2022 Conference

Dr. Paul Bloomberg is the founder and Chief Learning Officer of The Core Collaborative (TCC), a professional learning network that specializes in learner-centered approaches to learning. The Core Collaborative supports over 2000 schools globally with a mission of expanding student ownership and agency. Paul is the co-author of the best-selling book and professional learning pathway, Leading Impact Teams: Building a Culture of Efficacy published by Corwin Press and is the lead author of, Peer Power! Unite, Learn and Prosper: Activate an Assessment Revolution, published by Mimi & Todd Press.

Prior to founding The Core Collaborative, Paul was the former director of TIDES (Transformative Inquiry Design for Effective Schools & Systems), a nonprofit in San Diego focusing on problem-project based learning. Prior to TIDES, Paul served as the principal of a high poverty elementary school in San Diego County. His team beat the odds by significantly turning around achievement over a three year timeframe through an intense focus on formative assessment and goal setting. Since that time, Paul has used his expertise to support multiple, successful school turn-around and school innovation efforts. Paul has also served as a Distinguished Professional Development Associate for the Leadership & Learning Center, founded by Douglas Reeves and has served as a Visible Learning Consultant for Professor John Hattie.

Paul is grateful to educators globally who have worked on the front lines during the pandemic of 2020; they are true heroes. With this tremendous respect, TCC assembled over 100 principals, teachers, parents and students to discuss the problems of practice they were encountering daily and weekly with hybrid and remote teaching. Starting in April 2020, in partnership with pilot schools, TCC began their “remote teaching” design and piloting process. The Clarity for Virtual Teaching and Learning Framework was released in May of 2020 and TCC began supporting schools immediately. Over the summer it became clear that the planning and execution of engaging, evidence-based, high impact, remote instruction took more time than teacher teams had. This challenge was met with collective action. TCC began collaborating with teacher leaders and formative assessment experts on the creation of The EmpowerED Learner eToolkit that will be released in January 2021 for grades 3-8. The toolkit integrates G-Suite and Pear Deck through transferable, formative tasks that can be easily customized to support a high level of differentiation while expanding student ownership and agency through classroom clarity, self-assessment, feedback and goal setting.

Paul’s passion is partnering with systems to build a culture of efficacy by strengthening teacher and student agency in developing assessment capable, emotionally capable and socially capable learners. He is deeply committed to enhancing learner success and believes that we all share the responsibility for social justice, equity and inclusion. Paul resides in Palm Springs, California with his husband Tony. They have two sons, Alex and Taylor, who live in California.