Well-designed professional development solves problems

“I hope I die during an inservice because the transition between life and death would be so subtle.” Unfortunately, that old joke can bring as appreciative a laugh among teachers today as when I first heard it several decades ago.

Professional development is viewed by many educators as demeaning and irrelevant, an obligation that has to be endured if it cannot be avoided. It is perceived as a problem in itself rather than a problem-solving tool, and rightly so given the negative experiences of many educators.

As a result, some critics propose eliminating professional development, at least the “one size fits all” variety that is often the source of so much frustration. To that end they propose differentiating professional development with each teacher independently pursuing his or her own unique learning goals.

But many important schoolwide, grade level, or department goals related to student academic success and their emotional and social well-being can only be achieved through well planned and implemented team-based professional development that occurs within schools.

One of a leader’s most significant and demanding responsibilities is to create consensus in the school community regarding meaningful, stretching goals and the means that will be used to achieve those ends. Put another way, leaders assist the school community in a never-ending cycle of identifying and solving increasingly complex problems, problems that can only be solved through professional learning and teamwork.

The real solution to the problem of low-quality professional development, then, is not to eliminate it but to make certain professional development is well designed and well implemented so that it enables individuals, teams, and the school community as a whole to achieve their most important goals and to solve problems that are unique to their settings.

How do you see it: Is professional development itself the problem or is it an essential part of the solution?