Supporting new teachers is critical to retention and student success, but delivering meaningful professional development across an entire state comes with unique challenges. Time constraints, geographic distance, and diverse school contexts can make it difficult to provide educators with accessible, relevant learning opportunities.
ND RISE (Retaining, Inspiring, and Supporting Educators in North Dakota), the state’s teacher mentoring program, needed a solution to provide meaningful, differentiated professional learning that was easily accessible to educators across the state, regardless of their location or schedule.
The challenge: Meeting teachers where they are
Many of ND RISE’s new teachers and mentors take on multiple roles beyond classroom teaching, such as coaching, directing performances, and even driving buses. Finding time for live professional development? Nearly impossible.
And with school contexts varying widely across North Dakota, generic PD wouldn’t cut it. Teachers needed strategies tailored to their specific grade levels, subjects, and student populations.
A flexible solution that meets individual needs
ND RISE added a course using Avanti to its professional development offerings, giving teachers another option that fits their schedules and addresses their specific challenges.
Unlike one-size-fits-all training, Avanti allows teachers to search for exactly what they need, when they need it. Teachers can find relevant videos, watch real educators in real classrooms, and access resources to support implementation that focus on their specific needs.
ND RISE built their Avanti Learning Course around this flexibility. The course consists of four cycles: watch a strategy video of their choice in Avanti, work through the resources, implement the strategy in their classroom, and reflect on the experience. This structure ensures teachers aren’t just watching videos—they’re actively applying what they learn.
The result? Over 400 educators have voluntarily participated in ND RISE’s Avanti Learning Course in just three years. And because mentors and new teachers often explore Avanti together, it’s become a tool for collaborative learning rather than just individual skill-building.
By offering flexible, differentiated professional development, ND RISE has found a way to scale meaningful support statewide.
Read the full case study
Discover ND RISE’s approach to collaborative professional learning with Avanti, how they structured their Avanti course, and the impact they’re seeing in their program.
Ready to bring flexible professional learning to your educators?
Avanti offers a library of classroom-ready instructional strategies demonstrated by real teachers in real classrooms. With searchable content across grade levels and subject areas, educators can find exactly what they need to strengthen their practice—on their own schedule.
Whether you’re supporting new teachers, building mentor capacity, or providing ongoing professional development for your entire staff, Avanti makes high-quality learning accessible and actionable.
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