Ongoing programs are key to teachers’ professional development

When it comes to investing in professional development for teachers, workshops clearly come out as the No. 1 choice for institutions throughout the nation. More than 90 percent of teachers engaged in workshop training sessions during the school year, according to one study. But are workshops doing the job? Apparently not.

According to another study, these short sessions do little to change teacher practices. Not only are they having little or no impact on helping teachers with their professional development, but they're also not doing much to improve student achievement.

The problem with workshops is that they’re not consistent. The information learned is not typically put into practice — or there is little follow-through to determine whether the lessons are being incorporated in teaching styles.

To really be effective, professional development needs to be ongoing over an extended period of time, according to a report released by the Center for Public Education.

As with most professions, mastery of teaching practices are shown to improve through continuous practice. Learn about 4 key strategies to boost the effectiveness of teacher professional growth plans in our latest blog post.