Why Doesn’t Professional Development Improve?
By Dennis Sparks
I am deeply puzzled about why decade after decade professional development remains at unacceptably low levels for far too many teachers and administrators.
More precisely, why do school system and school leaders continue to inflict on teachers the very practices they themselves often complained about when they were teachers?
Two fundamental reasons come to mind:
- Professional development is not expected to lead to professional learning that significantly changes what educators believe, understand, and do on their jobs every day. It is simply a box to be checked or hours to be counted, preferably in the easiest, most entertaining way possible.
- School leaders have antiquated views about what is essential to affect the hearts, minds, and behavior of educators. Consequently, they significantly underestimate the amount of deep conversation, practice, reflection, and coaching that is almost always required to change important instructional and leadership practices.
Perhaps my views are unfairly negative and out of touch with the reality of professional development as it is experienced today by most educators. While I don’t think so, I am open to that possibility.
What do you think—is professional development in your setting meeting its potential for improving teaching and learning for all students, and, if not, why not?
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