to teacher training or qualifications. However, teacher education programmes vary between countries regarding length, content, modality (school or institution based), and entry requirements (OECD, 2018; UIS, 2017). Countries define the status of a ‘qualified teacher’ differently, making data comparisons difficult (UIS, 2017). Furthermore, ‘qualified’ does not necessarily equate to being trained to teach (target 4.c.1, 4.c.3) (Bengtsson et al., 2020).

What we know

Quality teachers a key role improve learning outcomes (Cosentino and Sridharan, 2017). Analysis from sub-Saharan Africa found that teacher content and pedagogical knowledge significantly improve student achievement (Bold et al., 2017).

Research on the direct impact of pre-service teacher education and CPD is inconclusive. Initial training is not always adapted to the challenges teachers face (Best, Tournier, and Chimier, 2018), and the effectiveness of the few evaluated in-service CPD programmes is mixed (Popova et al., 2019).

Research is inconclusive about the minimum academic level required for teaching, especially at primary level. Some studies show that beyond a certain threshold, academic level has moderate or no effects on primary level learning outcomes (Best, Tournier, and Chimier, 2018). Conversely, a study in sub-Saharan African countries demonstrated that teachers with upper secondary education affect learners more positively than those with lower secondary education (Bernard, Tiyab, and Vianou, 2004). However, ‘in India, pre-service teacher training and holding a Master’s level qualification were found to have a significant positive correlation to learner outcomes’ (UNESCO, 2019: 47).

Pre-service education can improve effectiveness. Practice must be linked to theory for recruits to apply their knowledge and skills in a classroom setting before teaching full-time (OECD, 2018; UNESCO, 2019). ‘The most effective teacher training courses involve active, experiential, practice-based learning focusing on outcomes rather than inputs. These courses consider trainee teachers as “reflective practitioners”, who learn both by doing and reflecting on their practice’ (UNESCO, 2019: 48).

Instruction type and quality matter more than participation (Martin, 2018; OECD, 2018; Taylor and Robinson, 2019). Effective training includes a specific subject focus, initial face-to-face aspect, follow-up, and participatory practices for everyday teaching activities. CPD opportunities linked to career progression, salary increases, or other incentives are more likely to be successful (Martin, 2018; Popova et al., 2019).

Classroom management and pedagogical skills help develop more effective teachers. Classroom management, providing feedback, learner-centred practices, and flipped classrooms appear to have a positive impact on learner performance. Pre- and in-service teacher education programmes could develop these skills (Best, Tournier, and Chimier, 2018). CPD programmes focusing on subject-specific pedagogy could enhance learning significantly (Popova et al., 2019).

Teacher education best functions as part of a continuum, that includes pre-service training, induction and mentoring of new teachers, and CPD (Education Commission, 2019; Martin, 2018; OECD, 2019; Popova et al., 2019; Taylor, Deacon, and Robinson, 2019; UNESCO, 2019; UNESCO IICBA et al., 2017; VVOB, 2019). Ministries of education, schools, and teacher training institutions should coordinate their training efforts and opportunities (UNESCO, 2019), and embed CPD into career structures (Tournier et al., 2019: 68) for teachers to continuously gain new skills.

Collaborative practices are important. Activities that combine CPD and colleague collaboration facilitate both the teachers’ need for competence and relatedness (Tournier et al., 2019). Some countries have established professional learning communities to support collaborative learning and mentor new teachers and senior staff (Jensen et al., 2016).

Lack of capacity and coordination.  Many countries lack the resources to provide pre-service training to enough new teachers due to limited training facilities; too few well-trained, qualified educators; and the inability to provide supervised school placements (Taylor and Robinson, 2019). Some programmes do not align with national curricula or national education policies and do not prepare teachers for the real world (Westbrook et al., 2013). Other issues include planning pre-service training alongside recruitment strategies and existing teacher needs (UNESCO, 2019).

There is a gap between research-supported CPD and that provided by many government-funded, at-scale programmes (Popova et al., 2019: 2). In-service training, especially in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) is often ineffective and does not meet teachers’ needs (Popova et al., 2019; UNESCO IICBA et al., 2017; World Bank, 2018). Follow-up training, and monitoring and evaluation of effectiveness are often non-existent (Taylor and Robinson, 2019; UNESCO IICBA et al., 2017; World Bank, 2018).

Difficulties in balancing pre-service professional development programmes.  Teacher education programmes often struggle to balance theory and practice, content knowledge, pedagogical content knowledge, and pedagogy (Taylor and Robinson, 2019). Some programmes rely too much on theoretical teaching teach theory rather than giving students classroom experience (Popova et al., 2019; UNESCO, 2019). High-performing systems typically incorporate more practical training into their pre-service programmes (OECD, 2018). Many teachers in LMICs lack the minimum subject matter knowledge to teach (Popova et al., 2019; Taylor, Deacon, and Robinson, 2019). This typically stems from low entry requirements to pre-service training or shorter programmes.

Lack of qualified motivated candidates entering teacher education programmes. Underperforming education systems produce too few quality candidates to create a new cohort of quality teachers (Taylor, Deacon, and Robinson, 2019; Taylor and Robinson, 2019). Minimum entry requirements should attract candidates with a sufficiently high level of education while still guaranteeing sufficient candidates to meet needs (UNESCO, 2019). In some contexts, it is already difficult to attract candidates, and raising entry standards could reduce numbers further.

Cost, sustainability and coherence.  Central challenges include cost and sustainability. Resources are required to build more training facilities; hire, train, and support teacher educators; and offer higher salaries to attract better candidates. Some LMICs use assistance from NGOs or other international organizations to mitigate this issue, but most of these programmes are unsustainable (Martin, 2018; Taylor and Robinson, 2019). This raises coordination and consistency issues for programmes provided by different NGOs and other organizations, especially in crisis-affected contexts (Richardson, MacEwen, and Naylor, 2018).

Equity and inclusion

A lack of proper training leaves teachers unprepared to treat vulnerable populations (girls, students with disabilities, ethnic minorities, or displaced students) fairly and equitably. Training helps teachers to understand exclusion and discrimination and to adapt inclusive teaching methods to suit students with different learning needs (Education Commission, 2019; UNESCO, 2019). Especially in crisis and refugee settings, teachers are often not prepared to offer specialized psychosocial support; do not have pedagogical skills for multigrade classrooms; and are unable to deal with potentially dangerous classroom situations, special needs learners, and/or learners who have missed a significant amount of school (Richardson, MacEwen, and Naylor, 2018). Research is focusing more on the importance of training teachers to enhance their own social-emotional learning, manage stress, build resilience, and better support learners (Schonert-Reichl, 2017).

Entry standards for teacher education programmes do not always address equity across gender, ethnic backgrounds, or candidates with disabilities, which may affect learning outcomes (Education Commission, 2019; UNESCO, 2014, 2019). Teachers who closely identify with their students through culture, language, or ethnicity can impact learning positively (UNESCO, 2014).

Policy and planning

• Establish recruitment and selection strategies that attract quality and diverse candidates. Targeting selected groups (based on gender, ethnicity, or geographical location) and offering merit scholarships can make teaching more attractive (Education Commission, 2019; UNESCO, 2019). Selection practices should consider basic academic achievement level, overall capabilities, motivation, and attitude (Education Commission, 2019; UNESCO, 2019).
• Improve access and quality of pre-service teacher education and prepare teacher educators. Policy design often overlooks appropriate qualifications for teacher educators and their access to professional development (UNESCO, 2019). They should understand active learning methods and pedagogy; support training; apply various active teaching methods, techniques and processes; have practical classroom experience; and be involved or at least informed of research in their area of expertise (UNESCO, 2019: 48–49).
• Obtain teacher input when designing training programmes. To ensure that in-service training meets the needs of teachers, input from the teachers themselves should be sought (Cosentino and Sridharan, 2017; Tournier et al., 2019; VVOB, 2019). This also provides teachers with a sense of empowerment and can help improve their motivation (Tournier et al., 2019; Consentino and Sridharan, 2017), especially in crisis and displacement settings, where teachers are rarely trained to face complex situations and have few opportunities to learn from others (Chase et al., 2019).
• Balance theoretical and practical aspects of teacher training. Training should provide practical guidance and avoid overly theoretical content (OECD, 2018; UNESCO, 2019). School-led training conducted by principals or senior teachers can be effective and save costs (Martin, 2018). Partnership guidelines between teacher training institutions and schools can validate training and give candidates practical experience (Education Commission, 2019 UNESCO, 2019; World Bank, 2018).
• Include the development of social-emotional competencies during pre- and in-service teacher training. These influence teaching effectiveness, mental and emotional well-being, and willingness to continue teaching (Jennings, Frank, and Montgomery, 2020; Zakrzewski, 2013), and improve students’ academic learning and mental health (Bayley et al., 2021, Duraiappah and Sethi, 2020). Understanding how behaviour and emotion affect teaching and learning helps teachers confidently create a positive learning environment (Schonert-Reichl, 2017 as cited in Jennings, Frank, and Montgomery, 2020). CPD that deepens knowledge of social-emotional theories, concepts, and activities for teachers to improve their own social-emotional competencies can provide a model for students and create a positive learning environment (Jennings, Frank, and Montgomery, 2020).
• Integrate information and communications technology (ICT) and digital literacy skills. Most creative solutions during COVID-19 closures relied on technology-based education (Vincent-Lancrin, Cobo Romaní, and Reimers, 2022), underscoring the importance of ICT skills and digital literacy in classrooms. Teachers need to understand digital technologies to support their pedagogy and content knowledge, student learning, and assessment and collaboration with peers (Unwin et al., 2020). Pre-service training and CPD in ICT skills should include competency assessment, hardware and software familiarization, ongoing training, hands-on instruction, and examples of pedagogical ICT use (UNESCO, 2018). Providing teachers with support and training to use different technologies improve teachers’ pedagogy whether schools are open or closed (UNICEF, 2021).
• Continuously build additional teacher skills and expertise. Probationary periods and mentorship can support new teachers and provide additional training while settling in the classroom (OECD, 2018; UNESCO, 2019; World Bank, 2012). Individual CPD plans can address specific career needs and help teachers take responsibility for their CPD (UNESCO, 2019).
• Provide ongoing support and post-training monitoring to sustain school-based training. Effective, practical follow-up and actionable feedback help translate the knowledge teachers gain into practice. A supportive environment, peer-to-peer exchanges, communities of practice, and interschool collaboration also help build sustainable training. ‘In-person, on-site coaching is an effective way to deliver advice on classroom practice, and coaching should be the core of any good professional development programme’ (UNESCO, 2019: 52). Peer mentoring, observation, and lesson preparation meetings can also be used to support school-based CPD (UNESCO, 2019).
• Integrate inclusive education into all CPD programmes. Specific courses and inclusive pedagogy can be mainstreamed into all professional pre- and in-service courses (Lewis and Bagree, 2013). Teacher development should take place primarily in classrooms; connect to and build on in-school expertise; create cooperative spaces; and engage teachers in developing a common language of practice (UNESCO, 2017).
• Plan financial resources for CPD in advance. Include training expenses in education budgets: ‘An annual CPD allocation per teacher, adjusted for purchasing power parity, including the cost of paying to supply teachers where necessary, may be a strategy to finance CPD’ (UNESCO, 2019: 53).

Plans and policies

• Uganda:  The National Teacher Policy
• United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA):  Teacher Policy
• UNESCO. 2019. Teacher Policy Development Guide

ADEA (Association for the Development of Education in Africa). 2016. Policy Brief: In-service Teacher Education in Sub-Saharan Africa. Abidjan: AfDB.

Bayley, S.; Wole, D.; Ramchandani, P.; Rose, P.; Woldehanna, T.; Yorke, L. 2021. Socio- emotional and Academic Learning Before and After COVID-19 School Closures: Evidence from Ethiopia. RISE Working Paper Series, no. 21/082.

Bengtsson, S.; Kamanda, M.; Ailwood, J.; Barakat, B. 2020. ‘Teachers are more than “supply”: Toward meaningful measurement of pedagogy and teachers in SDG 4’. In: A. Wulff (ed.), Grading Goal Four (pp. 214–237). Leiden: Koninklijke Brill NV.

