Guiding Principles of Effective Professional Development
- Educators have a responsibility to remain current on recent research in best practice. Clearly understanding the terminology and instructional practices will lead to the deep commitment and knowledge base necessary to provide every child an opportunity to learn everyday.
- Educators will commit to professional development once they become invested in the purpose and objectives. These need to be realistic, relevant, manageable, and immediately useful.
- Educators come to professional development with a wide range of previous experiences and skills that need to be honored. Professional development should draw on the expertise of educators and take different degrees of experience into account. Customizing and individualizing professional development experiences is necessary in order for substantial investment and application to occur.
- Professional Development needs to be ongoing and continuous. Educators need sufficient time to master new content and strategies and follow-up support to integrate them into their practice.
