Teacher Professional Development Programs
Center X supports educators at all stages of their careers.
See our complete list of upcoming events and professional development opportunities. We engage thousands of educators through a portfolio of professional development opportunities offered by the following projects:
The UCLA Writing Project,
one of over 200 sites of the National Writing project, has been
working with teachers K-University of all disciplines on the teaching
of writing since 1977. We collaborate to find the best strategies for
helping students become strong, enthusiastic writers. Our focus is on
all students, including English learners, students in under-resourced
schools, and students who are among the highest achievers in small
schools, public, private and charter schools.
The goal of the UCLA California Reading and Literature Project is to design programs that identify, develop and provide effective
instruction in English Language Arts for all students, with a
particular focus on English Learners and developing readers. The
California Reading and Literature Project provides high quality,
standards-based professional development in reading and language arts
instruction to ensure that every California K-12 student achieves the
highest standards of academic performance.
The UCLA Mathematics Project is part of a statewide program that strives to make a positive impact on math teachers and their students. The project’s goal is to enhance the skill sets of K-12 math teachers who can in turn increase their students’ ability to succeed. Based on over twenty-five years of experience, UCLA Mathematics Project has developed a program that is helping to make significant differences in the quality of teaching in urban schools.
The UCLA Science Project
implements programs that identify, develop and promote strategies that
make good science instruction available and accessible to all
students. The UCLA Science Project offers several programs throughout
the year designed to foster collaborative communities of researchers
and practitioners. Through these collaborations, the UCLA Science
Project aims to deepen teacher’s science content knowledge and
pedagogical content knowledge in order to better meet the needs of
The UCLA History-Geography Project, one of the sites of the California History-Social Science Project, is committed to enhancing history-social science education in the Los Angeles region, with a focus on teachers and students in high-need urban schools. We develop and present research-based pedagogical strategies that help all students access our text-based content.
The UCLA Parent Curriculum Project provides research based programs which focus on developing and sustaining parent involvement and leadership in the Los Angeles County School District. The project brings parents and educators together, stressing that a dialogue between the two is pivotal for the enhancement of student’s scholastic experience. The PCP partners with schools to improve this parent-educator dialogue, which ultimately helps to improve student performance in low performing schools.
The UCLA National Board for Professional Teaching Standards Project is committed to supporting educators pursuing the rigorous National Board Certification Process. The UCLA NBPTS Project brings accomplished teaching and student achievement to the forefront by supporting teachers in achieving the highest level of teaching excellence.
Exploring Computer Science
is an NSF funded project with the mission to increase and enhance the
computer science learning opportunities in the Los Angeles Unified
School District (LAUSD) in order to broaden the participation of
African-American, Latino/a, and female students in learning computer
science. Exploring Computer Science is a 1-year, college-preparatory
high-school course that exposes students to the breadth of computer
science. Teacher professional development, curricular resources and
in-class support are also key elements of the work of Exploring Computer
is a targeted National Science Foundation supported partnership between
the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD), UCLA, and the Computer
Science Teachers Association (CSTA). At the heart of Mobilize is
“participatory sensing” — a method of data collection and analysis in
which students use mobile phones and web services to systematically
collect and interpret data about issues important to them and their
communities. The goal of Mobilize is to strengthen computer science
instruction throughout our educational system and to develop innovative
methods for educating and engaging students in Computational Thinking.
The Teacher-Initiated Inquiry Projects (TIIP) program is funded by a grant from the California Postseconday Education Commission. Our goal is to promote teacher innovation and creativity as a vehicle for school reform. To date TIIP has awarded 48 grants to teams of teachers in Los Angeles County to plan and implement their own professional learning.
The AP Readiness Program aims to improve the teaching abilities of AP (Advanced Placement) instructors while simultaneously giving students the skills they will need to be successful in college level classes. AP Readiness allows students to work with master math and science teachers. Concurrently, their AP teachers observe and learn from the master instructors, gathering a framework for how to successfully conduct an AP course.