NAATE designed a rigorous program of study tailored to the unique needs of experienced and high performing teachers and teacher leaders committed to the classroom and dedicated to closing the achievement gap in our nation's high-needs schools.

NAATE is unique among teacher development programs in being geared to experienced teachers who have already been identified as high-performers. High caliber teachers from charter, district and faith-based schools across the nation immerse themselves in an intense, residential program of study that links their daily practice to key theories, frameworks and principles of the teaching profession. Through inquiry based whole group discussion in the case study method, the program equips teachers with tools to:

• develop and deepen their classroom practice, and
• leverage leadership skills with peers and other adults outside the classroom

Case Study Method
To prepare for NAATE, participants are exposed to 250 to 400 pages of carefully selected readings that inform each of the topics covered during the program sessions. These readings represent the theories, frameworks and research that undergird the practices of teaching and leading. NAATE facilitators employ the case study method of instruction to stimulate peer-to-peer examination of real problems of practice. Case studies are not about the "right" answers. Instead, through probing analysis and civil debate, participants uncover a range of solutions and draw broader implications. The case method of instruction is discussion and inquiry-based learning that pushes inductive reasoning leading to deep, high transfer learning.

Breaking set through face-to-face, peer-to-peer learning
The NAATE residential design and diverse group of admitted educators forces participants to break from their normal daily routines and opens them up to a deeper more substantive form of learning than school-based PD. Participants are exposed to over 300 hours of learning in multiple modalities throughout the program and work 10-11 hours each program day.

"I knew that if this is what the pre-work looked like … we had a lot of challenging intense work ahead of us. That is what I was looking for … to be pushed and challenged as a teacher.' – Jessica Lundy

"No one is just agreeing with each other; people are actually pushing your thinking.' - Fenella Amarsinghe

'I get a lot of the ‘what' of teaching, NAATE gave me the ‘why.'' Jane Grimes