Bernard, J.M.; Tiyab, B.K.; Vianou, K. 2004. Profils enseignants et qualité de l’éducation primaire en Afrique subsaharienne francophone : Bilan et perspectives de dix années de recherche du PASEC. Dakar: CONFEMEN.

Best, A.; Tournier, B.; Chimier, C. 2018. Topical Questions on Teacher Management. Paris: IIEP-UNESCO.

Bold, T.; Filmer, D.; Martin, G.; Molina, E.; Rockmore, C.; Stacy, B.; Svensson, J.; Wane, W. 2017. What do Teachers Know and Do? Does it Matter? Evidence from Primary Schools in Africa. Policy Research Working Paper, no. 7956. Washington, DC: World Bank.

Chase, E.; Kennedy, E.; Laurillard, D.; Abu Moghli, M.; Pherali, T.; Shuayb, M. 2019. A Co-designed Blended Approach for Teacher Professional Development in Contexts of Mass Displacement. New York, NY: INEE.

Cosentino, C.; Sridharan, S. 2017. Improving Teacher Quality: Lessons Learned from Grantees of the Partnership to Strengthen Innovation and Practice in Secondary Education. Washington, DC: Mathematica Policy Research.

Duraiappah, A.K.; Sethi, S. 2020. ‘Social and emotional learning: The costs of inaction’. In: N. Chatterjee Singh and A.K. Duraiappah (eds.), Rethinking Learning: A Review of Social and Emotional Learning for Education Systems (pp. 187–218). New Delhi: Mahatma Gandhi Institute of Education for Peace and Sustainable Development.

Education 2030: Incheon Declaration and Framework for Action for the Implementation for Sustainable Development Goal 4: Ensure Inclusive and Equitable Quality Education and Promote Lifelong Learning. 2016.

Education Commission. 2019. Transforming the Education Workforce: Learning Teams for a Learning Generation. New York, NY: Education Commission.

Education International; Oxfam Novib. 2011. Quality Educators: An International Study of Teacher Competences and Standards. Brussels: Education International.

Jennings, P.; Frank, J;. Montgomery, M. 2020. ‘Social and emotional learning for educators’. In: N. Chatterjee Singh and A.K. Duraiappah (eds.), Rethinking Learning: A Review of Social and Emotional Learning for Education Systems (pp. 123–154). New Delhi: Mahatma Gandhi Institute of Education for Peace and Sustainable Development.

Jensen, B.; Sonnemann, J.; Roberts-Hull, K.; Hunter, A. 2016. Beyond PD: Teacher Professional Learning in High-Performing Systems. Washington, DC: National Center on Education and the Economy.

Lewis, I.; Bagree, S. 2013. Teachers for All: Inclusive Teaching for Children with Disabilities. Brussels: International Disability and Development Consortium.

Martin, J. 2018. UNICEF Think Piece Series: Teacher Performance. Nairobi: UNICEF Eastern and Southern Africa Regional Office. 

OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development). 2018. Effective Teacher Policies: Insights from PISA. Washington, DC: OECD Publishing.

––––. 2019. A Flying Start: Improving Initial Teacher Preparation Systems. Washington, DC: OECD Publishing.

Popova, A.; Evans, D.K.; Breeding, M.E.; Arancibia, V. 2019. Teacher Professional Development Around the World: The Gap Between Evidence and Practice. CGD Working Paper 517. Washington, DC: Center for Global Development.

Richardson, E.; MacEwen, L.; Naylor, R. 2018. Teachers of Refugees: A Review of the Literature. Berkshire: Education Development Trust and IIEP-UNESCO.

Schonert-Reichl, K.A. 2017. ‘Social and emotional learning and teachers’. In: Future of Children, 27(1), 137–155.

Taylor, N.; Deacon, R.; Robinson, N. 2019. Secondary Level Teacher Education in Sub-Saharan Africa. Teacher Preparation and Support: Overview Report. Mastercard Foundation.

Taylor, N.; Robinson, N. 2019. Secondary Education in Sub-Saharan Africa. Teacher Preparation and Support Literature Review. Mastercard Foundation.

Tournier, B.; Chimier, C.; Childress, D.; Raudonyte, I. 2019. Teacher Career Reforms: Learning from Experience. Paris: IIEP-UNESCO.

UIS (UNESCO Institute of Statistics). 2017. Improving the Global Measurement of Teacher Training.  Background paper prepared for the 2017/8 Global Education Monitoring Report, Accountability in Education: Meeting our Commitments.

UIS (UNESCO Institute for Statistics); TTF (International Task Force on Teachers for Education 2030); GEMR (Global Education Monitoring Report) Team. 2019. World Teachers’ Day 2019: Fact Sheet.

UNESCO. 2014. Advocacy Toolkit for Teachers to Provide a Quality Education. Paris: UNESCO.

––––. 2017. A Guide for Ensuring Inclusion and Equity in Education. Paris: UNESCO.

––––. 2018. UNESCO ICT Competency Framework for Teachers. Paris: UNESCO.

––––. 2019. Teacher Policy Development Guide. Paris: UNESCO.

UNESCO IICBA (International Institute for Capacity-Building in Africa); Education International; International Labour Organization; Association for the Development of Education in Africa; African Union; Dept. of Human Resources, Science and Technology; Forum for African Women Educationalists. 2017. Teacher Support and Motivation Framework for Africa: Emerging Patterns. Addis Ababa: IICBA.

UNICEF. 2021. Reopening with Resilience: Lessons from Remote Learning during COVID-19. Florence: UNICEF Innocenti Office of Research - Innocenti.

Unwin, T.; Naseem, A.; Pawluczuk, A.; Shareef, M.; Spiesberger, P.; West, P.; Yoo, C. 2020. Guidance Note 10 Prioritising Effective and Appropriate Teacher Training from the Report: Education for the Most Marginalised Post-COVID-19: Guidance for Governments on the Use of Digital Technologies in Education.

Vincent-Lancrin, S.; Cobo Romaní, C.; Reimers, F. (eds.). 2022. How Learning Continued During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Global Lessons from Initiatives to Support Learners and Teachers. Paris: OECD Publishing.

VVOB. 2019. Annual Report 2018: Unlocking the Potential of Teachers and School Leaders for SDG4. Brussels: VVOB.

Westbrook, J.; Durrani, N.; Brown, R.; Orr, D.; Pryor, J.; Boddy, J.; Salvi, F. 2013. Pedagogy, Curriculum, Teaching Practices and Teacher Education in Developing Countries. Final Report. Education Rigorous Literature Review. Department for International Development.

World Bank. 2012. What Matters Most in Teacher Policies? A Framework for Building a More Effective Teaching Profession. Washington, DC: World Bank.

––––. 2018. World Development Report 2018: Learning to Realize Education’s Promise. Washington, DC: World Bank.

Zakrzewski, V. 2013. 'Why Teachers Need Social-emotional Skills'.  Mahatma Gandhi Institute of Education for Peace and Sustainable Development

Related information

• International Task Force on Teachers for Education 2030
• In-service teacher training
• Pre-service teacher training

Setting SMART Teaching Goals for Next School Year

• June 18, 2020

Summer can be a useful time to reflect on the previous school year and make a plan for changes or improvements you want to see next year. But determining where to start and what accomplishments you’d like to reach can be tough—especially if you’ve never set specific teaching goals.

In this article, we’ll explore how setting goals can shape your career for the better—and improve your connection with your students, too. Then, we’ll show you how to set SMART goals as positive and measurable targets for improvement.

Why Should You Set Specific Teaching Goals for the Year?

Educators who make a goal to improve their teaching skills report a greater interest in their career as well as a more positive teacher self-image.[4] A survey of teachers who set goals for themselves also found that, by the end of the school year, they were more likely to feel that they had improved as a teacher.[8]

Setting goals can also boost your relationship with your students and their classroom performance. For example, when teachers set student-teacher relationship goals, their students were more likely to report viewing their teacher as a support and someone they were comfortable asking for help.[1,5] And when teachers set mastery-related goals, their students’ motivation improved significantly.[2]

Additionally, goal-setting can be especially crucial for teachers who are just beginning or early in their careers.[4] In these situations, the goals you set can help you define and shape what you want to achieve as a teacher. And at the end of each school year, you’ll also have a list of measurable accomplishments to remind yourself how you’re growing throughout your career.

Goal-setting is great for both your professional development and your students’ progress.. But deciding to set goals is only half the story. Equally important is learning how to set strong, measurable goals that will help you grow as an educator over the school year.

How to Set SMART and Effective Teacher Goals

When choosing goals for yourself, use the SMART goal framework to work on issues that matter the most to you and improve your likelihood of success. SMART goals are defined as those that meet the following criteria:[7]

Here’s an example of a SMART goal for a teacher: suppose that you want to improve the quality and frequency of your classroom discussions. You could set a goal to have discussions every week (Specific, Achievable) for the rest of the school year (Time-bound, Measurable) on a subject your class is studying (Relevant). The SMART goal criteria are flexible enough that you can mold them to your specific interests as a teacher to make sure you’re hitting the areas where you most want to improve.

Additionally, teaching students how to make SMART goals is shown to effectively improve their academic progress and provide them with ways to measure their own success.[6] Once you’ve tried setting SMART goals for yourself, consider using them to help your students grow through the school year as well.

Keep in mind, however, that SMART goal-setting works best when used as a format rather than a strict set of rules.[9] You may need to adapt them in some ways to meet your own needs or those of your students. If you want to set a goal for yourself that will exceed this school year, for example, the way you define “time-bound” may need to be more flexible. But as long as you use the SMART acronym as your guide, you’re more likely to set effective goals that will help you improve.

Stuck Choosing a Teaching Goal? Here Are a Few Resources to Get You Started

Not sure where to start for setting your own SMART goals? A study conducted by Dr. Heather Camp at Minnesota State University found that teaching goals usually fall into one of four categories:[8]

• Improving classroom organization
• Making the most of class time
• Raising student engagement
• Strengthening student discussion

Because these are commonly reported as areas where teachers want to improve, they may give you a starting place for your own goals this year. For more ideas, check out this list of sample teaching goals put together by the Stanford University Teaching Commons. It includes ideas like inspiring students or mentoring young intellects. These might give you more suggestions for your own goals.

If none of these are areas you’d like to focus on, try reflecting on the previous school year. If you could have done one thing differently, what would it be? This might give you a helpful starting point for next year’s goals. And if all else fails, try discussing potential goals with a colleague or friend to nail down a plan for improvement.

• Butler, R. Striving to connect: Extending an achievement goal approach to teacher motivation to include relational goals for teaching. Journal of Educational Psychology, 104(3), 2012, pp. 726–742.
• Schiefele, U., and Schaffner, E. Teacher interests, mastery goals, and self-efficacy as predictors of instructional practices and student motivation. Contemporary Educational Psychology, July 2015, 42, pp. 159-171.
• Mansfield, C.F., and Beltman, S. Teacher motivation from a goal content perspective: Beginning teachers’ goals for teaching. International Journal of Educational Research, 2014, 65, pp. 54-64.
• Paulick, I., Retelsdorf, J., and Möller, J. Motivation for choosing teacher education: Associations with teachers’ achievement goals and instructional practices. International Journal of Educational Research, 2013, 61, pp. 60-70.
• Butler, R., and Shibaz, L. Striving to connect and striving to learn: Influences of relational and mastery goals for teaching on teacher behaviors and student interest and help seeking. International Journal of Educational Research, 2014, 65, pp. 41-53.
• O’Neill, J. SMART Goals, SMART Schools. Educational Leadership, February 2000, 57(5), pp. 46-50.
• The University of California. SMART Goals: A How-To Guide. Retrieved from ucop.edu: https://www.ucop.edu/local-human-resources/_files/performance-appraisal/How%20to%20write%20SMART%20Goals%20v2.pdf.
• Camp, H. Goal Setting as Teacher Development Practice. International Journal of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education, 2017, 29(1), pp. 61-72.
• Bjerke, M.B., & Renger, R. Being smart about writing SMART objectives. Evaluation and Program Planning, April 2017, 61, pp. 125-27.

