By: Maura Farrall, Lead Academic Coach
As a new school year begins, the Baltimore Curriculum Project (BCP) once again welcomed dozens of new and returning BCP teachers with a week of intensive professional development designed to prepare them for success in the classroom.
The training, which included participants from all six BCP schools, was structured around the programs teachers will be leading this year. In each session, educators worked side-by-side to strengthen their ability to plan, teach, and assess using proven instructional methods. The guiding purpose of BCP’s professional development is clear: ensuring every teacher is confident and ready to help students succeed from the very first day of school.
Curriculum-Focused and Practical Training
Teachers attended content-specific sessions aligned with the subjects they will teach—math, social studies, reading, language, and multilingual learner curriculum. These sessions introduced print and digital resources and provided opportunities for teachers to map course content, observe modeled lessons, and engage in guided practice.
A hallmark of BCP’s approach is that professional development does not end after induction week. In-building academic coaches continue to support teachers year-round through classroom visits, planning sessions, practice opportunities, weekly meetings, and ongoing training.
Read more about BCP’s academic coaching model.
Classroom Management and Specialized Supports
All new teachers also completed a 10-hour course on positive and practical classroom management, where they developed customized routines to establish supportive, structured environments for students.
Specialized sessions expanded teachers’ knowledge in three critical areas: Special Education; English Language Development (ELD); and Restorative Practices. Leaders in Special Education and ELD helped teachers understand how to differentiate instruction, analyze student goals, and apply effective scaffolds in their lessons.
The Restorative Practices session introduced strategies for building strong student connections through engaging, community-focused activities, training that will be deepened at school sites throughout the year.
Continuous Feedback and Engagement
Each training was intentionally designed to be interactive, with presenters modeling classroom strategies and giving participants multiple opportunities to practice and refine their skills. Sessions were continuously adjusted based on teacher feedback, ensuring relevance and practicality.
Teachers described the experience as both energizing and confidence-building:
- “Dr. Jones was relatable and answered all my questions, even ones I didn’t know I had.”
- “Great training! I had many opportunities to practice, ask questions, and watch presenters model instruction.”
- “I feel confident. This was an amazing and very productive session.”
- “Amazing math training—it was a 10/10!”
From small group conversations to full-group sessions, the week provided teachers with the tools, strategies, and confidence to set students up for success this year. As one participant summed it up: “Wonderful training! I enjoyed the energy, positive attitude, and responsiveness to our questions and needs.”
Through its comprehensive, year-round professional development model, BCP continues to empower teachers and strengthen classrooms across our six charter schools—making sure that every student benefits from high-quality instruction and a supportive learning environment.
Enjoy the photos of our educators hard at work!
