Some of the most exciting times in my career in education have come when I observed the enthusiasm of teachers as they participated in professional growth experiences. Recently I was privileged to welcome a group of educators and community leaders to a DuPont Leadership Development Process training session in our district. We have offered many sessions of this leadership program to school district administration personnel. But in recent months, we have invited classroom teachers and area business and professional leaders to participate in the training.
The session I visited was composed primarily of classroom teachers who had just completed a school year. These teachers received no compensation for attending the training; they were there because they wanted to grow professionally. (In fact, we have been unable to offer enough training sessions this summer to accommodate all the teachers who would like to attend.) The enthusiasm of these teachers was very affirming and rewarding. Teachers are leaders, and they do want to grow professionally.
Unfortunately, all too often, school leaders and legislative policymakers do not provide the resources and allocations of time that are essential for quality professional development experiences. Compounding this problem, parents and the community often are skeptical about providing time, when students are not in attendance, for teachers to participate in such activities. Each year when our district requests "waiver days" to substitute student instructional days with professional development days, we face the challenge of convincing parents and the community that this is a good idea. If we did not seek a waiver from the state, we would have no days for professional development on the school calendar.
Reaping Great Returns
I strongly believe that unless we provide quality professional development opportunities for our educators, no lasting positive change in education will occur.
Investing time in professional development opportunities will reap great returns. Educators must be, and want to be, learners. Quality time must be provided for them to participate in professional growth activities. These activities, which should be primarily campus- or site-based, can take a variety of forms: engaging in collaborative planning, sharing effective teaching strategies, reflecting on issues of curriculum and instruction, analyzing student achievement results, developing innovative instructional programs, or conducting action research, for example. Professional development activities should significantly improve teaching and learning, for the success of all students.
Despite overwhelming evidence that providing for professional development is a must, state legislators continue to enact education legislation that fails to address this critical need appropriately. Lynn Cornett, in the article "Lessons from 10 Years of Teacher Improvement Reforms" (Educational Leadership, February 1995), notes that little progress has been made in providing for professional development activities: "On the issue of professional development, state reformers talked tough, but delivered very little in the 1980s. This situation continues in most states to this day."
Cornett observes that state officials often "sing a song" of increased professional development but rarely come through with funding or policy emphasis. The cost of comprehensive professional development programs is high, and, the author concludes, "advocates have yet to make an argument compelling enough to spark such an investment."
Why are we failing to make the "compelling argument"? It may be that we have failed to use the testimonials and "success stories" of classroom teachers who have experienced the benefits of good campus- or site-based professional development activities and programs. No testimony before legislative or governing bodies is more moving or effective than that of classroom teachers who can describe their professional growth experiences and show how those experiences have bolstered student achievement. Teachers can also be persuasive in informing the community and parents about the need for continuous professional growth.
Acting as Advocates
We must develop creative strategies as we seek to secure favorable legislation, local board approval, or parental and community support for professional development programs. The public seems to have no problem endorsing the participation of professionals in other fields in lifelong professional growth activities. Teachers are professionals, and they need the same opportunities as their peers in other fields to learn and grow. Educators must have ongoing opportunities to renew themselves as they strive to improve learning opportunities for students.
All of us who serve in leadership positions, including our teacher leaders, must be advocates for strong professional development programs. We must develop the "compelling argument."
