FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Responses prepared by the Coordinator of Professional Development, based on the research of the National Staff Development Council and Thomas Guskey, Professor, University of Kentucky.

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QUESTIONS

1. What is professional development anyway?
   
   
2. Is professional development the same as in-service?
   
   
3. Are there standards for professional development?
   
   
4. How can I get a copy of the North Carolina Standards for Professional Development?
   
   
5. I have read the standards but don't really understand what they mean for me as a teacher or what they mean for my school and school district. Help!
   
   
6. Does professional development mean teachers are attending classes?
   
   
7. If teachers are professionals, why don't they learn on their own time?
   
   
8. My school district routinely dismisses school early - or has the school day start late - in order to provide professional development. Is that the best way to provide the kind of time you're describing?
   
   
9. If professional development is part of the teacher's workday, won't that mean that my child won't get as much time with the teacher? Is my child still being shortchanged?
   
   
10. Even if schools are doing a lot of professional development during the work day, there still are going to be times when schools want to have half-day professional development programs. Why would they need that much time?
    
    
11. You've convinced me that teachers need to keep learning in order to improve the quality of their teaching. But sometimes these "professional" development sessions at my school are for janitors and school secretaries. Is that really necessary?
    
    
12. How do schools make decisions about what teachers are going to learn? Who gets to make these decisions? Can parents be part of this decision making too?
    
    
13. So schools should conduct formal needs assessments prior to any professional development?
    
    
14. Couldn't a school potentially have tons of needs for professional development? Then what?
    
    
15. What are the effects of teacher efficacy on professional development? How does this impact instruction?
    
    
16. What are the characteristics of a good professional development program?
    
    
17. There are so many things to do during the school day and the school year. Professional development just seems like something else to be added to the plate. How and when can a school really have any quality professional development?
    
    
18. What about staff development for parents?
    
    
19. What do we know about the link between student learning and teacher technology knowledge?
    
    
20. What will be the impact of the No Child Left Behind Act on professional learning?
    
    
21. Is there a federal requirement on how we should collect data on race and ethnicity?

ANSWERS

1. What is professional development anyway?
   Professional development is the term that educators use to describe the continuing education of teachers, administrators, and other school employees.
   
   Teachers need a wide variety of professional development. For example, an English teacher might need to attend classes to learn more about the content she's teaching. In addition, she might need other types of staff development to learn better ways or alternative methods for teaching that new material. She might also need to learn more about classroom management techniques, how to incorporate technology into her instruction, and how to better address the needs of language minority students or exceptional learners in her classroom.
   
   
   
2. Is professional development the same as in-service?
   The terms in-service education, teacher training, staff development, professional development, and human resource development are often used interchangeably. But some of these terms may have special meaning to particular groups or individuals. It is best to always clarify what you mean.
   
   
   
3. Are there standards for professional development?
   Yes. There are national standards for professional development and our state has developed standards (based on the work of national groups such as the National Staff Development Council) for professional development.
   
   
   
4. How can I get a copy of the North Carolina Standards for Professional Development?
   The standards are accessible through the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction's website. The standards resulted from the work of the North Carolina Professional Development Committee. The full report of their work including a copy of the standards may be viewed at:
   http://www.ncpublicschools.org/humanrsrcs/prodevreport/report.pdf
   (pdf, 246kb)

   NOTE: The North Carolina State Board of Education adopted the Belief and Vision statements and standards only.

   
   
   
5. I have read the standards but don't really understand what they mean for me as a teacher or what they mean for my school and school district. Help!
   The National Staff Development Council (NSDC) developed Innovation Configurations (IC) to translate the standards into action for five role groups: teachers, principals, central office personnel, superintendents, and local school board members. North Carolina continues to follow the work of the NSDC and is in the process of developing ICs for our state that will include two additional role groups - state department and state board of education members.
   
   
   
6. Does professional development mean teachers are attending classes?
   Not necessarily. Attending classes, workshops, or conferences is one way that teachers - and other school employees - learn some of what they need to know. But other types of professional development are just as important and, often, more effective than traditional sit-and-get sessions.
   For example, when teachers plan lessons together or study a subject together, that's a form of professional development. A teacher who observes another teacher teach is also participating in a form of professional development. If a teacher is being coached by another teacher, that's professional development. Visiting model schools, participating in a school improvement committee, writing curriculum, and keeping a journal about teaching practices can all be professional development activities.
   