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Main goals of effective teachers.

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Teacher development, 4 main goals of effective teachers, last updated 05 may 2022/ by zineb djoub.

What goals do effective teachers set?

Effective teachers create learning opportunities for all students, motivate them, and push them forward to do better. For these teachers, students’ learning potential is the focus and their flexibility and reflection are the tools to enhance it more.

Yet, effective teachers’  impact goes beyond the classroom. They not only contribute to students’ learning but also inspire them to draw their own learning pathways.

We all want to be EFFECTIVE. Because it makes a great difference when we feel that we’re developing minds and we’re worth others’ attention and respect. It’s only then that teaching becomes rewarding!

But, how to develop this quality of  ‘effectiveness’?

Before examining our practices, we have to start with our goals. Goals are what determine our decisions and attitudes as teachers.

For instance, if a teacher’s goal is to cater to students’ individual needs, he will plan for more personalized instructions , observe, and keep on reflecting on how his students are getting on with them.

So, our goals are the engines that drive our intentions and plans into actions. To this end, effective teachers have specific goals that make them sparkle and glow.

Here are 4 goals of effective teachers along with some tips to achieve them.

This post contains some affiliate links; if you make any purchase after going through these links, Edulearn2change receives a small commission at no extra cost to you.

1. quality learning.

One of the goals of effective teachers is quality learning. We’re indeed bound to teach the syllabus and we make exams to decide if students can advance to the next grade or not. Yet, this should not be our ultimate goal in teaching.

Effective teachers aim further than that. They have a long-term vision where quality learning is emphasized. That learning goes beyond the notion of passing to honing the necessary skills to thrive in today’s world.

Supporting students to think critically , solve problems, communicate, and create is what every teacher needs to aim at, no matter what content or learning outcomes he is expected to meet.

Besides, effective teachers perceive students as individuals who will contribute to the economic growth and social welfare of their nation.

So, their intent is also to develop those interpersonal skills which are much in demand in the world of work such as collaboration, positivity, self-confidence, work ethic, showing appreciation, etc.

You may think: “That’s easier said than done”! Even if you want to do that time remains an issue.

Let me tell you If you keep on thinking about teaching for exams, giving students EVERYTHING, and grading every single assignment you give, you’ll never devote a space for that kind of goal.

In such a case, quality learning would seem for you hard to integrate, or even unnecessary to attain.

But, when your goal is quality learning rather than getting an A you will think and find ways to make students learn what is more relevant to their own future needs.

Stay committed to your decisions, but stay flexible in your approach. Tony Robbins”

2. The whole community

The classroom remains the place where w e spend most of the time with students. Yet, our students are not the only people to connect with.

Whatever context we’re concerned with school, college, institution, etc, our colleagues and the administration constitute a community. That community grows through empathy, communication, and collaboration.

Effective teachers are not alien to their schools. Rather, they feel a sense of belonging. They collaborate and work for the benefit of the whole community and aim always to bring positive change.

So, if we think that being active within this community would serve nothing and that our energy, knowledge and skills should be preserved for our students, we will not be EFFECTIVE.

The power of co-working is tremendous. When we collaborate with others, we share and learn from each other and come up with something more relevant.

It is our concern and commitment to benefit all those community members which make us more effective teachers.

So, ask yourself: How can you benefit your school? Think about real-life projects that would serve your school, new ideas, and tools that can improve communication with students and parents, enhance digital citizenship, etc.

Involve all students and encourage them to collaborate. Communicate regularly with your colleagues, share your ideas, listen, set goals, and plan for things together to make your school more SPECIAL.

3. Expertise

Developing expertise is another goal of effective teachers. In this concern, experience alone does not suffice but it’s learning through experience that does matter.

Such kind of learning is the outcome of the teacher’s innovation, ongoing reflection on and inactions, evaluation, and decisions to improve further.

So, if you want to be more effective as a teacher, intend to learn on the go .

Stop thinking that there is no use of learning. You’ve got your diploma or teaching certificate and you know how to do things in the classroom.

Learning is limitless and it has become more necessary in this increasingly changing world.

If you stick with a routine and deprive your mind of thinking and innovating, you’ll get overwhelmed and burn out.

So, grab a pen and paper and think about: 1) what do you need to learn to make your teaching more effective?, 2) how would that learning add to your teaching ?, and 4) How would your students benefit from it?

Read, connect to teachers, attend PD programmes, and update yourself with more relevant teaching ideas, resources and tools.

While engaging in such learning opportunities keep on thinking about your students, their needs, and interests. Also, think about yourself, the issues you’re facing, and how you can apply that learning to your context.

Never doubt your potential in putting into practice what you have learned. Your innovation can be invaluable. So, go for it,  learn from others’ feedback, and reflect to streamline.

4. Well-being

Effective teachers aim to create the necessary work-life balance. Because they know that this contributes to their well-being, making them more energized and productive. So, they invest time in themselves and their family and don’t regret doing so.

For those teachers, time management is the core concern. They value planning for their actions, commit themselves to organization, and try to make their life simple and more meaningful.

So, if you want to thrive and not just survive in your profession, admire more your job, and enjoy the moments you spend with your students aim at your well-being.

Set a line between your professional and personal life and do not live one at the expense of the other. Do not let your professional life ruin your relationship with others and even your relationship with yourself.

Take time for yourself: Self-care ! This has to be part of your plan because this is MORE IMPORTANT than your job. Learn about what makes your life happier and healthier. Here are some practical suggestions:

• Join The ULTRAMIND Process with Dr Mark Hyman , a six-week programme that will help you enrich your body and heal your mind.
• Overcome your stress, anxiety, and all issues that hinder your well-being through mindfulness meditation. Learn how to do it with Jon Kabat-Zinn and his mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR). Click here to get his series. 
• Listen to Marianne Williamson’ s books, you will never regret doing it. They will boost your energy and motivation to make your life better. For more information visit The Marianne Williamson Collection on BetterListen!

Besides self-care, care about your family, and give them the necessary love and concern they need. Spend time with them, devoid of any professional thoughts or concerns. Because these are the people who make you happy.

Since organization does matter to your well-being, use a planner to keep track of important dates, deadlines, planning, and other tasks. It will save you a lot of time and energy.

Enhancing quality learning, working for the benefit of the whole community, learning on the go, and improving and maintaining their well-being, are the main 4 goals of effective teachers. Target them you will leave an indelible mark on your career. YOU are awesome.

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Setting S.M.A.R.T. Goals as an Educator

See how using this goal-setting structure can help you achieve content-focused goals during the school year

Every August, as the summer days wind down and the school year approaches, I find myself reflecting on the previous year as I make plans for the new school year.  What went well that I’d like to maintain? Or, perhaps even more importantly, what would I like to improve upon?

Just being aware of the goals we want to achieve isn’t the same thing as making those goals happen, however. I’ve learned that the act of putting my goals down on paper for the new school year really helps me stay focused. But what’s the best way to do this? Year after year, I tried different goal-setting methods, but I found it always seemed to be like those New Years’ resolutions: Such a great idea in January, but long forgotten by February.

So how could I map out my goals in August and stick with them month after month, no matter how busy my day-to-day schedule might be? After doing some research, I came across the S.M.A.R.T. goal format. While this goal-setting approach is most often used by those in the corporate world, with a few tweaks here and there, they can easily become the educator’s new best friend.

Have you heard of the S.M.A.R.T. goal format? Here’s a quick breakdown:

Strengthening My Professional Learning Network (PLN)

S pecific : To extend my professional learning network. Why ? Having a collaborative network of educators to engage with, both face-to-face and virtually, is pivotal to continuing my own learning as an educator. Talking with my peers or on an online forum about the best way to implement a certain standard or a creative way to engage students with a piece of text is much more enjoyable than insisting on working solo.

M easurable: I will participate in at least two Twitter chats a month (one being the monthly #CoreAdvocates chat), find and follow one new educational blog each month, participate in one book study (whether virtually or face-to-face) each semester, and join and engage with Google+ communities.

A chievable: To achieve this goal, I need to do several things. I need to schedule the time on my calendar for Twitter chats so I don’t forget to participate. I also need to research how to use Google+ communities as this online PLN is relatively new to me.

R elevant: One of our district’s goals is to promote lifelong learning. By extending my own professional learning network, I’m embracing the district goal by making it a personal goal. Daily, I’m able to glean helpful suggestions and ideas from my PLN whether it’s on Twitter, Facebook, or by chatting with my colleague across the hall about her new lesson she’s working on.

T imeline: August 2017 — June 2018

When I sit down to create my goals year after year, I always keep my teaching standards in mind. At the end of the day, my job is to support student learning. Because of this, it’s important for me to ensure my own personal classroom goals align with what’s best for my students. So while expanding my PLN might not necessarily seem as though it’s focusing on the standards I need to teach, in reality, the two are very much aligned. When I have a problem, it’s my PLN who can help me. If I’m struggling with finding an engaging text to teach a reading literature standard, I can tweet out a request for help or I can walk down the hall and ask a team member. It’s important to me that we all remember we’re in this together. Our job is to not just to support our students as they continue their learning from year to year, but to support our peers in their learning venture as well. Without my PLN, I might have never discovered my best lessons. And that is why I’m focusing this year on expanding my PLN. I refuse to stop learning, because if I do, not only do I suffer, but so do my students.

You may be thinking that creating a S.M.A.R.T. goal is time-intensive. Why go to all that trouble? The answer: while it’s easy to just verbalize a goal with your colleagues or to jot out a goal on a post-it note, eventually you and your colleagues will get bogged down with the day-to-day tasks in the classroom and forget about your goal. The post-it note will get covered up with other post-it notes. This is why I utilize the S.M.A.R.T. format, because identifying not just a goal but creating an in-depth plan of action to achieve that goal is what makes S.M.A.R.T. goals work. While I often have to grapple with identifying all the pieces to my S.M.A.R.T. goals, I find that, because of that productive struggle, I’m much more vested in seeing my goal through to the end. Unlike those New Year’s goals that are long forgotten by February, I’m much more likely to find success with my classroom goals now.

So, I ask you, what’s your S.M.A.R.T. goal going to be this year? Find a pencil, pour a cup of coffee, and get started with goal-setting using the S.M.A.R.T. goal template attached to this post. I encourage you to tweet your S.M.A.R.T. goal to me using my Twitter handle @susanhitt and use #CoreAdvocates so we can work as a community to support each other in our ventures.

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S.m.a.r.t goals template.

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9 thoughts on “ Setting S.M.A.R.T. Goals as an Educator ”

I have to wonder what other profession requires professionals to create specific goals for themselves and submit them to their superiors on an annual basis? Are medical doctors required to state how many patients they will ‘save’ over the course of the year and how they will ‘achieve’ their goal???

I agree. It’s ridiculous. We do so much of what I call “busy work”. Many of things teachers already do informally in their heads now have to be written and submitted formally to our superiors.

The answer is Yes! SMART goals do not come from education but rather business. If done correctly, they should help you grow as an educator and help to keep you focused on YOUR professional goals. Honestly, the SMART goal strategy is a great one to utilize in your personal life as well.

I’m actually looking for an article to help others learn more about using SMART goals during lesson delivery. I used them for writing IEPs, but now I would like to inform my colleagues about how SMART goals can be applied in each lesson. Thanks for this article, but it’s not tailored to my needs. 🙂

Interested to hear if you found any other useful websites?

My SMART goal for each year are the same – to survive the year with my sanity in tact.

When I looked up SMART goal, I saw that this concept is facilitated by Pearson, the writer of most of our state’s program. The perception is that if we consciously set goals, and show students what it is that they must attain, they will grow toward that goal. While it makes sense, it is ultimately tested. The people that write tests expect students to apply knowledge. While this makes sense for upper elementary and beyond, it does not always make sense for lower elementary, who developmentally are much more literal. Pearson has been shaping education according to business models of data collection, test and retest. While it might make sense in some areas, the needs of students are often set aside for the results.

