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PD in the News -- December 2011
PD in the News is periodically compiled by Hayes Mizell, Distinguished Senior Fellow. Be aware that web addresses for news stories from some sources are short-lived, and many newspapers require registration or login, often at no cost. Issues from this archive of PD in the News will likely have many out-of-date urls; web site addresses are current as of the original publication date. Student Achievement and Professional LearningPetal, MS"Petal High School has achieved the highest QDI score of all of the 282 high schools in the state - for the second year in a row. The QDI, or quality distribution index, is the average of the scores the students have received on the state Algebra 1, Biology 1, English II and U.S. History tests… [Principal Steve Simmons said] teachers also meet for what he calls 'lesson study groups,' to discuss how they can improve the level of their teaching and get concepts across to students. 'Our teachers are meeting for an hour a day, working on teaching strategies that lead to high student achievement,' he said. AP history teacher Si Thompson, said the lesson study groups are extremely helpful to him. 'We discuss the curriculum - how to get more bang for the buck,' he said. 'The lesson study groups are the lifeline to help us rise to a new level of teaching and reaching students that you cannot do by yourself. No one is as good as a group of teachers that have the best interests of their students at heart. Individually, we have a lot of weak spots. Collectively, we're outstanding.' Chemistry teacher Lucretia Carpenter agrees the lesson study groups are helpful. 'We share ideas for instruction,' she said. 'It's where we can talk about how to better plan our lessons. In my department, it's about what the students need to know, where are they in their knowledge right now, and how do we move them to the next level.'"http://goo.gl/Tu0Cj Middletown, OH"Middletown City Schools' academic growth is being recognized nationally. The district recently learned that it had the 12th highest gains across the state in yearly student academic growth for the 2010-11 school year, according to data released by Battelle for Kids. The data released was the 'Value Added' component of the Ohio Department of Education state report card, which measures student annual growth on state standardized tests in all 609 districts… [Superintendent Greg Rasmussen said] 'Our teachers are doing an outstanding job of working with a diverse group of students who have very different learning needs. As for the district, we are all focused on getting better each day via formal professional development and informally learning from each other. We are getting better at using data to determine exactly what students need and then adjusting our teaching styles to meet those needs.'"http://goo.gl/30Cxd State/National Policy and Professional LearningNew York"Last year, [the State Education Department] listed 102 schools and four school districts as being 'in need of improvement.' Yesterday, based on the latest tests, the Department added 847 schools and 89 districts…Regent Bob Bennett believes some issues can be dealt with soon while issues of teacher professional development and new teacher training will take years."http://goo.gl/fnaU6 Kentucky"Kentucky will serve as the Demonstration State of a new initiative led by Learning Forward to create a statewide, comprehensive professional learning system to support educators as they implement Common Core State Standards (CCSS) and new student assessments. Georgia, Illinois, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Utah, and Washington will contribute to the development of the system's tools and strategies as Critical Friend States and learn from Kentucky's challenges and accomplishments. With support from lead funder the Sandler Foundation, Learning Forward will provide coaching and technical assistance to Kentucky and host meetings of the seven states over the next two years of the initiative, Transforming Professional Learning to Prepare College- and Career-Ready Students: Implementing the Common Core. The resources developed through the initiative will be made available to all states as they implement CCSS…Learning Forward and the states will work in partnership with the Council of Chief State School Officers, National Governors Association, National Association of State Boards of Education and American Association of Colleges of Teacher Education on the initiative…As the initiative's Demonstration State, Kentucky will serve as a learning laboratory within which Learning Forward, in partnership with state and district leaders, will create a multi-tier, multi-year comprehensive plan that stages professional development for the standards and assessments. The state will also support new school year and daily school schedules that provide substantive time for professional learning for educators and establish new systems for working with third-party providers and vendors who provide expertise."http://goo.gl/PjKK6 Vermont"Legislative consultant Lawrence Picus of Lawrence O. Picus and Associates of North Hollywood, Calif., asked school administrators and board members from at least nine schools and districts to help him, and the state, better understand how to allocate money to public schools for growing student needs — from technology to college preparedness… Superintendent Franklyn Bass of the interstate Dresden School District in Hanover, N.H., in charge of Norwich's Marion Cross School,… said that school climate, professional development and teacher accountability are all areas in need of improvement on a systemic, statewide basis to ensure taxpayers dollars are resulting in better student achievement." http://goo.gl/6rik1West Virginia "For several months a Pennsylvania consulting firm, Public Works, has been conducting an 'audit' of West Virginia public schools. The idea is to look at everything they do and suggest ways to do it better. Part of the firm's report is finished. Two conclusions deal with professional development. Public Works suggests the state should require better accounting of professional development spending, especially at the local level. And better training on products and services related to technology is important, the consultant noted." http://goo.gl/gRu7o South Dakota"Harrisburg Superintendent Jim Holbeck said teachers will need a lot of time to align their lessons to Common Core. That's going to require professional development during the summer, he said, and teachers will have to be paid for that time. 