Mission and Beliefs
The work of the LPC is grounded in our beliefs about teaching and learning and motivated by our mission to influence education policy decisions.
Beliefs:
We believe all students have the right to a high quality education in
order to achieve individual success and to further social, cultural,
and economic equity in our country.
In order to assure that every student learns well, we believe policy must design environments that foster learning at all levels including students, teachers, school leaders, district leaders, and state and federal policymakers.
We believe there is a need to inform education policy with comprehensive research on learning and that student learning will increase when policymakers understand and account for the learning demands of ambitious education reforms.
Mission:
The mission of the Learning Policy Center is to foster high quality
learning environments for both students and professionals in public
schools.Toward that end, we aim to infuse into policy decisions high
quality, timely research on effective teaching and learning and on the
school, district, and policy conditions that support their improvement.
LPC’s Unique Role:
The Learning Policy Center is a unique voice advising on the design,
implementation, and impact of policies that aim to influence what
teachers and students are expected to learn and that shape their
opportunities to learn.The LPC informs policymakers of critical
research on learning, influences policy decisions by actively engaging
in policy work, and involves education stakeholders including
researchers, policymakers, and practitioners in discussions of
education reform challenges and solutions.
Announcements 
January 2010: LPC and A+ Schools Release Report on Teaching Staffing
Our Tools, Rules and Schools technical paper is the result of 15 months of research in Pittsburgh Public Schools on teacher staffing, distribution, and mobility.
November 2009: Learning Policy Brief on School Choice
Making Real Choices Happen in Traditional Public Schools: Lessons to be learned from non-traditional choice settings by William Bickel and Jennifer Iriti
September 2009: Learning Policy Center 2009-2010 Colloquium Series
Our colloquium series for this year is entitled Preparing Students for Life Beyond K-12. Featured speakers include William Tate, Allan Collins, Richard Arum, and Patricia Gandara.
April 30 2009: Research For Practice Conference
The conference will
feature national experts on how to configure the relationship
between research and the improvement of educational practices.
October 2008 Learning Policy Brief on Measurement of Instruction
Setting the Groundwork for Quality Teaching and Learning: Measuring Instruction in Schools and Districts by Lindsay Clare Matsumura
Learning Policy and Sciences PhD Program Announces its First Student Cohort
The LSAP faculty are proud to welcome our first student cohort to the University of Pittsburgh.
June 2008 Learning Policy Brief Available
Getting the Most out of Professional Learning Communities and Coaching: Promoting Interactions that Support Instructional Improvement by Cynthia Coburn and Jennifer Russell
2 Million Minutes documentary and panel discussion
Video now available online
Learning Policy Brief by Richard Correnti available for download
"Professional Development as a Lever for Changing Teacher Practice"
Learning Policy Blog
The new blog includes the perspectives of practitioners, policymakers
and researchers discussing critical education issues related to our
briefs.

