Visible Learning, a program aimed at empowering educators and promoting student growth, has been embraced by the Diocese of Wichita. Kelley King, a representative of Visible Learning, has made several visits to the diocese to provide professional development for Catholic school teachers.

The program is part of the One Family, Fully Alive in Christ! Campaign, which seeks to strengthen Catholic schools through enhanced commitment to educators. To aid in recruiting and retaining top candidates for their schools, 38 new school-based endowments will be established across the diocese to supplement teachers' salaries.

Janet Eaton, the superintendent of Catholic Schools, expressed her support for Visible Learning. The program is based on research developed in part by Professor John Hattie of the University of Melbourne, Australia. Eaton believes that Hattie's insights are invaluable for teachers and that adopting his research has positively impacted their professional development.

Eaton acknowledges that it can be challenging for individual schools to offer professional development from experts like Hattie. However, she credits Associate Superintendent Jamie Finkeldei with envisioning how Visible Learning could assist in achieving long-term goals for Catholic school teachers.

Finkeldei explains that Visible Learning helps create a common language among professionals and teachers. This shared language fosters collaboration between schools and promotes sustained professional development over time.

Three years into implementing Visible Learning, Finkeldei reports that leadership training has been provided at every school and leadership teams have set goals for their institutions. While each school may implement the program differently due to its unique circumstances, all are engaged in all-teacher training as well as specific training for impact coaches and various teacher teams.

Several principals from Catholic schools within the diocese have praised Visible Learning. They highlight its benefits such as increased student focus on learning objectives, enhanced opportunities for student feedback, improved instructional strategies based on effective research practices, and more explicit communication about students' expected learning outcomes.

Visible Learning appears to be a promising initiative for the Diocese of Wichita, with its potential to enhance teaching strategies and promote student growth becoming increasingly evident.