As faculty and staff members from across the state prepared to welcome back students for the 2026-27 school year, Prospect Ridge Academy had the distinct pleasure earlier this month to receive hands-on training from nationally renowned education researcher, Dr. Robert J. Marzano, during a Personal Development (PD) training session.
Marzano, the co-founder and Chief Academic Officer for Marzano Resources, has been a prominent American education researcher and author for over 50 years. His work is known for turning complex academic data into practical classroom teaching strategies.
Marzano joined PRA faculty and staff via Zoom to deliver a presentation on High Reliability Schools (HRS); a curated package of self-guided professional development resources aimed to help educators grow and extend their knowledge in five key levels:
Level 1: Safe and Collaborative Culture
Level 2: Effective Teaching in Every Classroom
Level 3: Guaranteed and Viable Curriculum
Level 4: Standards-Referenced Reporting
Level 5: Competency-Based Education
In addition to the staff training, Marzano took time to praise the progress Prospect Ridge Academy has made since its founding in 2010. Marzano toured PRA this past January with his son, Todd Marzano,
The father-son duo are currently in the process of founding a new charter school in the Colorado Springs area. A school that, according to Dr. Marzano, will be modeled after Prospect Ridge Academy.
“Having Dr. Marzano speak to our staff was such an incredible honor. In education, you are almost certain to have a Marzano-published book on your required reading list when earning your teacher and administrator degrees. That he felt we were a model charter school to use, as they work toward opening a school, felt like the biggest compliment we could have received,” said PRA Executive Director, April Wilkin. “We spent 90 minutes listening intently to his advice about high-reliability schools and highly effective teaching practices, because that is how we see ourselves, and we respect his expert advice. Opportunities like this, to have meaningful dialogue about how we align on best practices across our K12, are how we keep getting better and better for students!”