Teacher PD

How teachers improve their instructional practices by earning credentials, receiving coaching, attending conferences, and collaborating

Explainer

Teacher Professional Development, Explained
What counts as PD? And is it effective? EdWeek breaks down current trends—and new research—in this explainer.
Professional Development K-12 Essentials Forum Getting Professional Development to Stick
Join this free virtual event to explore best practices, funding, format, and timing for teacher and principal PD.
June 18, 2026
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Education Week + Getty
Artificial Intelligence A Homegrown AI Coach Critiques Teachers on Their Lessons. How It's Working
A 9,000-student district used AI to create a professional development coach for teachers.
Alyson Klein, June 1, 2026
4 min read
Illustration of a book, sunglasses, and symbols of romance books, PD, travel, mystery, and adventure.
Collage by Education Week
Teaching Profession Beach Reads, Not PD: Teachers Set Summer Boundaries
Many teachers plan to avoid summer PD reading, choosing rest and relaxation instead.
Olina Banerji, June 1, 2026
1 min read
Artificial Intelligence Video Will AI Help or Overwhelm Students? Teachers Weigh In
Even as teachers across the country experiment with AI, many are skeptical of its role in classrooms, and whether it will undermine student learning.
Yi-Jo Shen, June 1, 2026
1 min read
TK
A teacher participates in a pilot project aimed at improving parent-teacher communication through AI-based simulations. Parent avatars respond to educators in real time through speech and body language.
Branch Alliance for Educator Diversity
Families & the Community Teacher-Parent Meetings Can Be Tense. Can AI Simulations Help?
Rehearsals on how to talk effectively with parents can ease a major pain point for teachers.
Sarah D. Sparks, May 31, 2026
7 min read
A classroom at Murrell Dobbins Career & Technical Education High School in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on September 2, 2025.
A classroom at a high school in Philadelphia, Penn., on Sept. 2, 2025. K-12 educators over the summer will have hands-on learning, collaboration, and practical strategies for teaching AI in K-12 classrooms.
Rachel Wisniewski for Education Week
Artificial Intelligence New $11M Effort Aims to Train Teachers in AI. How Does It Work?
The Computer Science Teachers Association launches the "AI PD Weeks" initiative.
Lauraine Langreo, May 18, 2026
5 min read
2 State of PD on AI DEF
Edmon de Haro for Education Week
Artificial Intelligence From Our Research Center More Schools Are Providing AI Training for Teachers. Is It Any Good?
As more schools offer teacher training on AI, they need to move beyond basics, experts advise.
Elizabeth Heubeck, May 18, 2026
4 min read
4 Principals need PD too DEF
Edmon de Haro for Education Week
Special Report Beyond the ‘One-and-Done’: Professional Development That Sticks
Professional development is a mainstay in K-12 schools. Is it what teachers and principals need to grow?
May 18, 2026
Two teachers meet at a table in an office with their instructional coach.
Olga Dietz and Glenda McKinney meet with coach Jenna Davis (center) at Mt. View Elementary School in Antioch, Tenn. Dietz and McKinney, teachers of English learners, co-teach kindergarten classes with general education colleagues. Regular coaching is one element of what research has shown makes professional development effective.
William DeShazer for Education Week
Professional Development How a District Stopped Relying on 'One-and-Done' Professional Development
As its population of English learners grew, a district invested in coaching and co-teaching.
Ileana Najarro, May 18, 2026
8 min read
3 Funding outlook for PD DEF
Edmon de Haro for Education Week
Professional Development A Federal Fund for Professional Development Is Clouded by Uncertainty
President Trump has repeatedly proposed axing the feds' biggest investment in professional development.
Matthew Stone, May 18, 2026
8 min read
Professional Development When Should Schools Make Time for PD? What Educators—and Families—Think
Educators see in-service and early-release days as practical times for PD. Families don't always agree.
Elizabeth Heubeck, May 18, 2026
4 min read
Anjanette McNeely teaches a reading block with her kindergarten students at Windridge Elementary School in Kaysville, Utah, on Dec. 4, 2025.
Anjanette McNeely teaches a reading block with her kindergarten students at Windridge Elementary School in Kaysville, Utah, on Dec. 4, 2025. New research shows significant shifts in how teachers are teaching reading, as well as the materials and PD they receive, but some still use older methods.
Niki Chan Wylie for Education Week
Reading & Literacy How the Science of Reading Is Reshaping Teaching: What the Data Say
A nationally representative survey shows how reading curriculum, PD, and teacher practice have shifted.
Sarah Schwartz, April 29, 2026
9 min read
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Learn how to design mentorship programs that go beyond onboarding to create meaningful professional growth opportunities.
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Photo collage of a young English learner student working at his desk. His photo is inside a circle and on a blue background. The blue background is split if 4 quadrants with a subtle brick wall texture. Inside the 4 quadrants are silhouettes of a woman writing on a clipboard, a parent holding the hand of a young girl, a police officer, and two speech bubbles.
Gina Tomko/Education Week + Canva
English Learners From Our Research Center What Educators Say English Learners Need Most
Educators spoke of the need for more training in a national survey on English-learner instruction.
Ileana Najarro, April 23, 2026
3 min read