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The ECLC Learning Agenda

The Essex County Learning Community (ECLC) offers educators opportunities to grow both relationally and professionally each year through in-person, online and blended learning experiences. 

All experiences provide an opportunity for educators to earn Professional Development Points; some as single learning experiences, and others as bundles of learning experiences. Most opportunities are free and open to all staff in ECLC partner districts; we also offer customized single- and multi-district cost-sharing experiences. Please click through the tabs below to explore current opportunities and register.

  • Quarterly Gatherings are ECLC’s four cornerstone, full day, in person experiences. These include our Summer Institute, Fall Gathering, Winter Gathering and Spring Showcase of Learning.
  • PoP Ups are professional learning experiences that touch on timely topics in an introductory manner. These are mostly virtual, and allow us to explore the “appetite” of the community on a particular topic or theme. 
  • Multi-Part Series are ongoing learning experiences that span up to a full year. These include role-alike spaces, affinity groups, book studies, and communities of reflective practice on a specific theme. 
  • Opportunities to Innovate are stipend or grant-funded opportunities.

Quarterly Gatherings

Click the folder icons below to review the program descriptions.

Summer Institute: Staying Human in the Age of AI

Register Here

Date: August 4-5, from 8:30-3:30 pm each day
Location: Moraine Farm, Beverly 

** Registration deadline: July 25 **

Join Power of Place and Project Adventure for two days of hands-on learning experiences and exploration into the world of artificial intelligence. “Staying Human in the Age of AI” will bring educators and AI experts together to explore, experiment with, and understand how to harness the vast potential of artificial intelligence in education, while staying grounded in what makes teaching and learning so deeply human.

The two-day experience will feature full group keynotes led by MIT’s Day of AI, Project Adventure-led sessions in nature, opportunities to explore AI tool, and space for sense-making with peers. 

All participants will:

  • Explore and evaluate real-world applications of AI for students and educators, analyzing ethical dilemmas, policy challenges, and broader societal impacts.
  • Identify and prioritize core human elements of learning, and design approaches to support social-emotional development in an AI-influenced environment.
  • Examine and interrogate their own assumptions about AI in education, using new perspectives and peer dialogue.
  • Practice applying AI tools and strategies to enhance instructional practices and professional workflows.
  • Collaborate with peers to co-develop strategies for sustaining strong adult-student and peer relationships in tech-rich learning environments.

Spring Showcase of Learning

Register Here

Date: May 21, 2025 from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m.
Location: Peabody Essex Museum (Salem)
Check-in opens at 4 p.m.

Join us for a celebratory, inspiring event honoring another successful year of adult learning. The Peabody Essex Museum will serve as the backdrop as we spotlight all Essex County educators have learned and accomplished over the past academic year. Educators from across our communities will: (1) Host display tables to share a new practice, strategy or idea; (2) Tell their stories about why they teach, lead, and continue to learn in short testimonials; and (3) Perform during musical interlude.

Think cocktail party meets science fair – we have it all!

Who Should Participate:

All are welcome to join us to network, celebrate and continue their own journey of growth and lifelong learning. Come dressed for a fancy party!

Winter Gathering: Tapping into the Wisdom Within

Register Here
Date: April 7, 2025, from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Location: Essex North Shore Agricultural Technical School 
Check-in and Breakfast Begins at 7:30 am
 
Featured topics will include: 
  • Bringing visual learning cues to the classroom
  • Exploring experiential learning strategies
  • Understanding brain science and how kids learn
  • Facilitating successful learning communities
  • Supporting transgender students
We will also hold a celebration for the graduates of the second cohort of the Teacher Action Research Fellowship.
 
Who Should Participate:
All are welcome to join us to celebrate our educator peers and engage in some incredible learning experiences.

Pop Ups

Click the folder icons below to review the program descriptions.

Please check back!

We are currently planning our next PoP Ups. Please check back in the coming months for new professional learning opportunities.

Multi-Part Series

Click the folder icons below to review the program descriptions.

Register Here
ECLC Summer Reading

This summer we are encouraging all of our members to join us in a community read of Normal Sucks: How to Live, Learn, and Thrive, Outside the Lines, by Jonathan Mooney.  It was a favorite during last fall’s book club and we want to extend the opportunity throughout our community.

“This book digs deep, pulls no punches, and takes no sh*t. It also approaches its subject matter with a delicate yet irreverent sense of humor and joy that made it a true pleasure to read.” — online book review

Check out Jonathan Mooney’s 10-minute YouTube video, titled Normal Suck Full Film, which serves as a great overview.

seed logo

SEED for Administrators

Register Here
2025 Dates: February 26, March 5 & March 12
Time: 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. each day
Location: Wylie Inn and Conference Center in Beverly
Facilitators: Sarah Fiarman and Kamilah Drummond Forrester (National SEED Project)
PDPs: Participants are eligible for 20 PDPs. Click here to learn more.
 
This is an offering for principals and district administrators seeking to develop their capacity as anti-racist, justice-seeking leaders. Participants will explore their own education in relation to race, gender, socioeconomic status, and abilities and how these aspects of identity currently impact their leadership. SEED sessions include experiential, interactive exercises, personal storytelling, and discussions often stimulated by short films and readings. The sessions deepen participants’ understanding of themselves, expand their knowledge of the world, and point the way to making classrooms, schools, and departments more inclusive and just.
 
Who Should Participate: This experience is open to any administrator or supervising staff person. Limited to 24 participants.

Staying in Shape for Educational Equity

Register Here
2024-2025 Dates: One Wednesday per month (Oct. 9, Nov. 13, Dec. 11, Jan. 8, Feb. 12, Mar. 12, Apr. 9, May 14) 
Time: 3:30 to 5 p.m.
Location: ZOOM
Facilitators: Jane Feinberg & Laura Tota (Power of Place Learning Communities)
PDPs: Participants are eligible for 10 PDPs. Click here to learn more.
 
A new affinity group for white educators will analyze, interrogate, and unlearn individual and systemic practices and policies toward pursuit of anti-racist teaching and school culture. Each seminar will feature a new artifact/resource to inspire conversation – video, book chapter, article, etc. – toward fostering wholeness, wellness, and a just relationship for everyone. In order to create a meaningful, safe, and impactful space, participants are asked to commit to participating in every session.
 
Who Should Participate: This experience is open to any white-identifying staff person. Note: There is a three-day SEED for Administrator experience int he spring that will be facilitated by the National SEED Project.

Opportunities to Innovate

Click the folder icons below to review the program descriptions.

Teacher Action Research Fellowship (TARF) Cohort

Registration is currently closed. Please check back in August 2025 for registration information for Cohort 3.
 
Engage in an in-depth learning experience to research, learn about, and pilot strong equity- and learner-driven practices; share your learning more broadly within the ECLC community of practice; and ultimately develop an advocacy platform to bring you learning, priorities, and recommendations to your peers, your district leaders, and beyond. Participants will focus on piloting classroom-level shifts that can make a positive impact and be replicated across our communities.

Please bookmark this webpage and check back often!

ECLC takes a constructivist approach to everything we do. This year’s learning agenda is responsive to the expressed needs and desires of ECLC educators and partner districts. That means it is a living document, which will be updated and added to on a regular basis. Click here to review a sampling of the 2024-25 Learning Experiences.

If you have any questions or if you’d like to discuss ways Power of Place® can partner with your district, please email Director of Professional Learning Laura Tota at info@powerofplacelc.org.

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