Our Work
Highlander Institute helps educators achieve more equitable outcomes for students. We work to improve the student experience, enrich learning through a culturally responsive lens, and empower students to apply their skills beyond the classroom. Whether our work focuses on a whole school or specific subjects, grade levels, or learner profiles, our goal is to transform instruction to increase the success of all learners, especially those who have been historically marginalized.
We offer personalized entry points to meet your goals. Our services include:
- School Improvement Teams
- Professional Development Sessions
- Professional Learning Communities
- 1-on-1 Leader and Teacher Coaching
- Community Educator Engagement
Our Approach
Our approach is differentiated to meet teachers and leaders where they are and move them forward at a productive cadence. Teachers and leaders build awareness and knowledge collaboratively through professional development sequences, professional learning communities, and embedded coaching cycles when they are ready to deepen their practice. While tackling challenging and complex topics head-on, our combined focus on instruction and change management is infused with hope and focuses on specific, actionable levers that yield big change. Throughout our process, the rationale behind the big picture is clear and well-supported while classroom action steps are concrete and adaptable to local contexts.
Our Offerings
Through our Professional Development series, Teachers and Leaders participate in an overview of the CRSP framework for instructional equity. The series offers opportunities for reflection and discussion, introducing high impact instructional moves across the four domains of Awareness, Community Building, Cognitive Development, and Critical Consciousness.
Through facilitated Professional Learning Communities, groups of committed Teachers and Leaders can gather to discuss and reflect on CRSP content. Teachers share lessons, practice new instructional strategies and engage in implementation activities, while Leaders share ideas, implement new leadership routines, and facilitate school-level data analyses.
Through 1-on-1 Teacher Coaching, teachers who are ready to lead implementation efforts within their building receive individualized, embedded support to help grow their practice. Coaching efforts center on knowledge building, self-reflection, student feedback, and the strategic implementation of CRSP practices. Emerging best practices are codified and shared with the larger faculty.
Through 1-on-1 Leader Coaching, leaders receive personalized and structured support, focusing on managing sustainable change, advancing instructional equity, and enhancing family engagement. Coaches help leaders grow in their roles as instructional leaders, organizers, consensus-builders, communicators, and problem-solvers as defined by their school context & conditions.
Ways to Engage
When partnering with us, you can choose your level of engagement based on your current context and capacity. Explore our Culturally Responsive & Sustaining Pedagogy framework as a full faculty in Professional Development; develop internal change agents through the facilitation of a CRSP Professional Learning Community; establish implementation expertise and best practices through 1-on-1 Coaching of teachers and leaders; or connect implementation more fully with leadership moves to support whole school change.
