Why Professional Development Matters

Teachers at the MISO conference in Maui share their most powerful learning experiences

Ben Johnson, in his Edutopia blog post, talks about why quality professional development (PD) matters. It matters because professional development, unlike poverty, is the one thing that we can control. Creating and nurturing the most professional, innovative, dedicated teachers is the one sure way to affect student learning. Other things that are not in our control, the woes of our community, for example, do not have to be stumbling blocks and walls for an effective, brilliant teacher.

Hereʻs one more reason why professional development matters:

It is cheap compared to so many other seeming quick fixes. Sending one teacher to a conference on differentiation may seem like a waste of money versus buying curriculum that claims to differentiate because if the understanding is that the teacher will come back and try it in their classroom, work with their team, share one thing for the whole team to share, and create that PLC around their learning, then the PD money supported more than just that one teacher.

With that conference and travel fee, with the conversation and coaching with the teacher after that, a teacher leader is created who is valued for his/her innovation, who is confident in his/her ability to reach out to his/her colleagues and who rocks! Itʻs that simple.

As our 1:1 project monies come to an end, and we look at budgeting for the operationalization of our laptop program, I will always continue to push for and budget for a little bit of PD money as the most economical, sustainable way to help students.