An Overview of Teacher & Staff Development

Stronger K-12 teachers support greater student success, so staff development helps teachers grow their skills and knowledge so they can maximize classroom results.

Here’s an overview of what teacher and staff development looks like, what to expect, and some tips to help get the most from your district’s investment.

What is teacher and staff development?

Teacher/staff development consists of ongoing learning aimed at increasing their classroom effectiveness and helping them grow their careers. Programs can utilize a variety of methods to deliver learning content, including printed materials, digital interfaces, or 1-on-1 coaching. 

There is no single-size-fits-all approach, but engagement is key. The most successful professional development programs focus on consistent learning with clear, accurate goal tracking. 

Why is teacher professional training and growth important?

Research shows that teachers affect student performance two to three times more than any other school factor. As teachers combine experience with targeted professional education, their teaching toolbox grows. This means they become more effective at meeting students where they are, identifying needs for educational intervention, and pushing students to higher achievement.

Offering teachers the resources and time they need to build on their skills and grow their careers within your district drives incentives to stay, contributing to reduced turnover. 

At a time when many educators are leaving the profession altogether, demonstrating to teachers that your district will invest in their professional future is critical. It’s a winning scenario for teachers, students, and the strength of the entire district. 

Key benefits of staff development include:

• Improved student success
• More effective teachers
• Reduced turnover
• Stronger district performance

Areas of staff development

Teacher and staff development goals vary from district to district, but learning content can be related to growing skills, expanding knowledge, or both. Teacher input should always drive the type of learning content offered as part of any professional development program. The more useful teachers find the content, the more enthusiastic they will be to use it. 

Some of the most common types of learning content include: 

• Subject-specific content (e.g. advanced lessons in math, science, history, etc.)
• Technology skills
• Reading instruction
• Classroom management techniques
• Teaching students with special needs

Districts in the early stages of adopting new instructional technology, like tablet computers and online collaboration programs, may choose to offer robust technology education to their teachers to gain buy-in for new systems and help boost success during implementation. Other districts may find that classroom management training helps teachers cope with rising class sizes. 

Engagement is key, so consider how teachers will learn their new skills. A one-day seminar, quick online course, or other compressed professional development activities can boost enthusiasm or introduce new PD initiatives. But one-off sessions alone likely won’t contribute to improved student success in the long term. That’s why learning should be planned over quarters or months. Programs that incorporate gamification like earned digital badges can also help engage teachers and drive consistent learning. 

According to ISEE at the University of California, Santa Cruz, “effective professional development programs require 50 to 80 hours of instruction, practice, and coaching before teachers arrive at mastery.” In fact, a Stanford University study shows that teachers receive up to 100 hours of professional development annually in some high-achieving countries. The more time teachers spend learning new concepts and practicing them during training, the more effectively they’ll transfer those new skills to the classroom. 

Keep teachers engaged by finding out what they want to learn, aligning their goals with the needs of your district, and then tracking progress consistently to make sure they’re spending enough time on course materials to achieve mastery. 

PowerSchool’s professional learning solution enables districts to implement customized staff development programs based on district size, needs, and goals. It allows learners to complete courses online anytime on any device, and it enables teachers to track their own progress toward goals.

Standards for teacher and staff development

According to the professional learning association Learning Forward, professional development should develop the skills, practices, and dispositions teachers need to help raise student achievement. 

It all comes down to developing stronger teachers to boost student performance. With the right classroom skills, teachers can find ways to connect with students who might otherwise fall through the cracks. For example, offering social-emotional learning (SEL) for teachers can help educators develop skills to cope with and adapt to challenging situations, like virtual teaching.

Measurable improvement of student performance should be the standard against which professional development is judged. Sometimes results are clear, but a holistic view of student performance should be considered to truly assess the effectiveness of a professional development program.

How to evaluate your development program’s success

From the start, your district should set clear guidelines around the metrics that will be monitored to gauge professional development effectiveness. Identify problem areas and seek to improve them. Consider using multiple data sources from your school’s software systems to gain a holistic view of student performance. This means looking at more than just test grades and test scores. 

Remember that it takes time to see results. Practice makes perfect, and consistently rehearsing skills in training will help teachers effectively transfer learned skills to the classroom. Improved test scores will follow, but there are early indicators that show teachers are becoming more effective. Improved attendance or a reduction in behavioral incidents, for example, can be early signs that positive changes are happening in the classroom. 

Adding PowerSchool Performance Matters, a student assessment platform, to your current SIS gives your district the ability to see the big picture and track improvements in real time. This solution connects data from across different software tools your district is already using to reveal big-picture insights. Looking for trends in behavioral, attendance, demographic, and other data points context and insight to student test score analysis. 

Teacher evaluations also offer valuable opportunities for teachers and administrators to discuss professional goals and what’s working or not working in your professional development program. Do they find the content valuable? Do they need more flexibility in completing courses and activities? No matter how your district organizes its teacher and staff evaluations, discussions should always be part of the process.

Cost of effective development for teachers and staff

Developing teacher and staff skills is an investment for any district. Teacher/staff development can cost between $6,000 to $8,000 annually per teacher for basic spending to as much as $18,000 per teacher per year, according to the National Council on Teacher Quality.  That price tag includes things like an increased need for substitutes while teachers are away at development events, catering, and event-hosting costs. 

Not every district has the budget to offer show-stopping learning events and activities, but that’s okay. Even districts on a tight budget can likely find room to create an efficient, effective professional development program. The simple fact is this: it’s worth it. 

Smart planning can help your district cut costs while benefiting from a powerfully effective professional development program. Invite local food trucks to serve attendees at a summer development event. Utilize volunteer workshop leaders from your district’s own staff. Choose an online learning system that lets teachers complete coursework anytime and anywhere to reduce the need for substitute teachers. You want to make sure your district gets the greatest value for its investment without paying for unnecessary programs and content. 

The cost of not investing in staff development can be devastatingly high. If students do not receive the education they need to thrive, classroom performance is unlikely to improve, which for some districts is unacceptable and detrimental to the district and its students’ futures. That’s a cost simply too high to bear.

Challenges in professional skills training for teachers

Every development program has its challenges: 

• Teacher buy-in
• Planning and logistics
• Budget
• Keeping teachers engaged 

Success depends on keeping administrators and teachers believing in the benefits of continued learning. Goals and projected benefits for the district, students, and individuals should be clearly laid out from the planning phase, budgets should be realistically assessed, and teachers should be consulted about what and how they prefer to learn. 

A successful professional development implementation will empower teachers with new and enhanced skills in the classroom. They’ll gain satisfaction by becoming more effective in educating students, and they’ll likely become more confident and fulfilled in their careers.

How PowerSchool can help

Strong teacher and staff development programs rely on the right tools to plan, deliver, and measure learning that lasts. PowerSchool helps districts design continuous growth opportunities that strengthen educator skills, support collaboration, and improve outcomes for every classroom. 

PowerSchool Professional Learning gives districts the flexibility to offer personalized courses, track completion, and recognize milestones with digital credentials—all within one easy-to-manage system. Teachers and staff can access learning anytime, anywhere, and see their progress toward district goals. 

PowerSchool Performance Matters connects assessment, attendance, and engagement data so leaders can see how staff learning influences student success. With insights across multiple data sources, districts can pinpoint strengths, identify gaps, and make more informed decisions about future training. 

Together, these tools help districts turn teacher and staff development into measurable results—building stronger teams, higher morale, and lasting student achievement.