Necessary Steps to Ensure Effective Teaching for All Children

3.        Create and implement an effective professional development strategy that is guided by teacher input and creates a “culture of collaboration” in schools.

              Effective professional development is essential to improving teaching and learning. The District must upgrade the instructional practices of teachers in order to improve both student academic performance and social skills. Scarce resources (including short term federal “stimulus” funds) should be invested heavily in effective professional development. 

Suggested Reforms

 ·              Adopt the ERS recommendations for the development of a comprehensive professional development plan (for both principals and teachers). In its 2007 Strategic Professional Development Review of the School District of Philadelphia, Education Resource Strategies (ERS) found that the District has a “significant need for a strategic professional development strategy.  And, “…like many urban districts, the District does not systematically measure, collect, or use evidence-based metrics on teaching quality, leadership capacity, or comprehensive school needs to inform professional development planning.  The District must increase investment in professional development and create a comprehensive human capital management strategy that rethinks how it invests in teachers, including alternative career ladders and compensation structures.”

·                 Use new standards and evaluations (see Plank #2) to target and guide professional development for teachers and principals

 ·              Create adequate and well-facilitated common planning time for teachers to collaborate as professionals.  (According to ERS, at least 90 minutes per week in blocks no less than 45 minutes).

 ·              Provide new teachers with significant support (induction and mentoring) for their first three years--especially in their first year.  Studies have shown that a system of intensive supports for new teachers improves retention rates and teacher effectiveness.

 ·              Revise teacher compensation based on unrestricted educational attainment.             Each year the District spends $63 million on teacher salary increases based upon classes teachers take. This is 39% of the overall spending on professional development.  There are no restrictions on the classes, and therefore no guarantee that the classes will address student or teacher needs. The District needs to provide salary increases based on improved performance, and NOT on taking classes with no demonstrable impact.

·                 Allow schools to have significant control over their professional development with strong support from central office.

 ·               Establish subject-area teacher leaders/coaches in all schools.  School-based teacher leaders/coaches with subject-area expertise provide targeted guidance for their colleagues and play a critical role in creating professional learning communities that are focused on improving student learning.