Guilford Public Schools To Host Summer Professional Learning Program For Teachers

GUILFORD, CT — Guilford Public Schools will hold its HQI Live 3 summer professional learning workshop from July 27-31 at Guilford High School, continuing a professional development model first introduced in 2024 and 2025.

The five-day residency program is designed to embed educator professional learning in live classroom settings rather than traditional seminar-based workshops.

This year's districtwide theme, "Argumentation Across the Grades," focuses on how students develop and defend evidence-based claims from kindergarten through high school.

The program will include 30 Guilford educators, three demonstration teachers and instructional coaches.

Daily sessions running from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. are structured to prioritize real-time analysis:

• Adult Learning: Educators deep-dive into the cognitive mechanics of high-quality instruction, focusing on Cognitive Load Theory, high expectation strategies, and intentional task design.
• Live Classroom Observation: Teacher participants observe Guilford students navigating rigorous, humanities and literacy tasks designed by their colleagues. Demonstration classes feature students in grade bands K-2, 3-5, and 8-10.
  
• Demo Teacher Debrief & Synthesis: Observers engage in collaborative debriefs with host teachers to dissect split-second pedagogical choices, analyze student discourse, and reflect on instructional adjustments.

According to the district, one of the institute's primary areas of focus is classroom scaffolding. Educators will examine strategies intended to reduce instructional and environmental distractions while increasing opportunities for students to engage in productive struggle and meaning-making.

The district said data from previous HQI Live institutes found that all participating teachers were able to articulate research-based strategies for increasing student access to learning. It also said the program has influenced teacher evaluation goals, collaborative teacher networks and classroom practices across the district.

Past student participants also reported feeling like "intellectual equals" when working through challenging material, according to the district.

"HQI Live shifts professional learning from instructional theory to classroom reality," noted Assistant Superintendent Dr. Amity Goss in a news release. "By observing Guilford students learning from Guilford teachers in real time, we eliminate the abstract. It creates a powerful, reflective environment so that educators can confidently bring high expectations to life in every single classroom."

The district said registration for this summer's educator cohort filled within 28 hours, leading officials to open a waitlist.