Teachers often say the professional development they receive misses the mark. Mandated PD can feel outdated or disconnected from the day-to-day realities teachers face in their classrooms.
In a nationally representative survey of over 1,400 teachers conducted in October 2023, the EdWeek Research Center found that almost half the respondents said the PD they are required to take is irrelevant. By contrast, 41% of the more than 650 school leaders surveyed at the same time said the PD they provided was “very relevant.”
The findings highlight a clear disconnect between how teachers and school leaders view professional development. In response, some principals are shifting away from top-down models and giving teachers greater control over what and how they learn.
Three school leaders said teacher choice has become key to making PD more meaningful and effective. Education Week previously interviewed these leaders for stories related to teacher PD.
Chris Young, the principal of North Country Union High School in Newport, Vt., asked his teachers to choose a “research project” as PD that they would like to work on over a year.
Tony Cattani, the principal of Lenape High School in Medford, N.J., created a peer-to-peer learning system where teachers can sign up to both observe their colleagues in action or offer a lesson on a teaching skill they’re proficient in. The system has already yielded over 200 peer observations in the current school year in a teacher population of close to 180.
Courtney Walker, the assistant principal of Carrollton High School in Carrollton, Ga., took inspiration from the career and technical education tracks at her school to design a version for teachers. At the beginning of the year, teachers can pick 1 or 2 areas they want to learn more about—like student self-assessment or grading—and learn with a peer group through the year.
Across these approaches, a common theme emerges: professional development becomes more engaging when teachers have ownership over their learning and opportunities to learn from one another.
Below are practical strategies school leaders can use to launch teacher-led professional development.
