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Projects and Collaborations

As education is a constantly evolving field, teachers and education professionals must continuously improve themselves. With this in mind, Hisar School Professional Learning Center (PÖMER) was established in 2021 and has quickly made a difference with its innovative, sustainable, and internationally aligned professional learning programs. PÖMER aims to support educators’ knowledge-based, dynamic, and practice-oriented development processes, contributing not only to the professionals within Hisar School but also to the broader educational community in Turkey and internationally.

Collaborations and Notable Projects

2021-2022: Laying the Foundations and First Steps

  • The “Leading and Learning” Program, designed specifically for Hisar School in collaboration with Columbia University, Teachers College, CPET, was implemented, and 40 educators completed the training.
  • The “Writing to Learn: Composition Across Content Areas” training program, focusing on language and writing skills, designed specifically for Hisar School in collaboration with Columbia University, Teachers College, CPET,  was implemented, with 32 educators completing the program. 

2022-2023: Strategic Expansion and International Collaborations

  • Professional Learning Programs: A total of 2791 hours of training were conducted, including 1824.5 hours online, 902.5 hours in-person, and 64 hours in a hybrid format. The total number of participants reached 1431.
  • Teacher Talks and Round Table sharing sessions were launched to strengthen professional learning communities. A total of 13 sessions were held, with 150 academic and administrative staff members participating. 
  • Notable Collaborations:
    • ECIS Collaboration: A professional learning cycle and professional learning standards aligned with Hisar School’s culture were developed..
    • HighScope Preschool: 5 preschool teachers from Hisar completed an eight-month program and beacame the “HighScope Trainer of Trainers”. 
    • “Learning Together” Project: In collaboration with YGA, 19 Hisar teachers conducted 15 online sessions, bringing together 158 teachers from various regions of Turkey.
    • Bitlis Güroymak Atatürk Middle School: 5 different sharing sessions were held, covering Turkish, Mathematics, Science, Social Studies, and Psychological Guidance departments. 
    • International Accreditation: Hisar School initiated the NEASC ESO Accreditation Process, submitting its application in July 2023.
    • 27 educators from Hisar School completed the Learning Sciences Master’s Program at MEF University. 

2023-2024: Broadening Impact

  • Professional learning programs continued in online, in-person, and hybrid formats. 
  • In addition to Teacher Talks and Round Table sharing sessions, long-term Learning Meetups were introduced. A total of 16 sessions were held, with 187 academic and administrative staff members participating. 

Notable Collaborations:

  • ECIS Collaboration: 68 educators from Hisar School participated in training sessions on Child Protection, Developing Critical Global Perspectives, and Cultivating Connections That Matter.
  • SUNY Master’s Program: 11 Hisar teachers enrolled in SUNY’s Master’s Program in Multidisciplinary Studies with a Programmatic Theme in International Education.
  • NEASC Accreditation Process: The self-assessment report was completed, and the review process by NEASC began.
  • Coursera Collaboration: 72 teachers participated in various professional development courses through the Coursera platform.
  • Community Engagement:
    • “Learning Together” Series:12 different sessions were conducted, engaging 110 teachers from various regions in Turkey.
    • Kars “Changemakers” Project: Mathematics, Arts, and Social Studies teachers conducted 5 workshops with educators in Kars.
    • PÖMER Library: Established in the high school library with over 100 donated books.

2024-2025: Aligning with Global Standards and Research & Development

  • Professional learning programs continued in online and in-person formats, with total participation increasing to 2154.
  • Teacher Talks, Learning Meetups, and Round Table sessions continued with enriched content.
  • Alignment with International Standards:
    • NEASC ESO Accreditation: NEASC visited the school and met  38 school administrators and teachers.
    • PÖMER was accredited as an ESO( Educational Service Organization) by NEASC.
    • ECIS Child Protection Training Programs: 28 teachers participated in ECIS’ Child Protection training programs.​
  • Research and Development (R&D):
    • Action Research Project: PÖMER remains committed to developing projects that integrate scientific research and action research, support sustainable educational development, contribute strategically to the institution’s academic and administrative structure, and further enrich the research culture. In this context, 11 teachers began an action research project focused on academic practices. 
    • PÖMER – SUNY Collaboration: The master’s program continues.