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Driving Student Success With Teacher Training
We can’t say it enough: teachers are one of the most important in-school factors for student success. Students with well-trained, high-quality teachers are much more likely to succeed because their teachers understand how they learn, can meet them where they are, and lift them up.
But how do teachers become well-trained? They attend the Moonshot Summer Institute (MSI), hosted by The Learning Alliance, in partnership with the School District of Indian River County!
SDIRC and The Learning Alliance’s continued commitment to professional development opportunities like MSI has been paying off for students and teachers alike. At Vero Beach Elementary – the Moonshot School – the percentage of 3rd-grade students reading proficiently increased from 38% in 2022 to 71% in 2025. This 33-point increase compares to 13 points across the district and four points across the state during the same time period. SDIRC is tied for first in the state for the highest percentage of struggling readers who made annual learning gains, tied for second in the state for the highest percentage of 3rd-grade students reading on grade level, and tied for seventh in the state for the biggest learning gains in English Language Arts. The SDIRC has earned an A grade from the state for three consecutive years and is now a Top 5 Florida school district.
So, what is the Moonshot Summer Institute? MSI is a three-day, immersive learning experience for teachers at Vero Beach Elementary. Now in its third year at the Moonshot School, the Institute helps teachers learn how students learn. The first year focused on the Science of Reading (how kids learn to read) and the second year focused on the Science of Learning (how kids absorb information).
This year, we were excited to have Anika Costa, author of Quick Responses for Reducing Misbehavior and Suspensions, leading discussions on the Science of Behavior – why children behave the way they do and how to create a learning environment that sets them up for success. Together, we discovered not only how to be better teachers but also how to become motivational leaders in the classroom, school, and community.
Throughout the conference, educators demonstrated their learning by connecting key concepts with strings that represented neural pathways. They also added additional knowledge and insights by hanging cards with “what I thought I knew” and “what I now know” on the strands. By the end of our three days together, we had created a visual representation of a learning brain, with reflections on previous and new knowledge, and we were ready for the upcoming school year!
To learn more about The Learning Alliance and what’s happening at the Moonshot School, follow us on Facebook and Instagram!