SMART goal are in fact a result of a bottom line driven business. They’re meant to increase productivity of workers and improve their added value to the company’s profit by diminishing as as possible their cost per head vs input ( the labor they provide ) .In simple terms , whenever there is a KPI set by a business to maximize their profit vs their expenses , SMART goals need to be set. Which put, in a lot of situations , a a needless stress on workers , especially in more creative jobs , such as marketing , product development , editing …etc. Which makes me wonder , why educators and teachers are required to do this ? aren’t they paid to teach ? it doesn’t make any sense , because their goals are bound by their student’s goals. Example : my goal is to make my student a future engineer and a good human being 🙂 , SMART that capitalism !

I have to agree with Betty Ervin. This is busy work, and disagree with the person that brought up corporate America.

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About the Author: Susan Hitt began her journey with New Hanover County Schools in August of 2005 when she started teaching at Laney High School. After ten wonderful years there, she moved to central office where she is the high school District Lead English Language Arts teacher. Helping teachers marry content with digital technology to engage students is her passion. She strives to help teachers view collaboration as the key to success. New Hanover County is located in Wilmington, North Carolina, and serves approximately 25,000 students at its 45 public schools.

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A groundbreaking approach to teacher education — for people seeking to learn to teach, for experienced teachers building their leadership, and for all educators seeking to enhance their practice and create transformative learning opportunities.

Teachers change lives — and at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, you can be part of the change. The Teaching and Teacher Leadership (TTL) Program at HGSE will prepare you with the skills, knowledge, support, and professional network you need to design and lead transformative learning experiences, advance equity and social justice, and generate the best outcomes for students in U.S. schools.

The program’s innovative approach is intentionally designed to serve both individuals seeking to learn to teach and experienced teachers who are deepening their craft as teachers or developing their leadership to advance teaching and learning in classrooms, schools, and districts. 

And through the Harvard Fellowship for Teaching , HGSE offers significant financial support to qualified candidates to reduce the burden of loan debt for teachers.

Applicants will choose between two strands:

• Do you want to become a licensed teacher? The Teaching Licensure strand lets novice and early-career teachers pursue Massachusetts initial licensure in secondary education, which is transferrable to all 50 states and Washington, D.C. Licensure candidates have two possible pathways — you can select a preference for either the residency fieldwork model or the internship fieldwork model . The residency model is for people ready to make an immediate impact as a teacher; the internship model offers a more gradual path.
• Do you want to focus on the art of teaching, without licensure? The Teaching and Leading strand will enable you to enhance your own teaching practice or to lead others in transforming learning in classrooms, schools, and other settings. Candidates can pursue a curriculum tailored toward an exploration of teaching practice or toward teacher leadership.

Note: Ideal candidates will come with the intention to work in U.S. schools.

“At the heart of TTL is helping teachers reach all students. Whether you are preparing for the classroom yourself or are an experienced teacher preparing to improve teaching and learning on a wider scale, our goal is to provide you with the knowledge and skills to lead others in learning.” Heather Hill  Faculty Co-Chair

After completing the Teaching and Teacher Leadership Program, you will be able to:

• Leverage your knowledge and skills to lead others in joyful, equitable, rigorous, and transformative learning.
• Analyze instruction for the purpose of improving it.
• Foster productive inquiry and discussion.
• Identify, understand, and counteract systemic inequities within educational institutions.

The Harvard Fellowship for Teaching

HGSE is committed to investing in the future of the teaching profession — and minimizing the student debt that teachers carry. We offer a signature fellowship — the Harvard Fellowship for Teaching — to qualified candidates. The fellowship package covers 80 percent of tuition and provides for a $10,000 living stipend.

This prestigious fellowship is prioritized for admitted students pursuing the Teaching Licensure Residency model. Additional fellowships may be awarded to qualified candidates admitted to the Teaching Licensure Internship model and the Teaching and Leading strand. Fellowship decisions are determined during the admissions process. Fellowship recipients must be enrolled as full-time students.       HGSE offers a range of other  financial aid and fellowship opportunities to provide greater access and affordability to our students.

Curriculum Information

The TTL Program is designed to help you gain the knowledge and practice the skills essential to leading others in learning — and will create pathways to success that will allow you to thrive as an expert practitioner and mentor in your community. A minimum of 42 credits are required to graduate with an Ed.M. degree from HGSE.

The main elements of the curriculum are:

• Commence your Foundations studies with How People Learn, an immersive online course that runs June–July and requires a time commitment of 10–15 hours per week.
• You will continue Foundations with Leading Change, Evidence, and Equity and Opportunity on campus in August. 
• Your Equity and Opportunity Foundations experience culminates in an elected course, which will take place during terms when electives are available.

To fulfill the program requirement, students must take a minimum of 12 credits specific to TTL.

• The TTL Program Core Experience (4 credits), is a full year course where all students come together to observe, analyze, and practice high-quality teaching.
• Teaching methods courses (10 credits) in the chosen content area, which begin in June. 
• A Summer Field-Based Experience (4 credits), held on site in Cambridge in July, allows you to begin to hone your teaching practice. 
• Two courses focused on inclusivity and diversity in the classroom (6 credits). 
• Field experiences , where students in the Teacher Licensure strand will intern or teach directly in Boston-area schools.
• Individuals interested in enhancing their own teaching practice can engage in coursework focused on new pedagogies, how to best serve diverse student populations, and special topics related to classrooms and teaching.  
• Experienced teachers may wish to enroll in HGSE’s Teacher Leadership Methods course, designed to provide cohort-based experience with skills and techniques used to drive adult learning and improve teaching.
• Candidates can take elective coursework based on interests or career goals, which includes the opportunity to specialize in an HGSE Concentration .

Advancing Research on Effective Teacher Preparation 

As a student in the TTL Program, you will have the opportunity to contribute to HGSE’s research on what makes effective teacher preparation. This research seeks to build an evidence base that contributes to the field’s understanding of effective approaches to teacher training, including how to support high-quality instruction, successful models of coaching and mentorship, and effective approaches to addressing the range of challenges facing our students.

TTL students will be able to participate in research studies as part of their courses, and some will also serve as research assistants, gaining knowledge of what works, as well as a doctoral-type experience at a major research university.

Explore our  course catalog . (All information and courses are subject to change.)

Note: The TTL Program trains educators to work in U.S. classrooms. Required coursework focuses on U.S. examples and contexts.

Teaching Licensure Strand

Students who want to earn certification to teach at the middle school and high school levels in U.S. schools should select the Teaching Licensure strand. TTL provides coursework and fieldwork that can lead to licensure in grades 5–8 in English, general science, history, and mathematics, as well as grades 8–12 in biology, chemistry, English, history, mathematics, and physics. In the Teaching Licensure strand, you will apply to one of two fieldwork models:

• The residency model – our innovative classroom immersion model, with significant funding available, in which students assume teaching responsibilities in the September following acceptance to the program. 
• The internship model – which ramps up teaching responsibility more gradually.

In both models, you will be supported by Harvard faculty and school-based mentors — as well as by peers in the TTL Program, with additional opportunities for network-building with HGSE alumni. Both models require applicants to have an existing familiarity with U.S. schools to be successful.  Learn more about the differences between the residency and internship models.

Summer Experience for Teaching Licensure Candidates

All students in the Teaching Licensure strand will participate in the Summer Experience supporting the Cambridge-Harvard Summer Academy (CHSA), which takes place in Cambridge in July 2023. Through your work at CHSA, you will help middle and high school students in the Cambridge Public Schools with credit recovery, academic enrichment, and preparation for high school. Students in the Teaching Licensure strand will teach students directly as part of the teaching team. This is an opportunity for you to immediately immerse yourself in a school environment and begin to practice the skills necessary to advance your career.

Teaching and Leading Strand

The Teaching and Leading strand is designed for applicants who want to enhance their knowledge of the craft of teaching or assume roles as teacher leaders. Candidates for the Teaching and Leading strand will share a common interest in exploring and advancing the practice of effective teaching, with the goal of understanding how to improve learning experiences for all students. The program will be valuable for three types of applicant:

• Individuals interested in teaching, but who do not require formal licensure to teach. This includes applicants who might seek employment in independent schools or in informal educational sectors such as arts education, after-school programs, tutoring, and youth organizations. 
• Experienced teachers who wish to deepen their practice by learning new pedagogies and developing new capacities to help students thrive.
• Experienced teachers who seek leadership roles — from organizing school-based initiatives to more formal roles like coaching and professional development.

As a candidate in the Teaching and Leading strand, your own interests will guide your journey. If you are seeking a teacher leader role, TTL faculty will guide you to courses that focus on growing your skills as a reflective leader, preparing you to facilitate adult learning, helping you understand how to disrupt inequity, and teaching you how to engage in best practices around coaching, mentoring, and data analysis. If you are seeking to learn about the craft of teaching, our faculty will similarly direct you to recommended courses and opportunities that will meet your goals.

Students in this strand can also take on internships within the TTL Program (e.g., program supervisor, early career coach) or the HGSE community, and at surrounding schools or organizations. And you can customize your learning experience by pursuing one of HGSE's six Concentrations .

Note: Applicants in the Teaching and Leading strand should expect a focus on leadership within U.S. schools.

Program Faculty

Students will work closely with faculty associated with their area of study, but students can also work with and take courses with faculty throughout HGSE and Harvard.  View our faculty directory for a full list of HGSE faculty.

Faculty Co-Chairs

Heather C. Hill

Heather Hill studies policies and programs to improve teaching quality. Research interests include teacher professional development and instructional coaching.

Victor Pereira, Jr.

Victor Pereira's focus is on teacher preparation, developing new teachers, and improving science teaching and learning in middle and high school classrooms. 

Rosette Cirillo

Sarah Edith Fiarman

Noah Heller

Eric Soto-Shed

Career Pathways

The TTL Program prepares you for a variety of career pathways, including:

Teaching Licensure Strand:

• Licensed middle or high school teacher in English, science, math, and history

Teaching and Leading Strand: 

• Classroom teachers
• Curriculum designers 
• Department heads and grade-level team leaders 
• District-based instructional leadership team members 
• Instructional and curriculum leadership team members 
• Out-of-school educators; teachers in youth organizations or after-school programs
• Professional developers and content specialists 
• School improvement facilitators 
• School-based instructional coaches and mentor teachers
• Teachers of English as a second language
• International educators seeking to understand and advance a career in U.S. education

Cohort & Community

The TTL Program prioritizes the development of ongoing teacher communities that provide continued support, learning, and collaboration. Our cohort-based approach is designed to encourage and allow aspiring teachers and leaders to build relationships with one another, as well as with instructors and mentors — ultimately building a strong, dynamic network. 

As a TTL student, you will build a community around a shared commitment to teaching and teacher development. You will learn from and with colleagues from diverse backgrounds, levels of expertise, and instructional settings. To further connections with the field, you are invited to attend “meet the researcher” chats, engage in learning through affinity groups, and interact with teaching-focused colleagues across the larger university, by taking courses and participating in activities both at HGSE and at other Harvard schools. 

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The Goals of Education | Teachers College Columbia University

The goals of education.

Published Monday, Dec. 4, 2006

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Mission, values and goals

Department values.

The Teacher Education department's programs are informed by five values.

Pedagogical sensitivity

The Teacher Education department supports a pupil-centered view of teaching. Educators must develop an understanding of the primacy of the pupil-teacher relationship and its ethical underpinning while honouring and respecting the needs of each pupil. Educators must have the knowledge, skill, and confidence to adapt and develop curriculum to meet the specific needs of the pupil.

Reflective practice

The Teacher Education department believes that educators must engage in reflective practice, the ability to reflect in a thoughtful way on the significance of different teaching situations and on their role in defining a learning environment. Educators must demonstrate self-knowledge by openly identifying personal biases and projections. Reflective practice, guided by the principles of self-evaluation and self-directed learning, is considered the foundation of continuous professional growth.

Critical mindedness

The Teacher Education department believes that educators must understand the complexity, subtlety, and difficulty of contemporary educational questions and issues. In an attempt to solve problems, educators must show a high degree of flexibility in comparing various perspectives and alternative solutions.

Social justice

The Teacher Education department believes that educators must be open to and respectful of diversity and difference. Educators require the ability to see beyond their own ways of defining the world and to be advocates of social justice and the inclusive classroom. A high value is placed on the ethical responsibilities of educators.

