About Us

The After School Professional Development Program (ASPDP) reimagines professional learning in service of equity by offering critically conscious professional learning that equips educators to confront race, power, and privilege, and to disrupt inequities in order to maximize outcomes for all students, particularly Black, Indigenous, and other students of color, students experiencing economic hardship, Students with Disabilities, Multilingual Learners, LGBTQI+, and other students who have been marginalized by systemic inequities.

We partner with over 30 non-profits, museums, and specialized professional development providers to offer more than 200 courses each semester. We offer courses across numerous categories, so every teacher may find something of interest in our catalog. Courses aligned with the Common Core Standards and the Danielson Framework for Teaching, and there are both online and classroom courses, as well as a limited number of hybrid classes, which combine both online and in-person classes.

All NYC educators are eligible to take ASPDP courses to further their own knowledge and improve their teaching practice. ASPDP courses can also be credited towards the salary differential (30+) and the NYS CTLE requirements. Please see our FAQ and Participant Policies for more information.

Foundational Beliefs/Guiding Principles:


We believe that all teachers must partner with students and continually engage with their school communities to develop their pedagogical practices in support of equity and justice for students who have been historically and are currently pushed to the margins. As part of educators’ ongoing development of effective pedagogical practices, they must also work to disrupt and replace any beliefs and practices that may contribute to inequitable learning environments and experiences for students. All courses approved by ASPDP endeavor to embody the guiding principles below:

  • Critical awareness of and reflection on one's identity, sociopolitical context, and the influences of these entities on teaching and learning are key components for all adults engaged in this work, including instructors and course designers.

    • This builds critical consciousness, a mindset that prompts the individual to:

      • Disrupt existing narratives.

      • Confront issues of race, power, and privilege in society and within their sphere of influence

      • Become an agent for institutional and social change. (Center for Strategic Solutions, 2015)

  • Students are valuable partners in the learning process and bring an abundance of personal knowledge and experience. Teachers should co-construct learning experiences with their students by integrating student voices in the design and implementation of instruction.
  • Teachers must continually engage with their ever-evolving climate, context, and the individuals in their school communities, as a necessary part of their professional responsibilities.

 

What Participants Can Expect


Given the above-mentioned guiding principles, you can expect ASPDP courses to:

  • Engage you in rigorous, cognitively engaging instruction with opportunities to collaborate and co-construct knowledge with peers

  • Aid you in developing competency in Danielson Framework for Teaching components by applying your new learning to and assessing the impact on student outcomes, with opportunity to plan appropriate modifications

  • Develop the mindsets, knowledge, and skills necessary to design and implement effective, culturally responsive-sustaining instruction, including:

    • Engagement in brave conversations that examine and challenge beliefs and practices that contribute to inequitable learning environments.

    • Exploration of resources and research that reflect racially and culturally diverse experiences and perspectives.

    • Support in designing and implementing equitable learning environments that affirm students’ multiple identities and build their critical consciousness.

Begin your journey to critically conscious professional learning here.