Professional Development
Education news, analysis, and opinion about efforts to provide continuing education for school staff.
Special Report
Smart Strategies for Teacher Professional Development
How are school districts making professional development more relevant and meaningful for teachers? This special report takes an in-depth look at a few of those efforts.
Special Report
Teacher PD in the Common-Core Era
This special report on professional development explores the juncture between the common core and growing efforts to reconfigure learning opportunities for teachers.
Special Report
Virtual PD Creates Connections
This special report, another installment in Education Week's series on virtual education, examines how K-12 professional development is taking a more digital and freewheeling approach to educator training.
Professional Development Opinion Response: 'Something Must Change' to Address Challenges Facing Native American YouthsDr. Susan C. Faircloth, Kelly Sassi, and Jennifer Borgioli share their thoughts on the challenges facing Native American youth.
Professional Development Opinion Response: Meeting the Needs of Native American StudentsMandy Smoker Broaddus, Gregg Castro and Jennifer Jilot discuss the challenges faced by Native American students and ways educators can effectively respond to those issues.
Professional Development Opinion Why Teachers Pay Teachers, Teachers of Instagram, and Teach Your Heart Out Are Not the Signs of the Apocalypse You Think They AreThis splashy new normal in education is creating change--most of it wonderful, some of it troubling. But this wonderful and brave new world for teachers with diverse places to look for content, mentors, materials, and inspiration has made what's arguably one of the toughest jobs in America just a tiny bit easier. And that's something wonderful.
Professional Development Opinion Fear, the Kryptonite to LearningThe older we get, the harder it is to make change. Think about the adage, "You can't teach an old dog new tricks." It is ingrained in us that change becomes almost impossible as we age, but that is simply not true.
Professional Development Opinion Peer Observation and the Novice Teacher: What You See Is What You GetAll too often, well-meaning administrators suggest new teachers watch more experienced teachers to see mastery in action. But new teachers, with their lack of experience and pedagogical understanding, are not always able to identify nuances of effective teaching and then successfully implement new strategies. On a solo safari, what new teachers see is literally what they get.
Professional Development Opinion Response: Strategies for Effective Parent-Teacher ConferencesToday's post highlights suggestions from Luz Santana, Leticia Skae, Mandi White, Tara Dale, Sanée Bell, PJ Caposey, and Sarah Kirby-Gonzalez about increasing the effectiveness of parent-teacher conferences.
Professional Development Opinion Five Steps for Leading Schools With Emotional Intelligence and AccountabilityUsing an emotional-intelligence framework, Two Rivers Public Charter School staff found a way to drive accountability to each other that improves results and strengthens relationships.
Professional Development These Students Are Doing PD With Their Teachers. Their Feedback Is CandidAfter realizing that attendance and engagement were low for students of color, educators turned to the experts: the students themselves.
Professional Development Opinion Response: Advice on Getting Your First Teaching JobAlex Kajitani, Brianna Burnette, Dawn Mitchell, Tina H. Boogren, Ann Traynor, Carol Pelletier Radford, Ron Nash, Melissa Jackson contribute their ideas on how to get a new teaching job.
Professional Development Opinion Response: 'Be Authentic' in Teacher Job InterviewsDr. Beth Gotcher, Jen Schwanke, Tamera Musiowsky, Richard Gerver, Otis Kriegel, Elaine Miles, and Cindy Terebush share their job search suggestions for new teachers.
Professional Development Opinion Response: 'Tips to Land Your First Teaching Job'Marquitta Mitchell, Luis Javier Pentón Herrera, Susan Lafond, Julia Thompson, Joe Mullikin, and Sean Ruday offer ideas on how people can obtain their first teaching job.
Professional Development Opinion Response: 'Applying for a Teaching Position Is a Job in Itself'Valerie Ruckes, Sanée Bell, Dr. PJ Caposey, Candace Hines, Mary Cathryn D. Ricker, and Rinard Pugh share recommendations on how to get your first teaching job.Professional Development Paid Sabbaticals for K-12 Teachers? This District Embraces the Idea (Video)Sabbaticals are commonplace at the university level, but few and far between for K-12 teachers. This district has offered them for decades.
Professional Development With Bug-in-Ear Coaching, Teachers Get Feedback on the FlyReal-time coaching through an earpiece, similar to what's used in pro football, is a growing trend in teacher training—and there's evidence it works.
Professional Development Opinion Lead From Your CoreIf you haven't read Brene Brown's Dare to Lead, I strongly recommend it and not just for leaders, for anyone. Her voice is a strong and honest one that brings humor and humility to the front of the lessons she teaches.