'This is an investment we can't afford not to fund,' he said. But for now, school districts are planning to bear much of the costs on their own. Holbeck said Harrisburg probably could find the money to pay for its own training, but he'd rather see the state take the initiative. When former Gov. Bill Janklow wanted to bring the state's schools up to speed on technology, the state established Technology in Teaching and Learning Academies. Starting in 1997, teachers spent 200 hours each in summer training over four weeks, earning $1,000 for themselves and another $1,000 for technology at their schools. Holbeck said Common Core implementation calls for the same kind of effort. But so far, schools have been able to send only some of their teachers to Department of Education training, which is 30 hours over four days. 'The state needs to train all of those teachers across all 152 (public school districts),' Holbeck said. The state training, which runs November through February, is being held in Sioux Falls, Rapid City and Aberdeen on school days. A $496,200 grant from the Great Plains Education Foundation is paying for substitute teachers, allowing the regulars to attend without extra cost to the schools. The state also is offering one-day math Common Core workshops in January at seven cities, which are open to all K-12 staff. Education Secretary Melody Schopp said the state is working on plans for further training. 'The governor strongly believes in the common core. He knows that training is an important component. The budget address is December 6,' she said by email. West Central Superintendent Jeff Danielsen…[said] The state also is offering one-day math Common Core workshops in January at seven cities, which are open to all K-12 staff. Education Secretary Melody Schopp said the state is working on plans for further training. 'The governor strongly believes in the common core. He knows that training is an important component. The budget address is December 6,' she said by email. West Central Superintendent Jeff Danielsen has sent his curriculum director and some teachers from each grade level to state training. Most of his teachers have done nothing to prepare for the new standards and will get an overview in January from those that did participate. Like Holbeck, Danielsen expects to bring teachers in for professional development during the summer, but he would rather the Department of Education cover it. 'What I'm kind of hoping for is a state plan' like Janklow had for technology, he said."http://goo.gl/xUUHx Florida"University of Florida education researchers will lead a $5 million effort, funded by the National Science Foundation, to transform how science is taught in Florida's middle schools, with high-need schools in 20 mostly rural school districts serving as the testing grounds…The researchers are banking on an award-winning, on-the-job graduate degree program developed at UF called Teacher Leadership and School Improvement, with a focus on science education, to train "Science Teacher Leaders" in new, research-proven practices in science instruction. The TLSI program won the Association of Teacher Education's coveted 2011 Distinguished Program in Teacher Education Award. TLSI blends 36 credit-hours of online and face-to-face instruction by UF professors. The program is free for participating teachers with the NSF grant covering their tuition, valued at $21,000 each. Another novel aspect of the coursework is its "inquiry-based" approach, in which the teacher-students collaboratively assess their own teaching practices and share new knowledge with each other…UF's College of Education will enroll one teacher from each partnering school district in the degree program, which upon graduation will qualify them as district Science Teacher Leaders."http://goo.gl/yaU43 Delaware"Using Race to the Top funds, Delaware schools are taking on a national trend in 'data coaching' by meeting in small groups of staff to not only talk about grades and test scores, but also share teaching successes and failures and behavior reports in the hopes of cracking the code for student success…The coaching takes place in weekly meetings with 'Professional Learning Communities' (PLCs) when teachers meet in groups according to academic subject, grade level or even with a particular student in mind. PLCs meet once or twice a week, for a total of at least 90 minutes each week. Race to the Top grants are funding the program to the tune of $8.2 million for two years and Delaware selected Brooklyn, N.Y.-based Wireless Generation to provide data coaches. While the coaches are Wireless Generation employees, DDOE has had final approval on each hire. These coaches visit schools twice a month. There is 100 percent participation across the state in the program, but there are two models from which schools can choose. In the 'coach the coach' model, Wireless Generation coaches train school staff to facilitate the PLCs while the outside coaches supervise the work. 'Direct Facilitation' is the other option; the outside coaches take on a more hands-on role. Wireless Generation coaches are facilitating the PLCs directly to get staff up to speed on using both the hard numbers and colleagues' best practices to improve student growth."http://goo.gl/NYWS6 Utah"A freshman state senator, who held a series of tell-all meetings with Utah school teachers, relayed to his colleagues Wednesday a common theme among public educators: Teacher morale is low. 