Integration of knowledge and practice

The Teacher Education department supports the seamless connection between knowledge (academic disciplines), educational theory, and practice (methods for achieving educational ends). Educators must constantly engage in the recursive interplay of knowledge, educational theory and practice throughout their professional lives.

Bachelor of Education goals

The Bachelor of Education program goals are developed out of the five department values and are competencies to be demonstrated by an effective teacher upon completion of the program. The fourteen goals are organized into three key areas and sequenced in a developmental progression.

Demonstrating a strong, professional, teacher presence

• Professional
• Strong connection with students
• Classroom management
• Reflective practitioner
• Working with feedback
• Clear and observable vision 

Demonstrating knowledge and skills related to teaching

• Knowledge of students
• Knowledge of content
• Effective communication with students
• Effective teaching practices
• Valid and reliable assessment practices
• Inclusive and individualized teaching

Becoming a positive member of the school and the community

• Working respectfully with parents
• Contributing to school culture and community

The Bachelor of Education’s program goals are complex and in alignment with the standards of professional practice for teachers in B.C. We, as a department, are committed to the program goals and uphold these standards of practice in coursework, school practica, and our daily lives. Further details on the program goals, including examples of observable actions related to each goal, can be found in our BEd Handbook 2020-2021 ‌.

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9 Best Educational Goal Examples for Students & Teachers

Why Do Educational Goals Matter?

5 educational goal examples for students, 4 educational goal examples for teachers , just set goals.

Goals are essential to achieving excellence in your life. In the academic framework, goals are crucial for both teachers and students. 

Students need to set educational goals to ensure that they can achieve specific skills, attributes, and knowledge after a significant time. Similarly, teachers need to set educational goals to raise learning standards in their classrooms and boost their careers.

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Without proper goals, teachers and students cannot achieve the desired academic skills. This guide will share excellent educational goal examples to enrich the academic experience. 

Educational goals define your aspirations and desires to achieve certain skills after completing a course. For educators and students, goals are important tools to measure their performance and efforts. When you have a clear goal in your mind, you can take adequate steps to achieve it.

Besides this, having educational goals can help to:

1. Explore New Options

When you have well-defined goals, you can find new options to achieve them. Suppose your goal is to learn advanced math by the end of the academic year. In that case, you can try different math activities to improve your problem-solving and logical skills like games, visual lessons, etc. 

2. More Focused Approach 

With well-structured goals, you get more focused on achieving them. You can understand your weaknesses and strengths better. This way, you can find dedication and passion for achieving your most challenging goals.

3. Zeal to Move Forward

When students have reasonable goals, they will feel energetic and motivated to achieve them. They don’t just attend classes because they have to. They go to their class with the motivation to learn something new, which will help them to achieve their academic goals. 

4. Progress Meters 

Goals are progress meters. With preset goals, teachers and students measure their performance and ensure they are on the right track to achieve their goals. However, if results are unexpected, students/teachers can alter strategies to accomplish them. 

Students should set educational goals to expand their knowledge base and excel academically. With goals, students get motivation and drive to attain challenging academic goals. Here are some educational goal examples for students:

1. Stay Positive

A positive mindset is vital for students to obtain their goals. With a calm and relaxed mind, you can set realistic educational goals for yourself. For example, if you want to improve your reading skills, you should approach reading with a positive attitude. This way, you can explore new options to develop your reading skills.

2. Be Resilient 

It is not easy to achieve your goals. You will receive many challenges and disheartening comments from your peers, teachers, and family while chasing your goals. But, it would help if you did not let all these hardships impact your objectives. You should be resilient in your approach and move forward with full zeal to obtain your educational goals.

3. Set Realistic Goals

It is good to set challenging goals. But don’t set too high or unrealistic goals that are beyond your limits. For example, if you set a target to obtain 90% marks in your exams and you have only one month to prepare, it is an unrealistic goal, especially when you have nothing prepared yet. 

Therefore, you should consider your academic level and other circumstances while setting your goals. When you fail to achieve your goals, it will only depress you in the end.

4. Be Patient 

Learning is not easy. You will often feel like giving up and forgetting all about your academic goals. You might not understand a concept that your teacher has taught in the class. You might feel pressure when your friends answer the question on the first attempt.

But it would help if you did not lose your patience. If you don’t understand a lesson, you should ask your teacher to repeat it. You can also get help from outside your school, like parents, educational apps, etc. 

5. Don’t Overwork

All work, no play can make you a dull person. Therefore, you should not spend your entire day focusing on your goals. Instead, take some time to do something else, like going out with friends or participating in art activities. Taking a few minutes breaks will not impact your goals. In fact, it will relax your mind, and you can accomplish your goals with a fresh perspective.

Like students, teachers should also set goals for themselves and their students. For example, teachers should set goals for better performance, excellence, and improvement in their teaching skills. Here are some excellent educational goal examples for teachers:

1. Strength Teaching Skills

No teacher is perfect. There is always room for improvement. Thus, teachers should make it their goal to expand their knowledge and improve their teaching skills. They should stay updated with the latest technologies and adopt new teaching methods to help their students. 

2. Classroom Goals

Teachers can also set classroom management goals for themselves. For example, they can set a goal to improve the overall grade level in their class. For this, they must improve their communication skills to understand each student’s zone of proximal development . This, in turn, will help teachers to set curricula for individual students and achieve their goals.

3. Professional Goals

Setting professional goals is essential for teachers to stand higher in a pedagogy. They must brush up on their teaching skills, experiment with new teaching theories, and learn from other teachers. If you want to go ahead in your teaching career, you need to have some professional goals in your life.

4. Understand Your Weaknesses 

Every teacher has some weaknesses. Even a highly experienced and qualified teacher has weak points. Thus, it would help if you made it your mission to understand your weaknesses and improve them. 

For example, if you find it hard to deal with young children, you should often engage with preschoolers and try innovative methods to interact with them. It might take some time to overcome your weaknesses, but nothing is unachievable in this world if you use patience and resilience.

It doesn’t matter whether you set short-term or long-term goals, just setting goals is important. Educational goals will drive you to learn and improve your career. 

Therefore, for teachers and students, it is vital to set educational goals for themselves. We have shared some fantastic educational goal examples for both teachers and students. I hope you can take inspiration from them to jot down your own goals.

What benefits can a student gain by setting goals?

By setting goals, students can get a clear vision to improve their academic performance. They get confidence, motivation, and dedication to achieve their goals despite hardships. Students gain the energy to learn new things and explore new methods to obtain their educational goals.

What benefits can a teacher gain by setting goals?

Setting goals will help teachers provide better training to their students and grow their careers. In addition, teachers can improve their teaching skills and enhance their knowledge with the educational goals by learning new technologies and teaching methods.

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What you need to know about Leading SDG4 - Education 2030

Where do we stand with the education 2030 agenda .

The Education 2030 agenda was adopted in 2015 to ‘ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all’ by 2030 with a series of targets set out to realize this. Before COVID-19, the world was already off-track to meet the targets and because of the pandemic some of the gains already made in education were lost. Education was severely disrupted worldwide with the most vulnerable learners affected worst. However, the crisis also saw global partnerships strengthened or newly forged in order to rethink the way forward for education and realize the Education 2030 goals. 

What does it mean that UNESCO is the lead agent for SDG4 – Education 2030? 

While governments shoulder the main responsibility for ensuring quality education, the 2030 Agenda is a universal and collective commitment. Within this structure, UNESCO heads the Secretariats of the Global Education Cooperation Mechanism (GCM) and the Transforming Education Summit to be held in September 2022. Both draw on the expertise of key UN entities and partners to strengthen and coordinate work towards SDG 4. The fact that the Secretariats gather many agencies together ensures that everyone owns the work that is undertaken and that it becomes a solid launching pad for sustained progress towards the 2030 Agenda. 

How does the Global Education Cooperation Mechanism work? 

The GCM was inaugurated in November 2021 at the Global Education Meeting for SDG 4 which gathered experts to reimagine and realign their work towards the education targets in the goal. It aims for collective action and joint accountability and builds on the 2015 Incheon Declaration and Education 2030 Framework for Action . It is governed by the SDG 4 Education 2030 High-Level Steering Committee (HLSC) which is made up of decision-makers from across the globe.  

What does the High-Level Steering Committee do? 

Chaired by H.E. Julius Maada Bio, the President of Sierra Leone and Audrey Azoulay, UNESCO’s Director General, HLSC aims to speed country-level progress towards SDG 4. It consists of a Leadership Group composed of 28 members of which 18 represent the 6 regions of the world, with two countries and one inter-governmental regional organization per region, who meet once a year to provide leadership on the global education agenda. A second Sherpa Group consults with their constituencies ahead of SDG 4 Education 2030 High-Level Steering Committee meetings and provides feedback afterwards.  

The HLSC promotes evidence-based policy formulation and implementation, monitors progress and improves the availability and use of data and helps mobilize financing. Other key members of the global education community represented include civil society organizations, teachers, banks, foundations and the private sector and youth and students. 

The HLSC will be responsible for the follow-up of the Transforming Education Summit, including contributing to the education dimension of the Summit of the Future in 2023. It will continue to monitor progress, promote and facilitate knowledge and practice exchange, engage youth, and champion cross-sector and multilateral cooperation.

​​​​​​​What part do youth activists and NGOs play in realizing the targets? 

Youth and NGOs have one seat each on both the HLSC Leaders group and the Sherpa Group. The SDG 4 Youth Network brings young voices to the table in conversations shaping global education policies. A youth representative has a seat on the HLSC Leaders group and the network itself brings young people together around the world .   

UNESCO considers NGOs or civil society associations as key partners in fulfilling its education mandate and the Education 2030 Agenda is clear on their role in translating SDG 4 commitments into practice at local, national regional and global levels. The Collective Consultation of NGOs on Education 2030 is a UNESCO mechanism for dialogue, reflection and partnership with civil society associations and of particular importance in reaching the marginalized.  

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This article is related to the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals .

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What are the 7 Goals of Education?

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I was flipping channels on television the other evening when I came across an interviewer discussing education with two women. I stopped to listen. Two things struck me. The first was that the women she was interviewing were not educators at least not in the sense that they had ever taught in a classroom. One was a professor of education studies and the other was a reporter specializing in education. This is pretty much par for the course in the current climate. Heaven forbid an actually experienced teacher or even an administrator be interviewed.

What really got my mind reeling, however, was a comment made by the interviewer. She said that the purpose of education was to teach future workers. This startled me as I fear this is becoming the message being given by the education “reformers.” I was even more unsettled when neither expert corrected nor challenged her on the point.

In thirteen years as a second-grade teacher, I never once thought of myself as educating future “workers.” In second grade, most of them were overwhelmed by the age-old question of “What do you want to be when you grow up?” There is a story John Lennon told that when he was a young boy he was asked that question when he started school. He replied “Happy.” He was told he didn’t understand the question.

What I have discovered is there is no easy answer to the purpose of education. It depends on your philosophy, who is paying the bill, and –gasp – politics. Anyone who has been in the education game for a while can tell you that everything is cyclical. Right now, the powers-that-be seem to believe that the purpose of education is to produce cogs in the wheel for future jobs, not citizens, ingenious problem solvers, or creative thinkers. The money used to fund education programs is often from large donors who are looking toward building an “educated” workforce. By educated, I mean, being able to complete the tasks needed to do a skilled job in their business.

The philosophies of education to correspond with that are behaviorism, where a learner is basically passive, or cognitivism, where the learner is seen as an information processor. Teaching in these philosophies is practiced through rote learning, drills, and testing. The outcome is directly correlated to what the teacher feeds the brain. The problem with these philosophies is that children are neither Pavlov’s dogs nor computers but living beings with many influences other than the input given by teachers. (To learn more about these philosophies and others you can go to http://www.learning-theories.com/ )

I would expect most classroom teachers do not feel this is the best way children learn. I certainly don’t. Education is so much more. My goals for education are the following.

1. To have the basic skills needed to build upon to accomplish whatever task or job is assigned in the future. This is the part where we train workers for the future. Our children need the math and language arts skills needed to be successful.

