Professional Development
Summer is an amazing time for teachers to hone their craft and build a strong community of learning alongside expert educators. At the heart of our model is an intensive investment in professional development.
At a time when many schools are experiencing high teacher attrition, district leaders struggle to improve the quality of Tier I instruction. Equally challenging, they’re trying to lead ambitious adoptions of new core programs in math and ELA that are based on problem-solving and discourse—like Wit & Wisdom and Illustrative Math. These programs require highly skilled teachers.
But most districts have only a few days a year available for professional learning. We offer a solution. Summer is not only a huge opportunity to keep students on track, it’s an untapped opportunity to build their teachers’ skills and mindsets. At NSSI, your teachers meet colleagues from across the country and are welcomed into a dynamic new community of educators.
And after receiving best-in-class professional development that they can immediately apply to their summer teaching assignment, your teachers arrive at the new school year equipped and excited to drive instruction in your core programs.
Targeted Training Every Step of the Way
Teacher Institute
Teacher Institute is a highly interactive, practice-based professional learning experience that wins rave reviews from teachers. In summer 2026, we’re introducing differentiated tracks to ensure every teacher learns at the right level:
New to NSSI: Teachers build a strong foundation in our vision, methods, and core instructional practices.
Returning Teachers: Educators who have already taught with NSSI dive deeper, refining their practice and elevating their impact on students.
Each year, this gets better and better. Thank you for all the time and effort you put into helping us launch and run successful summer programs with great opportunities for teacher growth and great student outcomes.
– Laurie Wolfe, Chief Academic Officer, Gem Prep
Leader Institute
Leader Institute provides everything your building principals and academic coaches need to support strong implementation of summer learning with NSSI—and get outstanding results for kids.
NSSI site leaders are trained to observe and coach teachers to sharpen their practice. Many are new to coaching or will soon step into leadership roles. For them, summer serves as a practicum, giving them the space to experiment as emerging instructional leaders.
Ongoing PD
Each week during the summer, teachers join a one-hour virtual session in their grade- and subject-specific group: K–2 ELA, 3–8 ELA, or K–8 Math. Teachers begin attending the week their students start summer school, so the support is timely and directly connected to what’s happening in their classrooms.
Sessions focus on the practices proven to have the greatest impact on lesson quality and student results. Teachers sharpen their skills through intellectual preparation—deeply understanding the content they will teach, anticipating likely misconceptions, and developing a roadmap of questions to guide students’ thinking. They also engage in student work analysis, examining what students produce in class in order to determine what support is needed and how to provide feedback and coaching that moves learning forward.
Intellectual Preparation: Teaching with Purpose
Intellectual preparation means deeply understanding the concepts and skills in each lesson, anticipating student challenges, crafting questions to clarify confusion, and addressing tricky vocabulary upfront. At NSSI, we focus on this essential practice to help teachers deliver rigorous, engaging lessons with confidence.
The result? Polished, purposeful instruction that ensures every student receives the best possible learning experience.
The materials provided are on point, the strategies we learned and not just useful for this program but can be incorporated into our daily instructional schedules.
– 1st Grade Teacher
The Power of Analyzing Student Work
Analyzing student work is about uncovering what students truly understand, identifying misconceptions, and leveraging their strengths. At NSSI, we focus on this practice because it gives teachers the insights needed to adapt instruction and provide targeted support.
The impact is clear: using rubrics and success criteria, teachers deliver precise feedback that builds confidence, deepens understanding, and accelerates student learning. By focusing on what students produce, we empower teachers to help every student reach their full potential.
The rigor, approachability, and structure of this curriculum deserve to be implemented as beginning of year PD for new and returning faculty.
– 5th Grade Math Teacher
