Photo Gallery Jacqueline Kennedy, FISD Director of Professional Development.

DALLAS, TX — Jacqueline Kennedy, Frisco Independent School District Director of Professional Development,  has been accepted into the NSDC (National Staff Development Council) Academy for Staff Developers, a prestigious learning experience aimed at improving the quality of teaching and learning in all schools.

Kennedy joins 1,400 other educators who have participated in the extended 2½–year learning experience and have gone on to become recognized leaders of professional learning in their states and provinces.

Kennedy will be one of  70 educators who have been selected as members of NSDC’s 23rd academy class. These educators begin their work immediately and convene for the first time in July 2009, in association with NSDC’s Summer Conference in Boston, Mass. The Class of 2011 is slated to graduate in December 2011 at NSDC’s Annual Conference in Anaheim, California.

“The Academy focuses on developing deep understanding of professional

learning with the intention of impacting how Academy graduates influence professional learning within their own organizations for of the Academy graduates. Academy graduates gain knowledge and skills to transform the professional learning within their own organizations with the goal of improving student learning,’’ said Joellen Killion, NSDC’s deputy executive director and leader of the NSDC Academy.

This extended learning experience models NSDC’s vision for professional learning and teamwork in schools. Academy members work collaboratively to learn about and solve significant student learning problems within their school, district, or organization. Participants are immersed in inquiry-based and problem-based learning in order to identify solutions to the problems they and others bring; experience a model of professional learning that exemplifies NSDC’s Standards for Staff Development; and construct knowledge and develop skills necessary to transform their learning, their work, and their organizations.

Academy members include district administrators, principals, teachers, and personnel from local, state, and national educational agencies, as well as university faculty, independent staff development providers, and leaders from nonprofit educational organizations from throughout the US and Canada.

The National Staff Development Council is a Dallas-based, professional membership association with 12,500 members primarily in North America. It is the only education association dedicated solely to improving teaching quality through professional learning. NSDC’s purpose is ensuring that every educator engages in effective professional learning every day so every student achieves. For more information about the Academy or effective professional learning, visit NSDC’s web site, www.nsdc.org, or contact Joellen Killion, NSDC deputy executive director, 303-432-0958.