2. To be a critical thinker. Children need to learn to analyze the information given to them so as adults they can decide what is true. This is something needed everywhere from the workplace to avoiding purchasing every product advertised on infomercials.

3. To be able to troubleshoot or strategize. I suppose my grandfather would have called this horse sense. The ability to logically attack a problem to come up with a viable solution is natural to some but not all. In fact, it is a skill that is taught when we teach test-taking — a popular subject these days. In real life, we use this skill at home when the dryer isn’t working or the computer is dead. In the bigger world, it helps us come up with ways to see solutions troubling the community.

4. To be a moral person. Being a moral person is knowing what society accepts as correct behavior. While some see this as a family or religion’s responsibility, in fact, schools have taught this for decades. In fact, a classroom is a perfect practice community to learn how we interact appropriately.

5. To be a good citizen. There are many levels to this. Learning the way our government works is imperative in making our government remain a democracy. It also is important to understand laws, public works, and civil disobedience to understand how our actions influence the communities where we live.

6. To have enough interests to be able to have not only a job but outside passions as well. I know of very few people who are so consumed in their jobs that they have no other interests. What makes us well-rounded individuals is the broad range of things to inspire us. It is what makes us whole and healthy people.

7. To be happy. This seems like a crazy purpose but more than anything else, it is what I wished for my students. None of us is happy every minute of the day but learning to find satisfaction and delight in life is a trick from which we all benefit. Students mastering the ability to calm down, to find their center, to delight in their accomplishments were goals I tried hard to impart. I do agree with John Lennon. Being happy is a perfectly wonderful thing to be when you grow up.

Education is much more than educating children to be future workers. The purpose of education is to help each person reach their human potential.

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Setting SMART Goals: A Blueprint For Student And Teacher Success

In the journey of education, setting smart goals is like drawing a roadmap to success. Whether you are a student striving for academic achievement or a teacher aiming to guide your students effectively, goals provide a clear and structured path to your desired destination. This article will help you set smart goals by breaking down what they are, why they matter, and how they can be applied to enhance both student and teacher success.

Here are 7 topics for setting SMART goals for student and teacher success:

1. understanding goals.

Let’s start by dissecting what smart goals are:

A. Specific: Goals should be clear and well-defined. They answer the “what,” “why,” and “how” of your objective.

B. Measurable: Goals should be quantifiable. You need a way to track your progress and determine when you’ve achieved it.

C. Achievable: Goals should be realistic and attainable. They should challenge you but remain within your reach.

D. Relevant: Goals should be aligned with your values, purpose, and overall objectives. They should matter to you.

E. Time-Bound: Goals should have a specific timeframe or deadline. This adds a sense of urgency and helps you stay accountable.

2. Importance of SMART goals for Students

For students, goals serve as a powerful tool for academic success:

A. Clarity : Goals provide clarity about what students want to achieve. It helps them focus on specific areas, such as improving grades, mastering a subject, or completing a project.

B. Motivation : Setting achievable goals can boost motivation. When students see progress toward their goals, it reinforces their belief in their abilities.

C. Accountability: Goals create accountability. Students are more likely to stay on track and complete assignments when they have set deadlines and clear objectives.

D. Time Management: Having a time-bound aspect to goals encourages students to manage their time effectively. It teaches them the importance of prioritization and deadlines.

3. Applying Smartness in Education

Now, let’s explore how smartness can be applied in an educational context:

A. Academic Achievement: Students can set goals for improving their grades. For example, “I will achieve a B+ or higher in my math class by the end of the semester by attending all classes, completing homework daily, and seeking help when needed.”

B. Skill Development: Teachers can encourage students to set goals for skill development, such as improving writing or presentation skills . “I will enhance my writing skills by writing one essay every week, seeking feedback, and practicing grammar rules.”

C. Project Management: Keeping clever goals can help teachers guide students through larger tasks. “By the end of the term, our group will complete a comprehensive research project by dividing tasks, setting deadlines, and presenting our findings.”

D. Behavioural Goals: Teachers can help students set goals to improve their behavior and classroom participation. “I will actively participate in class discussions by asking at least one thoughtful question each week.”

4. SMART Goals for Teachers

Teachers, too, can benefit from setting clever goals in their professional lives:

A. Professional Development: Teachers can set clever goals for ongoing professional development. “I will attend two teaching workshops this year to enhance my classroom management skills.”

B. Curriculum Planning: Setting bright goals can help teachers plan and execute their curriculum effectively. “I will complete the lesson plans for the upcoming semester, including learning objectives, assignments, and assessments, two weeks before the term starts.”

C. Student Engagement: Teachers can use smart goals to improve student engagement and classroom dynamics. “I will implement interactive teaching methods to increase student participation, with the goal of having 80% of students actively engaged in class discussions.”

D. Work-Life Balance: Keeping goals can also help teachers maintain a healthy work-life balance. “I will establish a routine that allows me to leave school by 4:30 PM every day to spend quality time with my family.”

5. The Process of Setting Smart Goals

Here’s a step-by-step guide for setting goals:

Step 1: Identify Your Goal

Start by clearly defining your goal. What do you want to achieve? Be specific about the outcome you desire.

Step 2: Make It Measurable

Determine how you will measure your progress and know when you’ve achieved your goal. Use metrics, numbers, or concrete criteria.

Step 3: Ensure It’s Achievable

Ask yourself if the goal is realistic and attainable. Consider your resources, time, and capabilities.

Step 4: Make It Relevant

Assess whether the goal aligns with your values, purpose, and long-term objectives. Ensure it’s something that genuinely matters to you.

Step 5: Set a Deadline

Assign a specific timeframe to your goal. When do you want to accomplish it? Having a deadline creates a sense of urgency.

Step 6: Plan Your Actions

Break your goal down into smaller, actionable steps. What do you need to do to achieve your goal? Create a plan with clear tasks.

Step 7: Monitor Progress

Regularly track your progress towards your goal. Are you on track to meet your deadline? Adjust your actions if necessary.

Step 8: Stay Accountable

Hold yourself accountable for your goal. Share it with a friend, mentor, or teacher who can provide support and encouragement.

From Dream To Reality: Planning Your Educational And Career Path

There is no concept of a perfect educational and career path. Hence, you will observe that many of your friends and batchmates are following what had been told them by parents, teachers, or role models. 

6. Examples of Clever Goals

Here are some examples of clever goals for both students and teachers:

Student Goals:

“I will improve my math grade from a C to a B by the end of the semester by attending tutoring sessions twice a week and completing all assignments on time.”

“I will read 20 books by the end of the school year by setting aside 30 minutes for reading every day.”

“I will develop my public speaking skills by participating in the school debate club and delivering a well-prepared speech at the end of the semester.”

Teacher Goals:

“I will enhance my students’ writing skills by incorporating peer review sessions into my English class every two weeks and providing individualized feedback.”

“I will complete the curriculum planning for the next academic year, including all assessments and learning objectives, one month before the summer break.”

“I will increase student engagement by introducing gamified learning activities into my lessons, aiming for 90% participation from my students by the end of the semester.”

7. Benefits of bright goals

The adoption of bright goals offers several advantages:

A. Clarity: Bright goals provide clear direction and purpose, reducing ambiguity.

B. Motivation: Achieving measurable milestones enhances motivation and self-belief.

C. Efficiency: Bright goals promote effective time management and resource allocation.

D. Accountability: Goals with deadlines create a sense of responsibility and accountability.

E. Progress Tracking: Measurable goals enable easy progress tracking and adjustments when necessary.

Smart goals, as a blueprint for success, offer invaluable benefits for both students and teachers. These goals provide clarity, motivation, accountability, and a structured path to achievement.

Whether you’re a student aiming for academic excellence or a teacher striving to create an effective learning environment, smart goals are a powerful tool to guide you on your journey to success.

By understanding the principles of clever goals, you can turn your aspirations into tangible accomplishments and pave the way for a brighter future in education. So, set your smart goals today, and watch

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What Is Education For?

Read an excerpt from a new book by Sir Ken Robinson and Kate Robinson, which calls for redesigning education for the future.

What is education for? As it happens, people differ sharply on this question. It is what is known as an “essentially contested concept.” Like “democracy” and “justice,” “education” means different things to different people. Various factors can contribute to a person’s understanding of the purpose of education, including their background and circumstances. It is also inflected by how they view related issues such as ethnicity, gender, and social class. Still, not having an agreed-upon definition of education doesn’t mean we can’t discuss it or do anything about it.

We just need to be clear on terms. There are a few terms that are often confused or used interchangeably—“learning,” “education,” “training,” and “school”—but there are important differences between them. Learning is the process of acquiring new skills and understanding. Education is an organized system of learning. Training is a type of education that is focused on learning specific skills. A school is a community of learners: a group that comes together to learn with and from each other. It is vital that we differentiate these terms: children love to learn, they do it naturally; many have a hard time with education, and some have big problems with school.

There are many assumptions of compulsory education. One is that young people need to know, understand, and be able to do certain things that they most likely would not if they were left to their own devices. What these things are and how best to ensure students learn them are complicated and often controversial issues. Another assumption is that compulsory education is a preparation for what will come afterward, like getting a good job or going on to higher education.

So, what does it mean to be educated now? Well, I believe that education should expand our consciousness, capabilities, sensitivities, and cultural understanding. It should enlarge our worldview. As we all live in two worlds—the world within you that exists only because you do, and the world around you—the core purpose of education is to enable students to understand both worlds. In today’s climate, there is also a new and urgent challenge: to provide forms of education that engage young people with the global-economic issues of environmental well-being.

This core purpose of education can be broken down into four basic purposes.

Education should enable young people to engage with the world within them as well as the world around them. In Western cultures, there is a firm distinction between the two worlds, between thinking and feeling, objectivity and subjectivity. This distinction is misguided. There is a deep correlation between our experience of the world around us and how we feel. As we explored in the previous chapters, all individuals have unique strengths and weaknesses, outlooks and personalities. Students do not come in standard physical shapes, nor do their abilities and personalities. They all have their own aptitudes and dispositions and different ways of understanding things. Education is therefore deeply personal. It is about cultivating the minds and hearts of living people. Engaging them as individuals is at the heart of raising achievement.

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights emphasizes that “All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights,” and that “Education shall be directed to the full development of the human personality and to the strengthening of respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms.” Many of the deepest problems in current systems of education result from losing sight of this basic principle.

Schools should enable students to understand their own cultures and to respect the diversity of others. There are various definitions of culture, but in this context the most appropriate is “the values and forms of behavior that characterize different social groups.” To put it more bluntly, it is “the way we do things around here.” Education is one of the ways that communities pass on their values from one generation to the next. For some, education is a way of preserving a culture against outside influences. For others, it is a way of promoting cultural tolerance. As the world becomes more crowded and connected, it is becoming more complex culturally. Living respectfully with diversity is not just an ethical choice, it is a practical imperative.

There should be three cultural priorities for schools: to help students understand their own cultures, to understand other cultures, and to promote a sense of cultural tolerance and coexistence. The lives of all communities can be hugely enriched by celebrating their own cultures and the practices and traditions of other cultures.

Education should enable students to become economically responsible and independent. This is one of the reasons governments take such a keen interest in education: they know that an educated workforce is essential to creating economic prosperity. Leaders of the Industrial Revolution knew that education was critical to creating the types of workforce they required, too. But the world of work has changed so profoundly since then, and continues to do so at an ever-quickening pace. We know that many of the jobs of previous decades are disappearing and being rapidly replaced by contemporary counterparts. It is almost impossible to predict the direction of advancing technologies, and where they will take us.

How can schools prepare students to navigate this ever-changing economic landscape? They must connect students with their unique talents and interests, dissolve the division between academic and vocational programs, and foster practical partnerships between schools and the world of work, so that young people can experience working environments as part of their education, not simply when it is time for them to enter the labor market.

Education should enable young people to become active and compassionate citizens. We live in densely woven social systems. The benefits we derive from them depend on our working together to sustain them. The empowerment of individuals has to be balanced by practicing the values and responsibilities of collective life, and of democracy in particular. Our freedoms in democratic societies are not automatic. They come from centuries of struggle against tyranny and autocracy and those who foment sectarianism, hatred, and fear. Those struggles are far from over. As John Dewey observed, “Democracy has to be born anew every generation, and education is its midwife.”