   
   
7. If teachers are professionals, why don't they learn on their own time?
   Communities need to recognize the importance of improving teacher quality. Even though most teachers arrive prepared to teach, they need to stay up-to-date in their skills and knowledge in order to continue being effective teachers.
   
   Private sector employers understand that it is their responsibility to ensure that employees-even professionals-stay current in their skills and knowledge. They're willing to provide time during the work day for their employees to learn-and often to make the necessary arrangements to have someone else handle their responsibilities for the day. Schools are no different from that.
   
   
   
8. My school district routinely dismisses school early - or has the school day start late - in order to provide professional development. Is that the best way to provide the kind of time you're describing?
   It's certainly one way but it' not the only way. Often, the most effective staff development is woven into a teacher's workday.
   
   Many schools structure their schedules to provide teachers with an hour a day (or several times a week) to prepare for their classes. You've probably heard teachers talk about these as prep hours or prep periods. Teachers typically use those periods to grade papers and tests and to prepare lessons.
   
   In addition to those prep periods, many schools also provide a common meeting time for teachers who teach the same grade or the same subject. For example, in many middle schools, all of the teachers on one team share the same free hour and use that as a daily meeting time. You often hear teachers call these hours "team time.''
   
   Teachers can use those meeting periods to plan lessons, write curriculum, examine student work, explore new ideas, etc. Although those activities contribute directly to their work with students, they also are excellent staff development opportunities for the teachers.
   
   
   
9. If professional development is part of the teacher's workday, won't that mean that my child won't get as much time with the teacher? Is my child still being shortchanged?
   When schools provide teachers with prep periods and "team time,'' students are not left on their own.
   
   In elementary schools, for example, regular classroom teachers may get their prep periods or "team time'' while their students are in art, music, or gym classes. So the students are still receiving regular instruction but their classroom teachers are learning at the same time.
   
   Some schools, several in the state of Hawaii, structure their week so that children concentrate on their core academic subjects from Monday through Thursday. On Friday each week, students take all of their "specials:" music, art, physical education, foreign language. And, each Friday, their regular classroom teachers have a full day to devote to planning and learning for their job.
   
   
   
10. Even if schools are doing a lot of professional development during the work day, there still are going to be times when schools want to have half-day professional development programs. Why would they need that much time?
    Many schools dismiss students for half or full days so large number teachers can participate in special workshops or seminars. Often, districts find that it's more cost-effective to have a special training session on-site rather than having large numbers of teachers travel to another location.
    
    
    
11. You've convinced me that teachers need to keep learning in order to improve the quality of their teaching. But sometimes these "professional" development sessions at my school are for janitors and school secretaries. Is that really necessary?
    Everyone who works for the school district needs to continually learn to improve the work they do.
    
    Janitors, bus drivers, and school secretaries make important contributions to creating a school climate where children feel safe and welcome as they learn. They also have frequent contact with parents - especially school secretaries - so it's important for them to understand many aspects of school life.
    
    Any adult who comes in contact with a student during the school day has an opportunity to influence their learning. Those individuals need to know as much as possible to be effective in that important role.
    
    
    
12. How do schools make decisions about what teachers are going to learn? Who gets to make these decisions? Can parents be part of this decision making too?
    We believe that schools should establish goals for student learning and then examine data - from tests, from classroom work - to determine how many children have been meeting those goals. Examining data also helps teachers identify areas where students are struggling. Then, we encourage schools and school districts to provide the staff development that will enable teachers to help all children reach those goals.
    
    
    
13. So schools should conduct formal needs assessments prior to any professional development?
    Schools should determine what professional development is needed and by whom. There are "formal" needs assessment instruments that schools can purchase, but really schools just need to study their data. The question often arises - what data? The answer - all the data! Schools should look at student data (i.e. formal and informal test data, non-academic data such as attendance and behavior referrals) and teacher data (teacher strengths and areas for growth noted in observations and evaluations, teacher background information such as course work completed). Schools should look at data collected on individuals and on groups (i.e. individual teachers, a grade level, a grade span). Schools should also look at overall school data and at district and state data. The idea is to get a clear picture of what needs exist. Data should be carefully studied by teams to determine needs and not symptoms.
    
