Phil's Update | Fall 2024

Although things may look a little different here in Norman Hall after losing the Tree of Knowledge in Hurricane Helene, our mission at the Lastinger Center remains the same: to help teachers teach and students learn. Our early learning, literacy and mathematics programs are in full force to support three critical milestones areas from birth through K-12: 1) kindergarten readiness, 2) third-grade reading proficiency and 3) ninth-grade algebra proficiency. Read on to learn more about our newest state initiative, professional learning updates, research, international partnerships and more.

- Phil Poekert, Ph.D.

Director, Lastinger Center for Learning University of Florida

Spotlights

Listening Tour Math Summit

Throughout the Fall of 2023, the Lastinger Center embarked on a 10-week trip to hear from students, educators, leaders, and policymakers to get feedback on Florida mathematics education. On December 12, the Center will host a Listening Tour Math Summit to share findings, engage in hands-on mathematics practice and make recommendations for meaningful change. We hope you’ll join us in Tampa to collaborate and advance mathematics education in Florida!

Impact Highlights Report

In the 2023-2024 Impact Highlights Report , we reflect on the work of Lastinger Center associates and faculty who are committed to advancing the quality of education in early learning, literacy, mathematics, and technology & data science. From Florida to Massachusetts, Louisiana, Kentucky and beyond, we continue to expand our professional learning partnerships and state-wide initiatives to put all learners on the trajectory for lifelong success.

Professional Learning

Math Matrix

The Math Matrix Micro-Credential , a competency-based online professional learning program, continues to give educators across Florida the opportunity to access high-quality mathematics instruction. For its pilot year at a statewide scale, our Mathematics Team is proud to share that 566 learners and 20 school districts participated in Term 1, and looks forward to starting an additional 1,117 learners and 27 districts in Term 2 this week!

Early Learning

Committed to improving learning outcomes, the UF Lastinger Center continues its partnership with Massachusetts educators for six additional years as an Early Childhood Support Organization. Across three cohorts, 300 Massachusetts educators use Flamingo Early Learning to streamline learning and find diverse, expansive solutions for early childhood education.

In other early learning news, the CDA Pathway in Spanish currently serves 40 educators across Broward, Palm Beach, and Duval counties, and the Supporting Learning in Preschool Classrooms course has been completed by 452 educators. Finally, with 1,844 educators currently enrolled in Flamingo Early Learning, the Center continues to advance kindergarten readiness through professional learning in Florida and beyond.

Literacy

Our Literacy Micro-Credentials and Literacy Matrix programs both launched their fall 2024 offerings earlier this month with 4,776 and 1,400 participants, respectively. We are excited to bring literacy professional learning to even more educators across the state from birth through K-12.

State Initiatives

New Worlds Reading

Over the summer, New Worlds Reading hosted over 900 educators from 56 counties for Teacher Professional Learning sessions. With participation that more than doubled compared to summer 2023, New Worlds Reading continues to build relationships with educators and partners across the state to elevate standards for literacy instruction.

Florida Tutoring Advantage

Signed into legislation through HB 1361, our newest state initiative, the Florida Tutoring Advantage program is getting ready to select tutoring partners, learn more about district tutoring interests, and offer four professional learning courses. With opportunities that support in-person, virtual, and automated tutoring, as well as AI-enhanced learning support, the Florida Tutoring Advantage will support reading and mathematics outcomes across the state. We look forward to bringing even more updates throughout 2025!

Research & Partnerships

Leadership for Professional Learning

Overseas, the UF Lastinger Center cohosted the Leadership for Professional Learning Symposium in Santiago, Chile. Sharing insights on the Lastinger Listening Tour, at-home literacy, and our micro-credentials in eight presentations, the Center’s executive leadership and employees had important discussions with stakeholders from across the world. Building on the most recent symposium, Professional Development in Education (PDiE) is currently accepting proposals for a special issue of the journal on approaches to the leadership of professional learning that have helped the global education community. Proposals will be accepted in English and Spanish, and are due November 15, 2024. Submit a proposal here.

Research Round-Up

Making an impact on every level of the education system is a collaborative effort between Lastinger Center principals, associates, affiliate faculty, and partners. In our summer edition of the Research Round-Up , we shared five research publications by Lastinger Center associates, showcased presentations at national and international conferences, and spotlighted affiliate faculty work. Subscribe to the newsletter on LinkedIn to read our next edition in January!

Enhancing Literacy in Alachua County

In partnership with the Children’s Trust of Alachua County, the UF Lastinger Center looks locally to learn from families, educators and students about literacy. Through the Children’s Need Assessment , the Center hopes to serve the community that hosts it and create lifelong readers.