'They are discouraging new teachers from entering the profession. ... They feel classroom size is an issue. ... They feel that they don't have the professional development support they need,' said Sen. Aaron Osmond, R- South Jordan, at an Education Interim Committee meeting."http://goo.gl/IfSk3 Maine"Under the short-term spending measure passed in October, Congress cut federal funds for special education, disadvantaged youth programs, teacher-improvement programs and career and technical education. Maine Education Commissioner Steve Bowen says the cuts total nearly $1.5 million in Maine and have already taken effect… Professional development for teachers was funded at the $11.3 million level and the cut is for $120,000."http://goo.gl/OiWta Pennsylvania"Pennsylvania is among a growing number of states revamping how school districts rate teachers. Thirty-two states and the District of Columbia have updated their teacher evaluation policies since 2009, including Ohio, Maryland and New York. New Jersey started a pilot program this fall. Last year, Pennsylvania began a two-phase pilot program of a new evaluation method in three school districts, including Cornell in Allegheny County, and an intermediate unit. Pittsburgh Public Schools received its own grant. The program expanded this year to include more than 100 districts, intermediate units, charter schools and career centers…Speaking at a statewide virtual town hall meeting this week, state Secretary of Education Ron Tomalis said finding the areas where teachers need to improve will help officials target about $500 million spent in the state annually on professional development ."http://goo.gl/BjWr1 North Carolina"Staff Development for Educators (SDE)…has been selected to provide comprehensive curriculum training to support the implementation of the Singapore Math pilot program in six North Carolina elementary schools. Burroughs Wellcome Fund (BWF), an independent private foundation, funds the immersive teacher training enterprise as part of the Singapore Math Pilot, a partnership between the North Carolina State Board of Education, the Department of Public Instruction and BWF…Consultants from SDE began training first and second grade teachers at the onset of this academic school year. Third and fourth grade teacher training will follow in the 2012–13 school year. SDE will then deliver professional development guidance for fifth and sixth grade teachers in 2013–2014. In their role as the training experts, SDE provides independent professional development on Singapore Math methodology, its principles and strategies including: teach in depth, teach to mastery, teach for understanding...BWF has helped fund study visits to Singapore by key North Carolina education policymakers and stakeholders on two separate occasions. The outcomes of these study visits have demonstrated a need to improve 1) the quality of professional development for teachers in North Carolina, 2) the quality of STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) education preparation for students, 3) alignment of education values among policymakers and the community at large, and 4) focus on a vision for educational advancement, particularly in science and mathematics. Many members of the study teams, having seen the impact of Singapore Math on student performance outcomes, supported incorporating this quality of learning into North Carolina schools."http://goo.gl/v60nO Arizona"Avondale Elementary School District is among 13 statewide using professional development and new teacher standards to improve student achievement. The district is implementing TAP: The System for Teacher and Student Advancement, a professional-development program that gives teachers a pay bonus for advancing student achievement and improving instruction in classrooms…Avondale launched the program this school year after getting funding from a $43.8 million grant from the Arizona-Ready-for-Rigor Project. The money is part of the Teaching Incentive Fund, which is funded by the U. S. Department of Education. The money was given to Arizona State University, which pledged the money to 50 schools in districts across the state for 2010 through 2015. Avondale will get a portion of the money over the next five years to pay bonuses to teachers who perform well. All teachers within the district participate in the training, although TAP bonus pay will vary depending on performance. The district has 270 teachers and has started training at all nine of the district's schools."http://goo.gl/FS4kR School Systems and Professional LearningBlue Springs, MO"Wildcat Hour at Blue Springs High School started during the first semester of the 2010-11 school year. The school day was changed to allow for seven, 48-minute classes with a 50-minute block of time in the middle that is referred to as Wildcat Hour. That hour is broken up into 25 minutes for lunch and 25 minutes for additional instruction time or free time in designated areas of the building. Once a week, Wildcat Hour is used by teachers for collaboration time and for professional development. The change in the school day also eliminated the twice monthly late starts at the high school…[Principal David Adams says] 'It allows for collaboration time for teachers and support time for students.'"http://goo.gl/yYwFV Coupeville, WA"The Coupeville Education Association will protest state budget cuts resulting in furlough days on Friday, Nov. 18, which is the first furlough day of the school year…The purpose is to raise awareness that teachers are no longer receiving professional development training and will not be in school working on furlough days."http://goo.gl/qCYqZ Hannibal, MO"The Hannibal Board of Education approved the School District's professional development plan Wednesday, revealing some of the steps teachers in the district are taking to help students meet their goals. Maria Mundle, the district's director of curriculum and instruction, wrote in a memo to the board that teachers' busy schedules have necessitated a rotating schedule of professional development opportunities. She said the Professional Development Committee will schedule programming after school on rotating days each month. In addition, she said, teachers indicated in an online survey this fall that they hope for more summer programming for professional development. To maximize flexibility, the district also is exploring online professional development opportunities...Professional development for teachers is a pillar of the [state] Comprehensive School Improvement Plan every school district must adopt under state education law. The district is planning to overhaul its plan in the spring, as is required every few years. Each school receives a share of the $78,500 allotted in the district budget for professional development. Each school, in turn, has its own professional development focus, based on its specific student achievement needs; most of the schools in the district are receiving School Improvement sanctions from the state after failing to meet federal achievement benchmarks."http://goo.gl/fNw1t Fallbrook, CA"The Fallbrook Union Elementary School District's (FUESD) board of trustees and the superintendent's staff has taken strides to invest more of the district's dollars in the education of its teaching staff, which will prepare them to better teach students, said Superintendent Candy Singh. According to Singh, the board has approved an initial budget for professional development for $200,000 for the year. 