Let the learning begin for both students and teachers this school year.

“It’s not about putting staff into a classroom or auditorium and speaking to them,” says Blacklick Valley superintendent Dr. John R. Mastillo.

A new collaborative effort between Conemaugh Valley School District and Blacklick Valley School District will provide professional learning opportunities to their teaching staffs.

Some of it is face-to-face workshops, and other opportunities are online.

“Often they’re stuck in their classrooms or their buildings so we want to expand their professional network as well.  This gives them the opportunity not to just work with teachers in our district, but Conemaugh Valley.”

The two superintendents of the school districts created the idea last September and are implementing it this year.  It’s called “The Valley Network.”

“It appears that the staff is going to appreciate that they can work through it at their own pace.”

The goal is to share practical ideas between the teachers so  that they can apply it in their own classrooms.  For example, “Kahoots, it’s just an online technology to get the students interacted with the teachers in the classroom.”  

So as technology progresses and education changes, teachers in these rural communities will be able to adapt and share experiences.

“Some of it will be very successful.  Some of it may not, but that’s sort of the interesting thing about education, what works for one group, may not work for another.”