Professional Development Policies

RSA #3 

Professional Development: Policies for Educators that Enhance Student Learning

Diana Wolfson

Darling-Hammond, L., & McLaughlin, M.W. (2011). Policies that support professional development in an era of reform. Kappan Magazine, 92(6), Retrieved from http://web.ebscohost.com.cucproxy.cuchicago.edu/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=261d2217-dc71-493b-ac24-6880f099603f%40sessionmgr14&vid=9&hid=18

U.S. federal lawmakers and the U.S. Department of Education recognize that educators need valid learning opportunities in order to impact student learning.  They understand that the key to teacher effectiveness is continued professional development.  Both the Improving America’s Schools Act of 1994 and the 2001 No Child Left Behind Act “focus significant attention on teacher quality and professional development” (Islas, 2010, p. 11).  In the article, A Tool for Meaningful Staff Development (2000), Magestro and Stanford-Blair sum up the impact of legislation in their statement, “the emphasis in education has shifted from teaching to learning” (p. 1).  Effective staff development begins with the needs and interests of the staff.  The American Educational Research Association agrees with this approach.  In the article, Teaching Teachers: Professional Development to Improve Student Achievement (2005), it states that “to be effective, professional development must provide teachers with a way to directly apply what they learn to their teaching” (p. 4).  These learning opportunities model new strategies that are relevant and engaging for teachers to try. When teachers reflect on and evaluate the strategies they have learned, they decide how to apply them with their students. 

Implementing educational reforms that emphasize professional development means that teachers must rethink their practices.  According to Darling-Hammond and McLaughlin’s article, Policies That Support Professional Development in an Era of Reform (2011), the inservice training of traditional top-down training strategies is no longer sufficient to meet the goals and objectives for effective student learning.  Instead, Darling-Hammond and McLaughlin’s describe a new type of professional development called Professional Development School (PDS) that prepares beginning teachers by having them work with experienced mentors (p. 83).  The PDS method gives both teachers, the novice and the experienced, opportunities to learn from one another, support one another and recognize the value of their colleagues.

 Government leaders and educators alike recognize that the key to professional development is that it serves both teacher and student learning.  It allows teachers to engage in the learning process, collaborate with others, connect to actual work with their students and receive support through modeling and ongoing coaching.  Whether or not schools assign teachers with mentors or use other strategies, the concept that continued learning is for everyone remains.

References

American Educational Research Association (AERA). (2005). Teaching teachers: Professional development to improve student achievement. Research Points Essential Information for Education Policy, 3(1), 1-4. Retrieved from http://www.eric.ed.gov/PDFS/ED491587.pdf

Darling-Hammond, L., & McLaughlin, M.W. (March, 2011). Policies that support professional development in an era of reform. Phi Delta Kappan, 92(6), Retrieved from http://web.ebscohost.com.cucproxy.cuchicago.edu/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=261d2217-dc71-493b-ac24-6880f099603f%40sessionmgr14&vid=9&hid=18

Debbiereese. (2009). Technology action plan and staff development. Retrieved from http://www.slideshare.net/debbiereese/technology-action-plan-and-staff-development

Islas, M. R. (December, 2010). The federal policy landscape: A look at how legislation affects professional development. JSD. 31(6), 11-14. Retrieved from http://www.learningforward.org/news/getDocument.cfm?articleID=2166

Magestro, P. & Stanford-Blair, N. (2000). A tool for meaningful staff development. Educational Leadership. 57(8), 34-35. Retrieved from http://pdonline.ascd.org/pd_online/annualconference/el200005_magestro.html