For a democratic society to function, it depends upon the majority of its people to be active within the democratic process. In many democracies, this is increasingly not the case. Schools should engage students in becoming active, and proactive, democratic participants. An academic civics course will scratch the surface, but to nurture a deeply rooted respect for democracy, it is essential to give young people real-life democratic experiences long before they come of age to vote.

Eight Core Competencies

The conventional curriculum is based on a collection of separate subjects. These are prioritized according to beliefs around the limited understanding of intelligence we discussed in the previous chapter, as well as what is deemed to be important later in life. The idea of “subjects” suggests that each subject, whether mathematics, science, art, or language, stands completely separate from all the other subjects. This is problematic. Mathematics, for example, is not defined only by propositional knowledge; it is a combination of types of knowledge, including concepts, processes, and methods as well as propositional knowledge. This is also true of science, art, and languages, and of all other subjects. It is therefore much more useful to focus on the concept of disciplines rather than subjects.

Disciplines are fluid; they constantly merge and collaborate. In focusing on disciplines rather than subjects we can also explore the concept of interdisciplinary learning. This is a much more holistic approach that mirrors real life more closely—it is rare that activities outside of school are as clearly segregated as conventional curriculums suggest. A journalist writing an article, for example, must be able to call upon skills of conversation, deductive reasoning, literacy, and social sciences. A surgeon must understand the academic concept of the patient’s condition, as well as the practical application of the appropriate procedure. At least, we would certainly hope this is the case should we find ourselves being wheeled into surgery.

The concept of disciplines brings us to a better starting point when planning the curriculum, which is to ask what students should know and be able to do as a result of their education. The four purposes above suggest eight core competencies that, if properly integrated into education, will equip students who leave school to engage in the economic, cultural, social, and personal challenges they will inevitably face in their lives. These competencies are curiosity, creativity, criticism, communication, collaboration, compassion, composure, and citizenship. Rather than be triggered by age, they should be interwoven from the beginning of a student’s educational journey and nurtured throughout.

From Imagine If: Creating a Future for Us All by Sir Ken Robinson, Ph.D and Kate Robinson, published by Penguin Books, an imprint of Penguin Publishing Group, a division of Penguin Random House, LLC. Copyright © 2022 by the Estate of Sir Kenneth Robinson and Kate Robinson.

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Goal of the Month | April 2024: Goal 4 - Quality Education

The April edition of  Goal of the Month editorial looks at Goal 4 – Quality Education.

Education intersects across all the SDGs enabling the cycle of poverty to be broken, inequality reduced, individuals empowered to lead sustainable lives, and tolerance and peace promoted.

Read more about SDG Goal 4 .

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Defining AI for Educators Workshop Kit

Main navigation.

Here we offer an entry point into the topic of generative AI in education. This workshop kit will help you introduce your audience to generative AI tools and inspire deeper engagement on the topic.

Workshop goal and objectives

This workshop's goal is to move your audience toward acceptance and curiosity about new possibilities and increase their motivation to continue engaging with the topic of AI in education. We also want your audience to form a basic understanding of AI tools and feel prepared to begin using an AI chatbot.

After completing this workshop, participants should be able to:

• Reflect on their emotional state concerning AI in education.
• Identify strategies for navigating innovation and disruption.
• Define common terms and concepts in AI.
• Summarize how generative AI tools work.
• Use humor and play to foster feelings of acceptance, curiosity, and motivation regarding generative AI tools.
• Reflect on the differences between human-generated language and AI-generated language.

This workshop is intended for staff, instructors, and students who are new to the topic of AI in education. 

This workshop is approximately 60 minutes in length.

Key strategies

This workshop leverages inclusive teaching strategies to create a positive learning environment to serve as a foundation for subsequent engagement with other more complex aspects of AI in education. 

Consider the following strategies and perspectives when developing this workshop.

• Acknowledge the wide range of emotional responses to AI. Foster trust, safety, and positive emotions first.
• Address why we should care about AI and its impact on education.
• Recall past personal experiences and resiliency in navigating technological innovation and disruption.

Reading list

Consider these resources as you prepare to lead this workshop.

• Warming Up to AI
• Defining AI and Chatbots
• Part 1: Introduction to AI for Teachers and Students
• Part 2: Large Language Models (LLMs)

Slide presentation with speaker notes

Here you can find slide presentations for this workshop in different formats. The PDF version of the slides is useful for skimming and previewing the workshop. View the slide notes for additional context and sample scripts. We then recommend downloading the full PowerPoint presentation to adapt and customize. The full PowerPoint presentation includes speaker notes, sample scripts, and additional optional slides from other AI workshop kits.

Workshop agenda

This suggested agenda proposes a workshop that balances content presentations with learning activities. This agenda is a starting point as you adapt it to fit your audience.

• Lecture and slide presentation
• Slides 1 to 6
• A small group discussion on how we feel about the future of AI in education and why.
• Slides 8 to 16
• An exploratory activity where workshop participants access and have a short conversation with a chatbot.
• Slides 17 to 23
• A small group discussion responding to the prompt: "I used to feel AI was... Now I feel..."
• Participants complete a short summative assessment and evaluation survey.
• Slides 25 and 26

Promotional resources

You can use the following sample language to promote your workshop. This language was created with assistance from ChatGPT. Consider using AI tools yourself to generate other promotional material, such as promotional images, to get more practice using generative AI tools.

AI In Education Workshop: Embrace Generative AI with Curiosity and Confidence

Join us for an educator workshop that opens the door to the transformative world of generative AI in education. Whether you're an AI skeptic, enthusiast, or simply curious, this workshop is your stepping stone toward understanding and integrating generative AI tools into your teaching practices. Let's embark on this exciting journey together, exploring the possibilities ahead with optimism and an eagerness to learn. 

Workshop Goal: Our goal is to transition your perspective towards welcoming the possibilities that AI brings to the educational sphere. We aim to spark your curiosity, bolster your motivation, and equip you with a foundational understanding of how AI chatbots can enhance the learning experience.

What You'll Gain: By the end of our time together, we aim for you to:

• Embrace the evolving landscape of education with an open heart and mind.
• Identify strategic insights that help you to navigate the waves of innovation and disruption.
• Grasp the essential terminology and concepts underpinning AI in education.
• Demystify how generative AI tools operate and their potential impact.
• Leverage humor and playful exploration to foster a positive outlook toward AI adoption.
• Discern the nuances between human and AI-generated language, appreciating the unique value of each.

Approaching AI with Curiosity: An Introductory Workshop on Generative AI Tools

Our workshop is designed as a primer for educators beginning to explore AI in education. It aims to transform skepticism into curiosity and equip you with a solid foundational understanding of AI tools and chatbots. Engage in activities that blend humor with learning in a comfortable space to reflect on AI’s role in teaching and innovation. Walk away with the motivation to navigate the new digital landscape and the inspiration to continue exploring a world where AI empowers teachers and enhances learning experiences.

Assessment and evaluation survey

This survey serves multiple functions. It gathers demographic information about the workshop participants, evaluates the workshop's effectiveness, prompts metacognitive reflection, and gathers feedback on improving the workshop. The survey was created in Google Forms. Make a copy of the survey to adapt and keep in your Google Drive.

Preview the example survey as a responder.

Create a copy of the example survey (Stanford only) . Log in to your Stanford Google account, then use the link to make a copy in your Google Drive to edit and distribute.

Feedback on this workshop kit

Please respond to the poll below to share your feedback on this workshop kit. Your feedback will help us improve this workshop kit and develop resources that support your teaching. Your anonymous responses will be seen only by the Teaching Commons team. Please respond to the prompt, "What feedback do you have for the creators of the Defining AI Chatbots Workshop Kit?"

Author and attribution

Kenji Ikemoto, an Academic Technology Specialist at the Stanford Center for Teaching and Learning, created this workshop kit in March 2024.  

This workshop kit is licensed under  Creative Commons BY-NC-SA 4.0  (attribution, non-commercial, share-alike). You may adapt, remix, or enhance these modules for non-commercial use. Please attribute it to the Stanford Center for Teaching and Learning . We ask that you also share your work under the same licensing terms. 

If you have questions about this workshop kit contact us at  [email protected] . 

Stanford community members are invited to request a consultation with experts at the Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL). 

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SC Superintendent of Education talks accomplishments, goals after first year in office

by Connor Ingalls

COLUMBIA, S.C. (WPDE) — Ellen Weaver said her first year in office as South Carolina's Superintendent of Education was a whirlwind in ways.

The approach that I've taken to my first year in office is listen and learn," Weaver said. "So I've been traveling all over the state in schools meeting with local superintendents, continuing to foster strong relationships with members of the General Assembly, with our governor's office, because we have to have a unified team here in South Carolina if we're going to move education forward.

ABC15 asked Weaver, "When you talk about listening and learning, is there anything that was kind of surprising that you didn't expect in that first year?

SUGGESTED: SC Education Superintendent requests $38M for school safety plans

"You know, I think that there are just so many moving pieces," Weaver said. "That is what is really hard to understand, even as someone who has worked around education policy for well over a decade in South Carolina now. I think until you're actually sitting in the superintendent seat, it's really hard to get your arms around just the incredible complexity of all of the things that move through the Department of Education on a daily, even hourly basis."

One thing Weaver has learned is LETRS.

The program is now being offered to all K-3 teachers in the Palmetto State. It breaks down the science of reading , and how to best teach kids to both understand and enjoy doing so.

Weaver thinks it's a gamechanger when it comes to turning around literacy rates.

In the feedback that we've gotten uniformly from teachers across the state who have done this, they said, 'Why was I never told this before?'" Weaver said. "It is completely transforming their ability to interface and diagnose their students where they are in their learning journey and then get them to where they need to be.

She's even taken the course herself.

You know, I firmly believe that leaders lead by example and time is the most valuable resource that any of us have," she said. "And time is especially valuable for our teachers, so I wanted them to know that I'm not going to ask them to do something that I'm not willing to spend my own time to do.

While improving reading rates has been a big concern, what children are reading has been another.

READ MORE: South Carolina Board of Education advances regulations for book challenges

Weaver has advocated for regulations that would give the State Board of Education control over which books would be allowed in libraries, with the topic of book bans and sexual content in schools coming to a boiling point over the last year.

State law clearly allows the State Board of Education, and in fact gives them the obligation to approve or disapprove the content of instructional materials here in South Carolina," Weaver said. "So the State Board has leaned into that authority. I fully support them in doing that. And again, I think this is just common sense. If people actually take a look at what the regulation does, it simply refers back to a long-standing South Carolina code that has been there for a long time that specifically addresses and identified sexually explicit materials. And I think if anyone were to go to the legal code and read that list of things, I think there would be probably unanimous agreement that these are not things we want put in front of our children.

ABC15 asked Weaver, "There are people who are against, you know, they think everything should be in the libraries. And they hear the phrase 'book ban' and they get worried about what that's meant in history. What would you say to ease the concerns of people? Because there are parents who are going to see this and they don't want any books to be banned. What would you tell them?"

I want to be really clear that what we're talking about here is a regulation of government speech," Weaver said. "We are talking about materials that are purchased with government funds and provided by government employees on government times in traditional government schools. This is in no way infringing on anyone's First Amendment rights to speech or to access materials that they want their children to access. There are many ways for parents to continue to access those materials if they decide that that is something that they believe their child should be exposed to.

Another cause Weaver's been vocal about is school choice expansion , supporting a bill that would allow most students to use tax dollars to attend the public or private school of their choice by the 2026-27 school year.

"So we have a wide array of incredible opportunities for families here in South Carolina," Weaver said. "But what we don't always have is access. And that can be because of a lot of different reasons. Perhaps it's access because you live in a rural community where there are just fewer options. Perhaps it's a challenge for access because of family income. So there are a lot of different barriers to access. And that's one of the reasons why I am such a strong proponent of education choice in whatever form it takes."

Of course all of Weaver's plans would be moot without teachers.

She knows that, which is why she's working with Governor Henry McMaster to increase pay for educators .

