YPICS staff received training on Critical Friends Group from the National School Reform Faculty. YPICS lead teachers and administrators participated in a 5 day CFG coaches training and the rest of the staff participated in a 3 day CFG training. The last day of training was one day with every member of the YPICS team.
Why was our team trained on Critical Friends Groups?
Why was our team trained on Critical Friends Groups?
- Research shows that schools with ongoing Critical Friends Group®communities have greater teacher retention rates than schools not doing CFG work.
- Sharing “best practices” between teachers provides more coherence as students progress through your school, and improves student achievement across those classes.
- Educators who bond with their colleagues and have more collegial and collaborative conversations rather than just congenial ones, resulting in stronger feelings of loyalty and job satisfaction.
- Every organization has a variety of “elephants in the room,” dilemmas that may be discussed in the parking lot but seldom in meetings, and never ending in a resolution. CFG communities filled with trustworthy colleagues create a safe haven for those difficult conversations.
- Educators who learn and practice 21st Century Skills such as critical thinking, assessing, organizing information and reflection (all practiced within CFG training) will become better role models for their students.