From a Professional Development to a Professional Learning Mindset

The Utah-based authors support districts moving from one-time training events to intentionally designed targeted programs

It is spring, and the school district’s leadership seeks ideas about professional development topics for the staff’s Back-to-School days in mid-August from department directors and principals.

The district leadership team considers several popular consultants who might deliver a message that creates excitement and momentum for the year. Eager to nail down logistics, leadership contracts keynote speakers and session presenters.

District leadership views the upcoming program as meeting educators’ needs through a mixture of inspirational and more practical workshops. This approach is seen as tailored and differentiated so that educators and building leaders can gain new skills and have choices.

But, with financial resources more constrained lately, department heads and principals ask, “What has changed or improved due to the considerable investment in time and resources we put into these PD sessions?”