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How We Got Here



More than 41 years ago, seven people from across the United States joined at an informal meeting focused on the new field of staff development. They were among the first few educators who had been assigned the responsibility of developing district-based staff development programs and with that meeting, they pioneered what now has grown to become the nearly 13,000-member National Staff Development Council.

Betty Dillon-Peterson, present at the first meeting, volunteered to provide a clearinghouse for communication and support among and between the growing numbers of educators nationwide being assigned such staff development responsibilities. She recalls that at that time there were no membership lists, no dues, no officers, and no organizational plan, not even a name. One formal activity was carried out each year--a conference planned and carried out by a school district staff development office that had volunteered to host the conference. In addition, two rudimentary occasional documents were printed: a newsletter and a few issues of a journal.

Dillon-Peterson reports today that as it soon became apparent that some level of formal organization would be necessary to acknowledge the growing reputation and collaborative efforts of the group. She named the organization the National Staff Development Council, a name that this association has worn well through its 41 years, to legitimize it as a real organization. She used this rationale. The group was national. The common area of concern was staff development. She used the term council because it best represented the small group of people who shared a common interest.

Need for a new brand

In the fall of 2008, we engaged in a communications and publications audit. The audit included outreach to our members, funders, partners, and other education associations. One finding from the audit was that our brand was neither clear nor strong and we knew we needed to address this challenge. As work progressed on defining our brand, it became increasingly evident that our name contributed to branding challenges.

We had the opportunity to engage one of the country’s leading branding firms as a part of the company’s commitment to provide significantly reduced-price services to non-profit organizations. In our work with the firm, we produced elements of a solid identity. Next we worked to find a name that conveyed a strong message about our purpose and represented the new brand.

Board members and staff continued to work with a division of the branding firm to find a name that fit. The challenges we faced included finding a name that:
  • Conveys what we care most about--learning.
  • Makes it clear that we are a community of members joined together with a common purpose.
  • Engages our members in action to advance professional learning for student success.
  • Is available for trade marking through the U.S Patent and Trademark Office.
  • Find a name that had an available URL.

Our new name

After considerable study of the research on branding and renaming of corporations and organizations, dozens of hours of conversation with key advisors including affiliate leaders, former trustees, and most importantly one of NSDC’s founders, Betty Dillon-Peterson, the board adopted the name Learning Forward in October 2009 and moved ahead with trade marking the name.

As Dillon-Peterson reminisces about the history of this organization, she strongly believes that this is the time for NSDC to embrace its new name--one that more accurately describes our organization's present character and supports its journey into the future. "I am amazed and delighted that even as NSDC has grown to become such an enormous organization, it has retained so much of the same spirit of the original members, while expanding its influence and impact in multiple ways. It is still a very human, inclusive organization and I am pleased that the new name will continue to reflect that influence. If asked, the Mother of NSDC (as I have sometimes been labeled) heartily votes "Yes!"

Learning Forward’s Logo Story


Learning Forward is an international association of learning educators who share a single purpose: Every educator engages in effective professional learning every day so every student achieves. Members of this community are committed to professional learning to improve schools and student learning.

Learning Forward’s logo represents the essence of the association’s new name. Its forward leaning words send the message that we affect the future through the actions we take today. As an association, we recognize that the quality of the professional learning educators experience today influences the effectiveness of their day-to-day work and results for their students.

The words Learning Forward in the logo represent the association itself. Just as the words do, the association leads in the field of professional learning and expands its influence. The words learningforward flow together just as we together as a community of professionals to build the bridge among research, practice, and policy. The forward tilt of the words emphasizes the energy and movement of the community engaged in the work of the association.

The orange dots represent our members, the educators they enrich, and the students both impact. The dots demonstrate the close relationship among the educators who share collective responsibility for student success. The larger dots represent educators; the smaller dots represent students. What educators learn is influenced by what students need to learn. As the bands of dots move outward, they continue to move forward, shaping the future.

The colors are bright and energetic. The new logo instills in members a feeling of pride that they belong to an association that is growing and thriving. It invites new members to be a part of the community, so everyone is learningforward together.

NSDC’s contracted designer, David McCoy of McCoy Design, is the originator of NSDC’s logo. David has contributed to NSDC’s design projects for over 20 years and fully understands the essence and purpose of this organization.


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