This summer and fall, the Allegheny Intermediate Unit’s transformED will host it’s second series of Pop-Up PLNs, weekly conversations with educators from across Pennsylvania on effective practices during the COVID pandemic school closures. This series is part of Remake Learning’s Tomorrow campaign, explores what we can do today to make tomorrow a more promising place for all learners.

Each Tuesday, guest hosts will lead 30-minute conversations with teachers and school leaders to reflect upon innovative teaching approaches and practices that emerged during school closures, discuss how such practices might be expanded upon in the upcoming school year, and explore how these learnings could shape how we approach teaching and learning in the future.

About the host: Nikole Y. Hollins-Sims, Ed.D., is an educational consultant for the Pennsylvania Training and Technical Assistance Network (PaTTAN)-Harrisburg Office. She currently serves as the co-statewide lead for the Behavior initiative, as well as an active member of the Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) initiative. In addition, she is the statewide lead for equitable practices in partnership with the office of safe schools for the Pennsylvania Department of Education. Dr. Hollins-Sims is also involved in the State Systemic Improvement Plan (SSIP) with a focus on increasing the graduation rates of students with disabilities. Finally, Dr. Hollins-Sims is a Pennsylvania certified school psychologist with a specific interest in social justice. She has also conducted research around caregivers of children of incarcerated parents and their motivation to engage in family-school partnerships.