Louisiana's Professional Learning Roadmap
The Professional Learning Roadmap is the Louisiana Department of Education's guide to connected professional learning. It shows how school system leaders, school leaders, and teachers work from the same priorities and and the same cycle of learning, so what adults learn leads to stronger classroom practice and better experiences and outcomes for students. It is the anchor document for all of the LDOE's professional learning.
What's in the roadmap?
- What each team decides, produces, and how it operates, including who serves on the team and how often it meets
- The conditions that make it work: staffing, schedules, curriculum, funding, and clear expectations
- A sample six-week plan for school leadership teams and teacher collaboration
- A curriculum implementation continuum for system leaders, principals, and teachers
- Lesson and unit preparation protocols for ELA, K-2 literacy, math, science, and social studies
Why connected learning matters
More than 98% of Louisiana schools have adopted high-quality instructional materials in ELA, math, science, and social studies. But a 2025 RAND survey found only 34% of ELA teachers and 40% of math teachers use their curriculum for more than 75% of instructional time.
Professional learning that happens once and isn't followed up rarely closes that gap. That's why Louisiana built the Professional Learning Roadmap.
Where do you fit into the roadmap?
The roadmap is built around three teams. When all three work from the same priorities and follow the same cycle, the pieces fit together and learning makes sense for students from one day to the next. Find your role to see your team.
For school system leaders
District instructional leadership team
Superintendents, chief academic officers, principal supervisors, and professional development, data, and instructional specialists review school system data, set instructional goals, and direct time and resources to them through a long-range plan.
For school leaders
School instructional leadership team
Principals, assistant principals, instructional coaches, teacher leaders, counselors, and specialists set school goals aligned to the school system's goals and focus the school's coaching, observation, and professional learning on them.
For teachers
Teacher collaboration
Grade-level or content teams, including special education and English learner teachers, study upcoming lessons in their high-quality instructional materials, practice, review student work, and leave with clear next steps. Coaching after each meeting carries the learning into classrooms.
Learning doesn't stop when the session ends
Every team in the roadmap follows the same cycle: learn, practice, implement, look at the impact, and adjust. The roadmap calls this the High-Quality Professional Learning (HQPL) Cycle and its followed by all professional learning in Louisiana.
- Define the purpose. Name the student need and what adults must do differently to meet the need.
- Receive new learning. Learn a new practice, grounded in research and tied to high-quality instructional materials.
- Internalize and practice. Practice with feedback. Most meeting time goes here.
- Implement learning. Use it in classrooms or leadership routines, with coaching and observation.
- Assess impact. Review student and educator data, adjust supports, and plan the next cycle.
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Need help putting the roadmap in place?
School systems can request custom support from the LDOE through the Menu of Services. Options include instructional leadership team coaching and teacher collaboration planning. Each school system's point of contact submits requests.