'Much of this amount will be dedicated to training all K-6 teachers in our new English language arts curriculum adoption,' she said. 'The seminars are more about creating focus and congruence within the district.'… 'We are also investing in the professional learning of our school principals to enhance their instructional leadership skills,' said Singh. 'The most effective schools are lead by highly skilled principals.' The district is also helping teachers learn how to better collaborate with their colleagues so as to create a professional learning community in which teachers and leaders work together effectively to ensure high levels of learning for every student, continued Singh."http://goo.gl/6q7oF Sequim, WA"Pam Landoni, elementary professional development coordinator for the Sequim School District, recently was selected as a recipient of the KCTS [public television] Golden Apple award recognizing excellence in education. The 20th annual Golden Apple Awards for Excellence in Education celebrate educators, programs and schools making a positive difference in Washington state education from early childhood through high school…Landoni worked to develop lifelong learners as a fourth-grade teacher at Helen Haller Elementary. Now, after 28 years in the classroom, she's teaching teachers. As Sequim School District's first-ever elementary professional development coordinator, Landoni helps educators find meaningful opportunities, acting as guide, mentor, coach and trainer to Sequim's teachers to advance the educational aims of her district's Student Learning Plan and increase achievement for all students."http://goo.gl/qwQxc St. Paul, MN"St. Paul's top school administrators will forgo salary and health benefit increases for the next couple of years. But they will get a chance to cash in five earned vacation days, and each will receive a $2,350 increase in their professional development allowances - incentives the district says will help with retention at a time of stagnant pay… The school board approved a new two-year contract for about 20 chief officers, directors and other administrators. This is the second cabinet-member contract in a row that freezes salary ranges."http://goo.gl/l1hDP Sudbury, MA[Excerpt from a newspaper column written by the Sudbury School Committee:] "In Sudbury Public Schools (SPS), professional development occurs throughout the school year, including during early release days or ILAP (Improved Learning for All Plan) days…ILAP began several years ago to address the need to provide more formalized and more frequently scheduled group time during the school day for professional development for teachers and teaching assistants. Many school districts hold the equivalent of ILAP days every week. In SPS, fifty percent of the Wednesdays constitute the ILAP days. Each year, the ILAP schedule is carefully planned and is closely aligned with the district's goals…During the ILAP days that have already occurred this school year, teachers analyzed assessment data to understand student developmental needs and identify potential modifications to the curriculum; classroom teachers, special educators, English Language Learning and Speech teachers, team chairs, literacy specialists, and guidance counselors met in varied half-day programs to adapt to the Common Core Curriculum changes; and middle school teachers and administrators met to study recent [state test] results and to investigate the Center For Applied Special Technology's (CAST's) Universal Design for Learning, a research-based framework for designing curricula to address a variety of student interests and needs. The ILAP program schedule for this school year can be found on the district website (www.sudbury.k12.ma.us) under the departments menu on the right side of the assistant superintendent page…ILAP is one of the tools the district uses to ensure consistency in the quality of education delivered throughout Sudbury Public Schools. This is accomplished by bringing teachers from different schools but the same grade level together and by grouping multiple grades of teachers across the district together so that they can learn best instructional practices. All of these professional development efforts are worthwhile investments in the education that is delivered to the SPS students."http://goo.gl/tC6EP Anson, ME"The local teachers' union is taking the lead at Carrabec High School in a plan to boost student achievement, likely through more opportunities for community involvement and teachers' professional development. School Administrative District 74 was the only Maine district to recently attend a conference in New Orleans as part of the National Education Association's Priority Schools Campaign. There, seven local and state education leaders learned how the teachers' union, in tandem with school administrators, can make changes to enhance student learning… High school Principal Regina Campbell said she is excited about the possibility of having more professional development opportunities for teachers. 'Our local budgets cannot support the amount of professional development that our staffs are asking for,' she said, adding that she's pleased the unions want to work with the school toward the common goal of improving student achievement. 