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Creating Communities of Learners

Professional development should prepare and support educators so they may better assist all students in achieving high academic, social and behavioral standards.

Professional development should a collegial experience, with multiple meetings over an extended time, with chances to practice new learning, with time to reflect upon that practice and with support from colleagues and instructors.

Educators are protective of their time and do not wish to squander it on ill-conceived, poorly planned activities in which they neither learn anything useful for themselves nor for their students. District professional development planners should consider using time more effectively in collaborative practices.

District professional development planning requires input from a variety of sources as the figure above illustrates. In addition, planning is a cyclic process through which the district annually evaluates and reassesses the needs of individual educators, individual schools and the district as a whole.

This handbook provides district and association leaders with a format and tools to use in their journey toward creating a community of learners focused on student achievement.

Creating Communities of Learners

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