READ MORE: South Carolina's education chief seeks millions for student success, teacher pay

"Well we know research shows, and common sense demonstrates, that the number one influencer of student learning in that school building is a great teacher," Weaver said. "So we've got to take care of our teachers so that we attract the best and the brightest talent into the profession and then we keep them in the classroom once they're there."

And beyond the pay, Weaver's learned making sure our teachers feel supported, and heard, is as vital a role as any as Superintendent.

You see schools that are retaining their teachers because their teachers have found a great culture and environment that they want to work in, a culture where they feel supported," she said. "That's one of, I think, the biggest things that I have learned in this first year in talking to teachers and listening to teachers is that they, of course, want to be paid more, and we're committed to that, as we already talked about. But more than anything, they just want to know that people have their back...and so I think that that is one of the most impactful things of my first year, is just understanding from the teacher's perspective what it is that they need.

Watch ABC15's full interview with Ellen Weaver here .

LAist is part of Southern California Public Radio, a member-supported public media network.

How Are California Schools Spending The $1 Billion Voters Approved For Arts Education?

What the letter says

• LAUSD's position

California labor leaders allege school districts are misspending money meant to expand arts education.

In 2022, California voters approved setting aside about $1 billion a year for arts education. Proposition 28 required school districts to use the money to supplement existing funds, not replace them, with the goal of expanding the arts education opportunities available to students.

On Friday, a coalition of labor leaders called on the state’s education department, the governor, and lawmakers to require school districts to prove they are not violating the law.

The authors, which include leaders of Los Angeles Unified School District’s largest unions, say some districts are violating the law by using Prop. 28 funding to pay for existing programs, staff, and supplies.

For months, advocates have been questioning whether districts would implement the law as intended.

“This is a new initiative,” Austin Beutner, the proposition’s author and former LAUSD superintendent, told LAist. “If we don't make sure that the law is implemented with fidelity at the outset, a pattern is going to be established and [it’s] very hard to recover from that.”

The authors call on state leaders to require school districts to submit documentation that proves they’re following the law — and if they are not, to return the Prop. 28 funding to the state.

LAist reached out to the California Department of Education and leaders of the Senate and Assembly education committees for comment, but hadn’t heard back as of Monday afternoon.

Beutner said the law leaves it up to school communities, which includes families, to decide how to spend the money.

Here are a few questions to ask your principal and school board leaders to get more information:

• What's being done with our Prop. 28 funds? 
• Can you show us how the money is being used to add to programs at the school and not being used to pay for existing programs? 
• How can I play a part in the school’s arts education funding? 

LAUSD's position

The letter doesn’t call out specific school districts, but Beutner said there is at least one example in LAUSD where documents obtained by a parent appear to show an existing part-time arts teacher being paid from Prop. 28 funds.

“The law is clear,” Beutner said. “Every school gets extra money for the arts.”

A district spokesperson told LAist that LAUSD has increased its arts education funding from $74.4 million in the 2022-23 school year to $129.5 million in 2023-24, with an additional $76.7 million from Prop 28.

The Los Angeles Unified teachers union said it has requested more information about how the money is being spent at individual schools to hire new staff.

“We want the state leaders to hold the districts accountable," said UTLA president Cecily Myart-Cruz, "to make sure that the students get the arts education that California voters promised them."

As she turns 103, this retired Iowa teacher has happy memories, but no goals left

An Iowa woman is turning 103, and though her birthday lands on April Fool’s Day, it’s far from a joke.

Leota Broyles was born in 1921, the same year as the Tulsa Race Massacre, Charlie Chaplin released his first full-length feature and Albert Einstein lectured in New York on the theory of relativity.

Broyles grew up in New Virginia, a town south of Des Moines with nearly 500 people as of the 2020 census.

Now, she lives in Altoona at Edencrest at the Tuscany, a senior living facility. It's a city that from 2018 to 2022, had less than 300 people 85 years old and over, according to the State Data Center and U.S. Census Bureau data.

Broyles spoke to the Register ahead of her birthday.

Several fellow residents and friends gathered around to listen to her as she recalled growing up in Iowa, being an educator — including teaching the person who holds the highest office in the state of Iowa — and what life is like now.

What was life like for Leota Broyles in New Virginia?

Broyles grew up with seven siblings — there would have been a total of nine children, but one sibling died early.

She grew up in a two-room house. New Virginia, as she recalled it, was a “little village” where everyone knew each other, where residents could walk up to each other’s homes, open the door and greet each other.

“I could just hug those people today,” Broyles said.

“That’s what I like, where you can reach out to people and talk,” she added.

When Broyles was a resident of New Virginia, people helped each other. But that’s the kind of “friends” people make in a small “village,” she said.

Her father, a mechanic, lived in Missouri as a young man, Broyles recalled.

She had a “wonderful childhood,” though the family “never had a penny to our name.”

Which Iowa politician did Leota Broyles teach?

Broyles, who had three children, spent her career as a teacher in Iowa, including from 1939 to 1949 at the Rural Schools of Warren County, according to the Indianola Record-Herald archives.

She also taught at the Interstate 35 Community School District from 1961 until 1983 for third and fourth grade and junior high English, said Jen Baughman with the school district in an email.

One of her students was Gov. Kim Reynolds, as KCCI first reported earlier in March.

“She wasn’t Kim Reynolds when I taught her,” Broyles said, describing a then Kim Strawn as a very good student.

Reynolds told the Register in a statement that she enjoyed a relationship with Broyles that extended outside of school, saying she showed her family "kindness and friendship" over the years.

"The lessons I learned from Mrs. Broyles extended far beyond traditional schoolwork,” Reynolds said. “She taught us to be accountable for our work, respect people in our community, and to find the fun in our lives."

Reynolds, and her husband Kevin, extended best wishes to Broyles and said they "hope she has a wonderful time celebrating with loved ones.”

What advice would a 103-year-old Iowan and former teacher offer to young people?

Broyles recalled the kinds of conversations she used to have with students. They'd chat with her about the farm animals their families had or their problems.

For a recent previous birthday, a former student wrote to Broyles, telling her about how she helped him.

Her advice to young people?

To “get involved with your kids,” she said.

“I liked teaching,” she said. Then, she added, “I couldn’t have been born into a better family.”

What is it like turning 103 years old?

How does Broyles feel about turning 103?

She responded with a question.

“What was it like when you started school?”

Exciting, like a rite of passage, a Register reporter responded.

“So, you had a goal,” Broyles asked.

Broyles doesn’t have one.

That’s the problem she faces now in this stage of her life.

Now, she's taking it a step at a time.

“It’s just doing what you can do best at the time,” Broyles said. She added later, “Because you don’t know what you’ll face tomorrow.”

“You didn’t know you were going to have to face me today,” she said, laughing.

Paris Barraza is a trending and general assignment reporter at the Des Moines Register. Reach her at  [email protected] . Follow her on Twitter @ParisBarraza.

Higher education in Texas: What lawmakers hope to tackle in the 89th legislative session

In the legislative session last year, Texas lawmakers revamped the state's community college financing model, boosted research funding at several universities and invested billions in higher education.

Lawmakers also passed controversial measures dealing with higher education such as Senate Bill 17, which bars public colleges and universities from having diversity, equity and inclusion offices or performing those functions, and SB 18, a law to further regulate how a tenured professor can be fired.

With the 89th legislative session set to begin in January, Texas' higher education is again in the crosshairs, with Republican and Democratic lawmakers having disparate views on postsecondary education, officials told the American-Statesman.

More: 'Exhausted', 'confused,' 'unprecedented': Texas professors, students reflect on DEI ban

GOP priorities will include fighting 'woke,' identity politics

At a policy summit hosted by the Texas Public Policy Foundation, a conservative think tank, in downtown Austin last week, conservative panelists, including state Sen. Paul Bettencourt, R-Houston, called Texas a leader in the fight against "woke" ideologies — also referred to as identity politics — on college campuses. They also said Texas is far from done.

"We're going to ask some very tough questions to make sure that it's actually being enacted in the way that the bill intended," Bettencourt, who serves on the Senate Education Committee, said about SB 17, which bars DEI.

Sherry Sylvester, a senior policy fellow at the foundation, said at the panel that SB 17 is "the strongest (law) in the nation to fight institutionalized woke," but that it could take decades to fully address "illiberalism on campuses and restore intellectual diversity.

In an interview with the Statesman, Sylvester said she wants every student to succeed and have equal access to resources.

The excited crowd was vocal during the panel session, agreeing with Bettencourt and asking questions about what further action the Legislature would take to curb DEI policies ― which panelists called ineffective and not meaningfully impactful ― and perceived "illiberalism" on campuses.

More: Gov. Greg Abbott touts Texas as leader in higher education, workforce development

In response to a question about further limiting tenure protections, Bettencourt told the crowd that "everything's on the table" for the next session.

"We filed bills about tenure last session; I expect we'll file bills about tenure again this session," he said.

Bettencourt also spoke against faculty senates. At the panel, he accused faculty senates of convening to circumvent SB 17 and censoring presidents such as a fellow panelist, West Texas A&M President Walter Wendler, who was presented with a lawsuit from student leaders and a vote of no confidence from faculty after he canceled a drag show on the small campus on the outskirts of Amarillo.

"We need a preemption bill about faculty senate so that they don't stray into things like censorship on public policy issues, like they did with President Wendler," Bettencourt said in an interview after the panel.

Bettencourt told the audience he will probably file a bill that will bar faculty senates from passing items against the state of Texas.

Democrats hope to repeal Texas SB 17, lament anti-DEI push

Rep. John Bucy, D-Austin, who serves on the House Higher Education Committee, told the Statesman that SB 17 and SB 18 are "major steps backwards" that "micromanage" institutions to their detriment. Next session, he hopes to repeal the anti-DEI law.

"We don't even know how bad that is yet for our education system, but we know that it's going to be harder for kids, especially minorities and first generation, to be able to succeed in our school and want to come to our schools, and the same for faculty," Bucy said. "Our cultural wars are going to make Texas less inclusive."

In past news: Texas SB 17 bans DEI in colleges. So why did UT end a program for undocumented students?

Bucy hopes to further Texas' investment in higher education next session by having an across-the-board pay raise for all university employees and addressing food insecurity for students.

"Not only are we having cultural wars on these faculty and the staff at universities to push some extremist right agenda; we're also not giving them enough money to be here," he said. "So the incentive to bring the best and the brightest to our universities to work here is not there right now."

Rep. Donna Howard, D-Austin, who also serves on the Higher Education Committee, said she hopes lawmakers in the next session address affordability and accessibility.

She said the 88th session was very positive for higher education funding but lamented that SB 17 is a "black eye" that has caused students to lose support systems in schools.

"It's a distraction," Howard said. "We don't need to be creating problems out of nothing. We need to be focused on the workforce needs to our state and ensuring Texans (have) pathways to earning a livable wage and supporting their families, paying their taxes and living the Texas dream."

Anti-DEI bills increasing nationally

Heidi Tseu, assistant vice president of national engagement at the American Council on Education, a national higher education association that aims to shape policy, said a "flurry" of DEI bills have been filed at state legislatures across the country in the past couple of years.

"What we've broadly seen is these are targeting specific, very specific things," Tseu said. "There are think tanks that have put out guidance on how to push back on the 'woke' culture. So you're seeing the language being replicated across these different states."

Twenty-eight states have introduced bills targeting diversity, equity and inclusion since 2023, the Chronicle of Higher Education's DEI Legislation Tracker states. Eleven have become law.

More: University of Texas students protest state ban on university DEI policies, offices

College campuses are naturally prone to talk about cultural issues, Tseu said. But these bills now bring up a question of "institutional autonomy."

"The reality is that their campuses are part of these communities across the country, and they're serving their community populations," Tseu said. "It's the presidents that need the autonomy and the independence to be able to form the right cultural climate in order to best support and welcome their students and prepare the future generation of leaders."

The 89th legislative session will kick off Jan. 14, with the early bill filing period beginning Nov. 11.

What's needed now nationally, Tseu said, is better focus and understanding of relationships between elected officials, the public and the institutions as it pertains to governing higher education.

"Engagement is key; understanding is key," Tseu said. "We need to really think about how to continue focusing on the tradition of higher ed."