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Leadership and Professional Development Grants

Equity-Centered Professional Learning Community Grants

This program focuses on closing the achievement gap for students in SFUSD, by supporting ten teams of teachers to develop Equity-Centered Professional Learning Communities (ECPLCs). These grants (approximately $10,000 per school) support and improve teacher quality by investing more deeply in teacher learning. We believe that the most effective forms of teacher professional development are teacher driven, on-going, focused on student data and support teacher collaboration and leadership.

Program History

Since 1979, the Leadership and Professional Development (LPD) Grants program has awarded grants directly to pre-K through 12th grade educators (including teachers, counselors, librarians, and other certificated personnel) in the SFUSD to support innovative teaching and learning. The LPD Grants program is founded on our conviction that teachers can be catalysts for change leading to improved outcomes for students; to that end, the program has supported innovative learning opportunities for teachers and students alike, incorporating community partners, parents, and classified personnel when appropriate.

LPD Grants have been awarded directly to teachers for unique and innovative classroom projects and teacher learning. This investment in teacher leadership and professional development leads to positive, more equitable outcomes for all students in San Francisco’s public schools. As one teacher commented, “[Our LPD Grant project] has given us a space to analyze and interrogate our teaching practices as well as come up with new ideas from each other. Often there is only enough time for a discussion pertaining to what we will teach. This project, via teacher collaboration, has allowed us to focus on how we will teach.”

Application Process

2010-2011 marked the close of our two year grant cycle. Currently we are continuing to support the lead facilitators at the previous grant recipient schools and we are analyzing the evaluation of the program which will inform the next evolution of our teacher professional development work. We expect to announce the new format in early spring 2012. Thank you for your interest in the San Francisco Education Fund’s teacher professional development program.

Other Grants

If you are interested in learning about other funding opportunities, please check out these Grants and Funding resources.

For more information, contact Lori Hurwitz, Deputy Program Director.