Staff Development
For Educators

"Refine" Instead of "Reform"

Quality staff development for educators is essential in order to raise student achievement.

The goal of staff development for educators should be to improve teacher and principal performance in order to raise student achievement. Unfortunately, as a former teacher, principal, and superintendent, I've sat through my share of actvities that were actually counterproductive.

Anyone who tells you to start over from scratch is just plain wrong. Too many "reform" efforts by so-called experts disrupt the school culture to the point of destroying the many good things you're already doing.

The key is to refine, not reform. As an added bonus, you'll also achieve your desired results much quicker if you build on what's working.

What Do Teachers and Principals Really Need?

The belief that teachers and principals have learned everything necessary to effectively educate students is flawed. While tenure and experience certainly count for something, it's readily apparent that education is a dynamic field faced with unique and diverse challenges. The only way to meet these challenges successfully is to make staff development a priority.

Studies have shown that two important contributing factors toward higher student achievement are the quality of instruction by the teacher and the leadership ability of the principal. Is your staff development designed to improve the performance level of teachers and principals?

Developing Quality Teachers and Principals

Experts agree that developing master teachers and outstanding principals requires effective and ongoing staff development. Effective staff development not only helps educators move beyond basic academic knowledge, but also provides them with the support they need to maintain high levels of performance and personal motivation.

In education, staff development options are complex, but what really works is fairly simple. Teachers and principals need to be provided with . . .

• classroom and school practices that work
• simple strategies that relate directly to their assignments
• examples from comparable schools where student success has been achieved
• motivation to sustain them while working to overcome challenges

Individually, the goal is to develop quality educators who ...

1. understand the challenges facing their students
   
   
2. are up to date regarding effective practices

3. are trained in simple strategies that raise student achievement and support the effective management of the classroom and school

4. are able to maintain their motivation and persevere through challenges

What Educators Need

Teachers and principals desperately need the assistance of reliable partners -- experienced educators with track records of success.