How Westside High Empowered Teachers to Lead Professional Learning

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At Westside High School in Anderson, South Carolina, teachers aren’t just attending professional development — they’re designing it.

In this episode of the Making Schools Work podcast, SREB’s Daniel Rock and Donn Kirkwood talk with Principal Kory Roberts and MTSS Specialist Taria McIntosh about how the school’s Visible Learning Leadership Team transformed Westside’s approach to growth and instruction.

Through book studies, teacher-led PD and a collaborative process to define the school’s core beliefs, Westside created a culture where educators learn from one another, model strategies and build trust across the building.

Listen to hear how they:

• Built a foundation of teacher leadership and confidence
• Created time and space for real collaboration — with admin support and substitute coverage
• Modeled adult learning and professional respect
• Developed a shared set of core beliefs and the “Westside Six” strategies to guide teaching
• Celebrated growth and built a schoolwide culture of trust

Westside’s story shows what happens when teachers lead — and how a school’s belief in continuous learning can transform instruction and culture.

The Southern Regional Education Board is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that works with states and schools to improve education at every level, from early childhood through doctoral education and the workforce.

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