'The more groups that work together to this end, the better and stronger we're going to be.'"http://goo.gl/DPt33 Pasa Robles, CA"Paso Robles Joint Unified School District…is the leading district in a consortium including eight districts and private schools, plus Cal Poly. The goal of the CaMSP Grant (California Math and Science Partnership) is 'to increase the academic achievement of students in mathematics and science by enhancing the content knowledge and teaching skills of classroom teachers.' According to Babette DeCou, director of curriculum and instruction, the local grant, which focuses on third- through fifth-grade science, is in its second year of implementation. Participating teachers commit to a three-year professional development program based on the California Content Standards. They further agree to share what they've learned with colleagues, to earn the stipend provided by the grant. Teachers receive training in cooperation with Cal Poly at summer institutes and follow-up sessions throughout the year. The university benefits from this collaboration by improving their understanding of "real world" issues affecting teachers. Each teacher is also part of a grade level lesson study team that works building lessons, modeling the lesson for each other, analyzing and improving the lesson, then sharing the lesson content and techniques with their colleagues."http://goo.gl/uzR6W Leavenworth, KS"This year the Leavenworth School District is fortunate to have a dedicated coach in each of USD 453's six K-8 buildings…USD 453's instructional coaches work one-on-one with teachers as a team to provide ongoing support for professional learning. Student learning is directly related to a teacher's professional learning and it is natural that teachers primarily focus on their students' learning rather than their own. Thus, it is essential to provide a structure to support collaborative learning that is embedded in a teacher's classroom practice. One innovative tool the instructional coaches have at their disposal is the power of video. A classroom teacher can voluntarily agree to have their classroom videotaped, and then reflect on that particular instruction with their coach... In addition to site-based, one-on-one assistance, the instructional coaches also play a significant role in planning and facilitation of professional development. They collaborate with their building principal to help ensure that all professional development opportunities, including teacher work days and early releases, are of high-quality and aligned to their building improvement plan."http://goo.gl/DG6MG Indianapolis, IN"Brandon Cosby, principal of Shortridge Magnet High School, was suspended indefinitely for unknown reasons. That is, until Superintendent Dr. Eugene White revealed that Cosby failed to conduct professional learning groups, refused to place his teachers in small group staff meetings and gave teachers no instruction. Cosby admits he failed to follow some orders. The beloved principal adds, he didn't execute some of Dr. White's directives because those tasks were based on flawed test scores."http://goo.gl/TdzN8 Del Norte, CA"The Del Norte County Unified School District has been awarded a $3 million grant to implement district-wide a method of using data to raise student achievement. The district was one of 23 to win an Investing in Innovation (i3) grant from the U.S. Department of Education…With the i3 grant, the school district will create teams at every school to analyze students' data and then target instruction based on what they've demonstrated they know and don't know… To receive the $3 million grant, the district has to secure $450,000 in match funding from a private foundation."http://goo.gl/R2mun Chicago, IL"When Chicago Public Schools rolled out 750 iPads to 23 preK-12 schools last year, which included several classes for English language learners, the plan for professional development was to 'capture the [district's] early innovators and have them start really pushing along and helping us define best practices,' said John Connolly, educational technology director for the district. Then, in mid-2011, the district received a $3 million grant for an additional 4,500 iPads--including a portion destined for 10 ELL classrooms. 'Our philosophy around professional development--and it's been very successful thus far--is frequent, relevant, and collaborative,' said Connolly, who fosters creative collaboration among instructors using an iPad for the first time. According to Connolly, the approach has proven effective. Teachers should receive iPads at least a week or two ahead of their students, said Connolly. Noting that 1-to-1 initiatives often fall short of a district's expectations, he warned against rollouts that fail to give teachers a head start. In fact, he added, 'I would argue that teachers should have the technology a year in advance, so that they are ultra-comfortable with it.' 'Before the teachers even come into [a training] workshop, it's important for the administrators to understand what they're hoping to achieve by bringing the iPads into the classroom,' said Heather Parris-Fitzpatrick, program coordinator for Technology Resource Solutions for the Board of Cooperative Educational Services, in Nassau County, NY, which serves the county's 56 school districts. Parris-Fitzpatrick also presents local iPad training workshops and is a cofounder of the technology blog ESL Techies. When it comes to professional development, the focus should be on crafting a pre-rollout plan of attack, she said. 