THE GREAT BOOKS FOUNDATION

K-12 PROGRAMS:IN KEEPING WITH THE FOUNDATION'S MISSION, THE GREAT BOOKS K-12 PROGRAM PROVIDES STRONG, INQUIRY-BASED LANGUAGE ARTS PROGRAMS FOR GRADES K-12 THAT IMPROVE STUDENTS' ACHIEVEMENT IN, AND COMMITMENT TO, READING COMPREHENSION, INCREASED LITERACY, CRITICAL THINKING, WRITING AND SPEAKING, CIVIL DISCOURSE, AND LISTENING. GREAT BOOKS PROGRAMS COMBINE CLASSROOM MATERIALS AND THE SHARED INQUIRY METHOD OF LEARNING TO PROVIDE THE ESSENTIAL ELEMENTS STUDENTS NEED TO MEET AND SURPASS THE GOALS OF THE COMMON CORE, STATE STANDARDS FOR ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS, AND THE RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE SCIENCE OF READING.K-12 DIGITAL PROGRAMS: TO REMAIN RELEVANT AND SUCCESSFUL IN THE 21ST CENTURY, GREAT BOOKS CREATED A DIGITAL EXPERIENCE BY DEVELOPING DIGITAL PUBLICATIONS AND PRODUCTS TO IMPROVE ACCESS TO CONTENT. WE ARE CONTINUOUSLY UPGRADING OUR PLATFORM TO PROVIDE AN IMPROVED USER EXPERIENCE. THESE DIGITAL EXPERIENCES UPDATE AND ENHANCE THE GREAT BOOKS LEARNING MODEL AND ALLOW THE FOUNDATION TO REACH A WIDER, MORE DIVERSE AUDIENCE.

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT:OVER THE PAST YEAR, THE FOUNDATION'S PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM PROVIDED OVER 1700 EDUCATORS WITH SPECIALIZED INSTRUCTION AND CLASSROOM ASSISTANCE IN THE SHARED INQUIRY METHOD OF LEARNING THROUGH READING AND DISCUSSION OF GREAT LITERATURE. THE FOUNDATION WORKED CLOSELY WITH SCHOOLS ACROSS THE COUNTRY TO BUILD TEACHERS' PROFICIENCY AND INTEGRATE INQUIRY-BASED LEARNING ACROSS THE CURRICULUM BY PROVIDING CUSTOMIZED DAYS OF IN-PERSON AND ONLINE TRAINING, MODELING, COACHING, AND CONSULTATION. THE FOUNDATION OFFERS TEACHERS AND PARENTS INSTRUCTION IN THE SHARED INQUIRY METHOD OF LEARNING THROUGH IN-PERSON TRAINING, BLENDED ONLINE COURSES, IN-PERSON AND ONLINE COACHING, AND WEBINARS ON SPECIFIC SKILLS. THIS YEAR, THE FOUNDATION RELEASED THE SHARED INQUIRY ESSENTIALS ON-DEMAND TRAINING COURSE, WHICH ROUNDS OUT OUR TRAINING OPTIONS BY OFFERING IN-PERSON, ONLINE, AND ASYNCHRONOUS AS WAYS TO COMPLETE THE FOUNDATION'S TRAINING. AS WELL, THE FOUNDATION LAUNCHED THE SHARED INQUIRY LEARNING CENTER, A PLACE WHERE TRAINED SHARED INQUIRY LEADERS CAN TAKE ADVANTAGE OF FREE RESOURCES TO SUPPORT THE USE OF THE SHARED INQUIRY METHOD IN THEIR CLASSROOMS, PARTICIPATE IN FREE EVENTS SUCH AS A PANEL OR EDUCATOR DISCUSSIONS, AND JOIN AN ENGAGED COMMUNITY OF INQUIRY-BASED EDUCATION PROFESSIONALS.THE JUNIOR GREAT BOOKS PROGRAM HAS BEEN RECOGNIZED BY THE NATIONAL STAFF DEVELOPMENT COUNCIL AS AN "EXEMPLARY PROGRAM" IN TEACHER PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT. FEEDBACK FROM THOSE WHO HAVE PARTICIPATED IN THE FOUNDATION'S PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT ACTIVITIES SUGGESTS THAT THE FOUNDATION PLAYS AN IMPORTANT PART IN CREATING AND SUSTAINING VIBRANT, RESPECTFUL LEARNING COMMUNITIES AND INCREASED LITERACY FOR ADULTS AND STUDENTS.