    
    
14. Couldn't a school potentially have tons of needs for professional development? Then what?
    Yes, a school could have several needs. Likewise, there could be several needs across the school district. Professional development is a shared responsibility for teachers, schools, and districts. Priorities must be set if competing issues and needs are to be addressed in a logical, coherent, and reasonable manner. Looking at the needs across groups and levels allows everyone to have the broad perspective necessary for wise decision making.
    
    
    
15. What are the effects of teacher efficacy on professional development? How does this impact instruction?
    I recommend for the most recent research on the relationship between teacher efficacy and professional development that you conduct multiple searches using a variety of search engines. You will find countless articles that have been written on this subject. (See National Staff Development Council - www.nsdc.org)
    
    
    
16. What are the characteristics of a good professional development program?
    The characteristics are the same as the Standards for Staff Development. The National Staff Development Council's revised Standards for Staff Development reflect what NSDC and the broader staff development community have learned about professional learning since the creation of the original standards in 1995.
    
    Staff development standards provide direction for designing a professional development experience that ensures educators acquire the necessary knowledge and skills. Staff development must be results-driven, standards-based, and job-embedded.
    The North Carolina Standards for Professional Development (NCSPD) are based on the work of the NSDC.
    
    
    
17. There are so many things to do during the school day and the school year. Professional development just seems like something else to be added to the plate. How and when can a school really have any quality professional development?
    The school day and the school year are full. There is much work to be done to make sure that every child has a high-quality learning experience every day of every school year. Because school, as we have known it, is changing - diverse student populations, reformed school structuring… and because the world is changing teachers, much like doctors, have to keep current. The content of teaching is changing, the student population is changing, and teacher preparation and professionalism are changing. Professional development is critical!
    
    High-quality professional development that is job-embedded is even more critical!
    
    Professional development should not be "one more thing" to do. Quality planning integrates professional development with overall school improvement and school budget planning.
    
    
    
18. What about staff development for parents?
    Yes, all the adults who are important in a child's education need to keep learning. Parents need to continually improve their understanding about curriculum - both what their school is offering and why as well as what they could and should be offering and why. Parents need to understand how the education their children receive connects with national expectations for an excellent education. Only when parents have the best information available will they be able to fully participate in the decision making at their child's school.
    
    
    
19. What do we know about the link between student learning and teacher technology knowledge?
    The research literature is mixed about the link between student achievement and teacher technology knowledge. However, the literature is very clear that what teachers know does influence student achievement as it relates to teacher content and pedagogy knowledge. For specific references, see What Works in the Middle: Results-Based Staff Development (www.nsdc.org/midbook/index.cfm). This NSDC document includes descriptions of content-specific staff development for middle grades teachers that have evidence of increasing student achievement. Look especially at Chapter 2, a synthesis of the literature about linking professional development with student achievement.
    
    Documents regarding results-based staff development in elementary and high schools will be published in 2001.
    
    For more specific information about the link with teacher technology knowledge, seek information from the International Society for Technology Education at www.iste.org.
    
    
    
20. What will be the impact of the No Child Left Behind Act on professional learning?
    The legislation has the potential to affect professional development enormously. First, billions of dollars are included in the legislation to ensure teacher quality. Second, the legislation indicates that the government has recognized what makes professional development effective; the definitions of professional development in the law are roughly in line with the NSDC standards.
    
    However, the specifics of the implementation of No Child Left Behind will ultimately determine how much attention is paid to professional development. While the stringent requirements for selecting and evaluating professional development will help to ensure its quality, they will also make it easier to use the money allotted for teacher quality in other ways. The teacher quality provision also emphasizes teacher recruitment and retention, and those areas will be drawing from the same monies that fund professional development. Decisions made at the state and local levels about teacher quality and school improvement programs will be deciding factors in the role professional development plays in No Child Left Behind.




21. Is there a federal requirement on how we should collect data on race and ethnicity?
    Two distinct questions with two distinct responses must be used to collect data about student and staff member race and ethnicity.
    
    The first part should consist of a question about ethnicity:
    • Hispanic or Latino
    • Not Hispanic or Latino
    
    The second part asks to select one or more races from the following categories:
    • American Indian or Alaska Native
    • Asian
    • Black or African American
    • Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander
    • White
    
    Answers to both questions are mandatory.