Professional development is an essential component of a successful school. It should reflect the needs of teachers and students. Often professional development will require a shift in classroom practice and theory. As greater responsibility is placed on teacher every year, administrators must be strategic in the selections and scheduling of professional development. To be effective, teachers must understand the importance buy into the ideas presented. With limited financial resources, professional development should be cost-effective. An option for presenting professional development during a faculty meeting will free up time during the day and allow for maximum instructional time.
Often, administrators spend money on professional development
…show more content…
It is imperative teachers have a voice in the professional development presented. Offering a teacher survey will ensure teachers have a voice and give teachers the opportunity to believe their needs are being addressed. The Teacher Working Conditions Survey has questions regarding professional development and the needs of each teacher at a particular school. This survey is generic and may not reflect the most imperative needs at a school, but by using both survey and comparing the results, administrators will have a greater understanding of the needs and desire of their teachers. This year I will be giving a personal survey at the end of the year to teachers to guide individual professional development and allow teachers to be a part of determining what their professional development needs. This will enable reflection upon the school year to guide their analysis of need. The results can be compared with administrative data from observations and walk-throughs to determine the professional development focus for the upcoming school year. Principals must be able to decode school need versus individual teacher need. The decoding is done through analysis of other aggregated data and discussion with the leadership team (administrators). To meet individual teacher need, utilization of other staff members, instructional coaches and attendance in area professional development offerings should be