With the primaries and caucuses in full swing, people are talking about change. But how can we create real change in education? One concrete step toward transforming educational practices for all schools is to develop experiences that will lead to in-depth learning for teachers.
Here at the National Institute for Urban School Improvement (NIUSI), we strive to create learning opportunities for teachers who are committed to change, supporting them as they engage in professional development, which we define as an "in-depth and continual learning required for fundamental change in core educational practices" (Ferguson, 2007, p. 3). To do this, we work with schools to create learning experiences on two levels: 1) institutional-level staff development and 2) individual-level professional development. Engaging teachers in both requires districts and schools to re-imagine teacher learning as more than compensation for a deficit of skills, strategies or approaches, and as more than an isolated one day shot at in-service. Instead, authentic teacher learning begins with a rich curriculum that allows for individual ownership, decision-making, and responsibility. Learning is an ongoing process that occurs over time, resulting in deeper experiences for and between students and educators.
To take the first step toward engaging the professionals in your schools and districts, please download one of our many useful publications: On Point: Reconceptualizing Continuing Professional Development: A Framework for Planning at our website www.urbanschools.org.
We can make change more than a political talking point.