Future-Ready Staff:
Professional Learning

​Growing Together: Staff Professional Learning

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At the DDSB, learning is a shared responsibility—and in 2025, we took intentional steps to make professional growth meaningful, collaborative, and connected to multiple facets of student success.

 

One example is a multi-part learning series for administrators on safety and well-being investigations involving students.

 

Leaders with expertise from several departments collaboratively delivered professional learning that reinforced legal and policy requirements and emphasized the importance of centering student safety and well-being throughout the investigation process.

 

Through scenario-based learning, administrators gained practical knowledge and skills to help carry out safe, fair, and objective investigations – while treating every student with dignity, respect, and care.

 

We also coordinated and supported school-based collaborative release days, professional learning communities, and cross-departmental partnerships focused on foundational literacy and math. These varied approaches each built in time and space for teams to reflect on evidence of student learning, plan next steps, and learn alongside one another.

 

Educators implemented the Acadience Early Reading Screener and explored new assessment tools to strengthen reading and comprehension across all grade levels.

 

Kindergarten teams deepened their focus on oral language, phonological awareness, and play-based literacy instruction. Junior to Grade 9 educators refined responsive instructional practices informed by student data and evidence of growth.

 

In math, the Priority School Math Community of Practice continued to build capacity through coaching, co-planning, and shared analysis of student work.

 

Across all disciplines, learning emphasized Universal Design for Learning (UDL) and the Everyday Conditions for Learning, ensuring that professional growth leads to more inclusive, responsive classrooms.

 

Staff learning was not just about professional development; it was about collective impact. When educators learn together, connect their growth to daily practice, and see themselves as partners in student success, the entire system moves forward.