Professional development is “a focus on and responsibility for student learning and the formation of professional community inside and outside the school.”Judith Warren Little, 1996

Effective professional development involves teachers both as learners and teachers, and allows them to struggle with the uncertainties that accompany each role.

Linda Darling-Hammond and Milbrey W. McLaughlin, 1996

Improving teaching practice is an important way to improve student achievement…Wenglinsky (2000) and Sanders and Rivers (1996)

Well-designed professional development can improve practice and increase student achievement.A review of high-quality experimental studies found that among programs offering extended PD (49 hours on average over 6 to 12 months), student achievement increased by 21 percentile points.

(Yoon et al., 2007)

More than 9 out of 10 U.S. teachers haveparticipated in professional learning consistingprimarily of short-term conferences orworkshops.Professional Learning inthe Learning Profession:A Status Report on Teacher Developmentin the United States and Abroad

NSDC, February 2009

Other nations that outperform the UnitedStates on international assessments investheavily in professional learning and build timefor ongoing, sustained teacher developmentand collaboration into teachers’ work hours.Professional Learning inthe Learning Profession:A Status Report on Teacher Developmentin the United States and Abroad

NSDC, February 2009

U.S. teachers participate in workshops andshort-term professional development events atsimilar levels as teachers in other nations. Butthe United States is far behind in providingpublic school teachers with opportunities toparticipate in extended learning opportunitiesand productive collaborative communities.Professional Learning inthe Learning Profession:A Status Report on Teacher Developmentin the United States and Abroad

NSDC, February 2009

Teachers are not getting adequate training inteaching special education or limited Englishproficiency students. More than two-thirds ofteachers nationally had not had even one dayof training in supporting the learning ofspecial education or LEP students during theprevious three years, and only one-third agreedthat they had been given the support theyneeded to teach students with special needs.Professional Learning inthe Learning Profession:A Status Report on Teacher Developmentin the United States and Abroad

NSDC, February 2009

Showers (1982) found that training followed by peer-coaching increased teachers use of new practices more than without peer coaching.

Knight, 2008

Showers (1984) found that coached teachers were more likely to put newly learned practices to use in the classroom, but also coaching contributed significantly to higher student achievement scores.

Knight, 2008

One study found that teacher-to-teacher coaching and mentoring was more likely to result in higher-order learning experiences for students than traditional professional development activities.

Quick et al., 2009

Professional development activities, such as study groups, mentoring relationships, and task forces that require active, collaborative participation over time have been found to be particularly effective .

Porter et al., 2003

Studies of effective secondary school reading programs demonstrate one thing clearly: We cannot significantly improve the literacy skills of adolescents without comprehensive staff development.

Sturtevant et al., 2006

Where do you and your school fall on the PD Continuum? Place your Post-it on the continuum.

Post-it Note Activity

PD Continuum

Sit and Get SupportiveJob-embeddedcollaborativeInstructionally-focused

On-going