A Teacher Professional Development Overview

Updated: November 2020

Stronger teachers support greater student success. Professional development helps teachers grow their skills and knowledge so they can maximize classroom results.

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

What is professional development for teachers?

Professional development for teachers 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: 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 2-3 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 ever-higher achievement.

The ongoing K-12 teacher shortage many districts are feeling is another reason why professional development for teachers is more important than ever. U.S. Labor Department statistics showed in 2018 that public educators were leaving their jobs at an average rate of 83 per 10,000 every month—the highest rate of teacher attrition since records began in 2001.

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 teacher professional development include:

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

Read more about the Benefits of Professional Development.

Math teacher and PowerSchool user Phala Mims at Marengo County School District in Alabama shared a real-world example of visible professional development success after she took courses on mathematical discourse. She says, “I have seen drastic improvement in conceptual knowledge after implementing ideas from this professional development. Last year, 95% of my students met their growth target.” She feels that her effectiveness as a teacher has improved, driving student achievement higher. That’s a priceless benefit.

Areas of teacher professional development

Teacher professional 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 on 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, a quick online course, or other compressed professional development activities can boost enthusiasm or introduce new professional development 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 nations. 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.

Our Professional Learning solution enables districts to implement customized professional 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.

Strategies and opportunities for teacher professional training and development

The traditional model for professional development has long involved conferences, workshops, and college or university courses. But this top-down approach often misses the mark on delivering the learning content that teachers want. To see student performance rise as a result of effective teacher professional development, consider blended professional learning for teachers that incorporates more engaging, user-friendly methods of educational delivery.

The future of professional development for teachers is happening right now with professional learning communities, personalized coaching, grade-level educator teams, and unconferences. Districts are finding success in driving engagement by shifting to these modern forms of professional development.

If your district is already using modern methods like these, read our article that offers 5 Ways to Promote Professional Learning and make the most of the best practices you’re already pursuing.

Standards for teacher professional 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, so they’re at their best when their students need them most.

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 a teacher professional 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 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 learning content valuable? Do they need more flexibility in completing courses and activities? Whether you’re doing in-person or virtual teacher observations, discussions should always be part of the process.

Cost of effective professional development for teachers

Professional development for teachers requires a substantial investment for any district. According to The New Teacher Project, the figure was around $18,000 per teacher, per year for schools they surveyed in 2015. That equates to more than $1 billion annually for the nation’s largest K-12 districts. 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 benefitting 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, anywhere—reducing the need for substitute teachers. You want to make sure your district gets the most bang per buck without paying for unnecessary programs and content.

The cost of not investing in teacher professional 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 professional 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.

Professional development is a significant investment in both time and money, but it’s the foundation on which classroom success is built. And that remains true even as the future of K-12 HR holds many uncertainties with virtual teaching and remote operations becoming commonplace.