Ongoing Learning and Professional Development

The faculty of The Biltmore School embraces learning as a life-long process that enables them to continuously grow and develop themselves both personally and professionally. Therefore, an important part again this past year of our school’s strategic development plan focused on enabling our teachers to participate in various professional development initiatives locally, nationally, and internationally. Our teachers, actively take part in Harvard University’s Project Zero Institute, a highly recognized program that offers educators from around the world an intensive series of professional development workshops and help them gain a clear understanding of multiple intelligences, thinking routines and specific strategies, that address the enhancement of higher order thinking skills in students.

However, the largest area of our faculty’s professional development this year took place as we embark on our school’s greatest academic endeavor, the implementation of the International Baccalaureate Organization’s Primary Years Program (PYP) to which we were granted candidacy status during the 2008-2009 school year. As part of the preparation for our school’s implementation of this highly recognized international program numerous members of our faculty and administrative team participated in workshops in cities across the country that included Atlanta, New Orleans, and New York at various levels and degrees of proficiency.

Through professional development workshops, hands-on support, and personal supervision, we continue to research and expand our understanding of the best practices in instructional strategies. We are anticipating becoming a fully authorized IBO school during the 2009-2010 school year.