Essay On Professional Development In Education

“Research confirms that the most important factor contributing to a student’s success in school is the quality of teaching.” -Stephanie Hirsch, Learning Forward Executive Director. This is no surprise. Children go to school to be taught. If they were able to learn the content and skills on their own, they wouldn’t come to school. When you think about it, teachers have one of the most difficult and crucial jobs available. The literally have the fate of our children in their hands! So it goes without saying that teachers need to be learners, just like their students. In Why Professional Development Matters, a Learning Forward article, it states “Professional development is the most effective strategy schools and school districts have to meet this expectation.” As a student achievement coach, professional development for teachers is my job. I have delivered professional development through many different modes, including working with teachers one on one

In the Learning Forward article, Hirsch agrees with me on this point. In the foreword she states, “The most effective professional development engages teams of teachers to focus on the needs of their students. They learn and problem solve together in order to ensure all students achieve success.” One of the strategies our district used this year in order to support this idea was Teacher Based Teams (TBTs). Groups of no more than 6 teachers formed teams around a specific academic area of need for their students. These teams meet at least twice a month for 45-60 minutes. The TBTs followed the 5 step process that had them create and administer a formative assessment piece, score on a common rubric, analyze results with their team members, plan and deliver instruction and then reassess