About Lesson Study

Lesson Study is an inquiry-based professional learning model focused on a research theme to improve the teaching and learning of academic content by centering teacher agency, knowledge, beliefs, and dispositions, and building a collegial learning culture.

As teacher teams work together to study student learning, schools become places where both students and teachers are passionate about learning. Teams progress through a cycle of classroom research-based inquiry: Preparing for a cycle→ Study→Plan→Teach→Reflect.

Teams will meet across a minimum of 12 meetings in these initial phases of the cycle, culminating observation of a co-created lesson, Research Lesson. Teams will observe, collect data on their theory of action, analyze the data and reflect on next steps for instruction.

Our Equity Imperative:

• In a system in which the “opportunity gap” persists...

• In a system in which “inequity by design” prevails…

• We must actively choose to focus on the learning of our students, rather than controlling our students.

We choose lesson study because it attends to the intellective capacity of each and every student, and places the responsibility for learning on the system - rather than demand that students conform to an inequitable system that has historically denied access, opportunity and humanity to historically underserved youth. 

• School Reform from the Bottom-Up 

• Lesson study addresses school reform by intentionally supporting teachers

• Professional development that empowers and values teacher competency

• Builds in a network of support for new and veteran teachers

• Encourages teacher leadership

• Compensating teachers for their time and expertise

As a professional development model, Lesson Study addresses two of SFUSD’s critical needs: (1) raising the student achievement in mathematics and (2) utilizing professional learning as a tool for teacher recruitment and retention. 

SFUSD has historically not been able to improve math achievement within its schools. White and Asian students year after year significantly outperform their Black and Latinx classmates. Lesson Study, combined with effective math teaching pedagogy, is what SFUSD needs to address the achievement of students who have been historically marginalized and increase all student learning.