The introduction of the Common Core State Standards into America’s schools offers a unique opportunity to rethink teachers’ professional development. Drawing on recent research and interviews with key state and district stakeholders, Education First’s latest report, Common Core State Standards and the Transformation of Professional Development, offers recommendations for how to re-conceptualize teacher training to drive effective Common Core implementation. The report consists of three briefs covering what professional development should look like, examples of successful systems, and advice for policymakers, respectively. Among the first’s key takeaways: Isolated and sporadic professional development should be replaced with ongoing sessions (both individually focused and collective) that help educators to cultivate a deep familiarity with the Common Core and to identify and utilize high-quality curricular materials that are well-aligned to the standards. The second brief highlights places where teacher development is working well and identifies effective practices to be replicated at scale. For example, Washoe County School District’s Core Task Project is a three-week Common Core implementation boot camp. It utilizes free resources provided by national organizations to immerse teachers in an intensive introduction to the standards, support them during implementation, and provide them with continuous feedback as they progress. The third and final brief challenges policymakers and district leaders to create conditions that support this new concept of teacher development. It proposes reallocating professional development dollars to reflect district priorities, building time into the school day for professional development, and encouraging school leaders to prioritize true instructional changes. While not all of the briefs’ proposed solutions are novel, the series nonetheless highlights many of the major issues with existing professional development and proposes thoughtful and clear solutions. Supporting and developing teachers is critical if the ultimate aims of Common Core are to be realized. Now that we have a roadmap to better professional development, hopefully people will start to listen—and act.
SOURCES: “Common Core State Standards & the Transformation of Professional Development”: “The New Essentional Elements of Professional Learning,” “Three Vignettes that Showcase the Professional Learning that Helps Teachers Succeed,” and “What Policymakers Can Do to Advance High-Quality Professional Development at Scale,” Education First (Summer 2014).