'Is this going to be for intervention, is this going to be for enrichment, is this for assistive technology? Are we trying to support special needs, or is it for digital literacy--something ELLs often need to focus on?'"http://goo.gl/5jHq3 Bend, OR"The Oregon Association of School Executives…and the Confederation of Oregon School Administrators announced…that Bend-La Pine Schools Superintendent Ron Wilkinson has been selected as the 2012 Oregon Superintendent of the Year…Wilkinson has led Bend-La Pine Schools to create Professional Learning Communities, which rely heavily on use of a steady flow of student achievement data to guide school priorities. Data collection provides teachers with meaningful information for classroom and individual educational decisions. He has worked closely with his school board to set a vision of high expectations and has worked hard to align all systems to support teachers, administrators, and students with the work. An important part of that effort has been professional development programs aimed at improving curriculum and teacher performance and practice. These efforts have focused on mathematics and literacy programs. The programs extend to administrators and non-certified teachers aides… Wilkinson serves on the statewide Chalkboard Project's advisory board and has led Bend-La Pine's involvement in the organization's sponsored CLASS Project, an innovative approach to instructional improvement through increasing teacher effectiveness. CLASS encourages a local collaborative process focused on rigorous performance evaluations, relevant professional development, expanded roles for teacher leaders, and exploration of new compensation models."http://goo.gl/w4eda What People are Saying About Professional LearningWisconsin[Luther Olsen, state senator:] "The most important thing about the evaluations is the professional development that needs to come afterward."http://goo.gl/rRRyX Tuscaloosa, AL[Paul McKendrick, superintendent:] ""We have to train our teachers in the various ways of teaching our students. More importantly, we're looking at Common Core coming next year in math. We have to have training for teachers in that because it changes what we're teaching, how we're teaching and how we're assessing students. We need to support our teachers and get them the skills they need to teach our children. Teachers are professionals and require training just like other professionals. You wouldn't want to go to a doctor who hasn't had any training in five years."http://goo.gl/5l1Hm New York[John King, Jr., New York state education commissioner:] "I don't know if you've looked at our website EngageNY.org, but you'll see on there over a dozen hours of professional development videos about the common core. And the whole conversation about the common core is about how we improve teaching and learning, what happens in classrooms between teachers and students. So when someone goes to a workshop on the common core or when someone goes to a workshop on implementing the emphasis of common core on nonfiction, increasing our use of nonfiction or informational texts, that's not a distraction from the work. That is the work."http://goo.gl/sDGrr South Dakota[Editorial in The Argus Leader, the Sioux Falls daily newspaper:] "As school districts across the state ready themselves for the switch to a tougher, more challenging K-12 curriculum, it would make sense for the Department of Education to take the lead in both planning and funding the rollout. That's yet to happen, but there still is time for the state to shepherd the installation of the Common Core Standards in a way that would help ensure success and lift the financial burden on individual districts…With Gov. Dennis Daugaard's budget address coming Dec. 6, it would be the right thing to do for the state to give more funding to this investment in our math and English education."http://goo.gl/6S3PO United States[Dave Saba, CEO of Laying the Foundation:] "Without the proper training and resources for teachers, the Common Core State Standards will never make it into the classroom--it will just become another program with promise but no follow-through."http://goo.gl/wrtFP New Jersey[Mike Lilley, executive director for Better Education for New Jersey Kids, a nonprofit education reform group:] "It is imperative that professional development be focused on student learning and tied into the evaluation system so that teachers get the help they need to improve and succeed. To this end, Better Education for Kids — or, B4K — supports establishing the position of 'teacher leader.' Teacher leaders would coach and mentor other teachers, including inexperienced or ineffective ones, and be recognized and rewarded for their elevated professional status and additional responsibilities. B4K sees this as a creative way to encourage the best teachers, spread best practices and give teachers the help they need to succeed. B4K also believes that a "residency" or "mentoring" year for beginning teachers that focuses on development is a good idea that will create more effective teachers in the classroom."http://goo.gl/wrtFP Heyward, CA[Donald Evans, new superintendent of the Heyward Unified School District:] "I will say I'm big on professional development, whether that's for principals or teachers, and parent empowerment."http://goo.gl/x4oNZ Arizona[Karen Ortiz, vice president and director of early childhood education at the Arizona-based Helios Foundation:] "Teacher quality is a critical component to student success, and, in the last four years, we have invested over $10 million into professional development initiatives for early childhood teachers and practitioners with an emphasis on language acquisition and emergent literacy knowledge and practice."http://goo.gl/ezDNH Farmington, UT[Tom Little, principal of Monte Vista Elementary School:] "The biggest area we've had to cut is our professional development for teachers...Without that, it is very difficult for us to advance ourselves. They still want us to do it but its on our own time and out of our own pockets. Because of that, it's really difficult to have teachers volunteer to come in and do it."http://goo.gl/YwrnU Beatrice, NE[Chis Duncan, news editor of the Beatrice Daily Sun newspaper:] "I completely understand why eight of nine Beatrice Public Schools Board of Education members want to attend a National Association of School Boards conference in Boston… But is it a wise choice for them all to go? Probably not… Earlier this month, the board said the district and the Beatrice Education Association will divide $138,424 into three equal parts, each totaling approximately $46,000. One third of the money is being given to teachers for "professional development," or enrolling in classes or seminars to better their skills for the students they see every day, a number Superintendent Jon Lopez said equals approximately $200 for teachers. So, let's compare the $2,094.50 per person being spent by the board to attend a national conference in Boston to $200 given to teachers to improve student learning. The difference is staggering… teachers are not even receiving enough professional development money to take a class to further their education. At least with teachers receiving more education, you have an idea of how the meager $200 is being spent. The school board's $2,100, however, is a different story."http://goo.gl/A7i5E Medford, OR[Editorial in the Mail Tribune, a daily newspaper serving Southern Oregon] "We're big fans of teamwork. We also think highly of professional development training that helps people do their jobs better. But when it comes to a choice between training conferences for employees and performing the organization's core function, training might just have to wait until next year. Unless the organization happens to be the Medford School District. On Monday night, the Medford School Board voted 5-1 to approve cutting two more days of instruction for middle- and high-school students so teachers can attend a two-day conference on Professional Learning Communities. PLC training teaches staff to work as cohesive teams with the goal of improving school achievement and student learning. Sounds great. And it only costs $75,000 for 250 staff members to attend, because the conference will be held in Medford. Granted, that's far less than it would cost if the training were out of town and the district had to pay travel expenses. But the two-day conference means canceling two days of classes in January. Oregon already has the dubious distinction of having one of the shortest school years in the nation. Students lose two days of classes, but classified employees will work — and will be paid — even though no students will be present. That doesn't seem to make much sense. Superintendent Phil Long says those workers might offer their services to elementary schools on those days, which suggests there won't be enough for them to do at their usual jobs. We are well aware of the value of professional development training. Mail Tribune staff members have been known to attend professional conferences, and to benefit from them. That hasn't happened as often lately. When times get lean, the training budget is one of the first to get trimmed. That's unfortunate, but it's the way most organizations deal with hard times. Outside training is valuable, but it's not essential. The core function of a school district is to instruct students. When the district is able to balance its budget without cutting school days or increasing class sizes, outside training will be well worth considering. Until then, the district should bite the bullet along with everyone else."http://goo.gl/E4gCF Massachusetts[Holly Robichaud, a Republican strategist:] "If you are a public school teacher, you get a union-negotiated 'professional development' or a 'betterment' day. In numerous municipalities across the commonwealth, including Franklin, Malden, Melrose, Randolph, Saugus, Scituate, Taunton and Weymouth, this professional development day just happens to fall on Election Day. Clearly there is no other time of the year to do betterment days, such as during the summer when school is out. These betterment days are a form of a hack holiday that serve as just one more way that the public sector can bully taxpayers. Teachers are getting this special paid day off to campaign for Democrats and an agenda of higher taxes."http://goo.gl/j37A2 Business and Professional LearningCharleston, SC"Boeing Company [has] donated more than $180,000 to help schoolteachers in the Charleston region. The grant to the Education Foundation is for science, technology, engineering and math teachers in Berkeley, Charleston and Dorchester counties. The money will be used for professional development allowing teachers to visit businesses, create business partnerships and develop new methods of teaching. The idea is to ensure a supply of students trained in science, math, engineering and technology to meet the area's job needs. Earlier this year, Boeing opened a $750 million 787 aircraft assembly plant in North Charleston."http://goo.gl/ZsIdD Chicago, IL"Children's Literacy Initiative (CLI) [is beginning] work made possible by a $500,000 donation from Target, which will be used to expand CLI's Model Classroom program in Chicago Public Schools and create an online professional development portal. This contribution is part of Target's commitment to helping more U.S. children reach the critical academic milestone of reading proficiently by the end of third grade… The Target Reading grant to CLI will support providing all the K-3 teachers in selected Chicago Public Schools with intensive, sustained training and coaching as well as physical resources to transform classroom environments. In addition, CLI will establish one Model Classroom per grade level, providing those teachers with additional materials, coaching, and leadership training. Additionally, the grant will allow CLI to create an online Model Classrooms Portal, sponsored by Target, which will provide enhanced professional development resources to existing Model Classrooms and their schools, as well as make CLI's professional development trainings, classroom materials, and assessment tools available to a larger group of teachers and schools across the country."http://goo.gl/dC6Su Research / ReportsInnovative Teaching and Learning Research 2011: Findings and Implications[November 2011] Microsoft Partners in Learning 40 pages – "Microsoft is the global sponsor of ITL Research, in partnership with sponsors from the participating countries…This report describes results from the second year (2010-11) of ITL Research. This study of teaching and learning ecosystems was carried out in seven countries: Australia, England, Finland, Indonesia, Mexico, Russia, and Senegal. This work builds on the pilot year of the project, in which instruments and methods were developed and tested in four countries… Recommendations offered in this report will serve as the basis for the continued evolution of the program, as its focus shifts in the coming years from research on teaching practices to support for improving teaching practices." [p. 21] "Innovative teaching happens more in environments where teachers collaborate. In schools where teachers report more frequent collaboration with one another on teaching practices, innovative teaching scores tend to be higher . Teachers told us that collaboration can be an important mechanism for sharing teaching practices and for mutual support toward improving them. Collaboration relies on a supportive culture, alignment of incentives, and times built into teachers' schedules during which collaboration can take place. We heard about regular, focused teacher time built into teachers' schedules that supported meaningful collaboration both within and across schools. These structures are necessary but not sufficient: collaboration requires a supportive culture in order to thrive, as well as a common focus on teaching improvement that allows collaborative time to be used in specific and productive ways. Where these attributes are not yet in place, sharing of practices is not always productive and can even be seen as a personal threat." [p. 22] "Innovative teaching happens more in environments where teachers have access to strong programs of professional development. In professional development, both intensity and design make a difference. Survey data show that innovative teaching practices tend to be reported more frequently by teachers whose recent professional development has been longer term and included more hand-on activities, such as practicing teaching methods and conducting research rather than observing demonstrations and listening to lectures. In interviews, many teachers felt they did not have sufficient access to professional development that offered coherent support for the skills they need. Commonly cited needs included practical professional development that: 1) helps teachers learn how to integrate innovative practices into their teaching; 2) goes beyond the technical aspects of ICT [information and communications technology] to offer explicit guidance on its pedagogical purposes and uses; and 3) aligns with teacher needs (driven bottom-up rather than top-down)." Take a Giant Step: A Blueprint for Teaching Young Children in a Digital Age [November 2011] The Joan Ganz Cooney Center at Sesame Workshop and Stanford University 56 pages – "The challenge of improving teacher preparation and ongoing learning led to the creation of the Digital Age Teacher Preparation Council, established by the Joan Ganz Cooney Center at Sesame Workshop and the Stanford Educational Leadership Institute, with generous support from the Joyce Foundation. Beginning in January 2010, a group of 22 experts in a range of fields, including teacher education, public service media, literacy, technology, science and mathematics, and developmental science, convened to study emerging best practices, policy and program trends, as well as innovative approaches to enhancing children's learning and teacher education and support. The Council's work is the basis for Take a Giant Step." [Much of this report focuses on professional development. See pages 19-21.] [p.20] "Providing in-service education in the early childhood field tends to be even more difficult than providing pre-service education. One issue is the venue for training. Participants typically work in widely scattered locations and have less release time and compensation for time spent in professional development than do [p. 21] their counterparts in K-12. If staff can participate in these experiences at or near their workplace, their involvement is facilitated… A group of early childhood educators frequently neglected in professional development is home-based caregivers (including family child care providers and family members, friends, and neighbors) — especially in rural populations." Prioritizing Teaching Quality in a New System of Teacher Evaluation [November 2011] American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research 6 pages – This policy brief was written by Heather Hill and Corinne Herlihy. [p. 5] "If successful, teacher evaluation reform would enable administrators to provide substantive, tailored feedback to individual teachers. To produce real improvements in teaching, such feedback would need to be coupled with opportunities to develop in target areas through mentoring, professional development, or other means. One route would be to develop professional development specifically around evaluation criteria that prove difficult for teachers to master. Another would be to tightly couple existing professional development options to the action plans that result from teacher observations. Either way, we argue that the reform of the teacher evaluation system will see its chief successes not through carrots and sticks, but through providing teachers with information about their performance and means for improvement." A Background Paper to Inform the Development of a National Professional Development Network for Teachers and School Leaders [October 2011] Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership 26 pages - "The purpose of this paper by Dr. Helen Timperley is to inform the development of a high-level framework to guide the professional learning and development of school leaders and teachers throughout Australia. The principles identified are based on theory and research about what it means to be professional in the changing landscape of the 21st century." [It is important to read pages 14-21 of this paper that describe "principles for quality effective professional learning."} [p. 22] "The development of adaptive expertise requires that professional learning and development opportunities are both high quality and effective for the full range of leaders and teachers in Australian schools and, most importantly, the students they teach. Improving outcomes for students becomes the reason for leaders and teachers to engage in professional learning and forms the basis for judging its effectiveness. The particular challenge for leaders is to develop schools with high adaptive capacity so that ongoing professional learning becomes a planned part of the development of every professional in every school. The four key principles identified for this to happen include:
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