Professional Development Structures

The following chart presents various structures for professional development as well as important
details relating to the school board, community, and parents.

Professional Development Structures

Structure Description
Requires
Board
Approval
Requires
Community
Support Effects on Parents Cost

Lunch-Hour Summit Planning period(s) are scheduled immediately prior to and following lunch. Time available varies but could be as much as 1.5 hours—monthly, weekly, or daily. No No
None
None

Business Partnership Teachers, staff, and administrators participate in training opportunities scheduled for local business or corporation. No Yes Possibly, if training is during school day. None

Educators participate in paid summer internships with a business. Broadens teacher understanding of content, provides real-world work outside the classroom, and encourages close partnerships. Maybe Yes
None
None to
district;
business
covers cost.

Faculty Meetings Faculty meetings provide mini opportunities for professional development. (To share mundane information, use electronic communication processes instead of meeting time.) No No
None
None

Student Service Learning and Internships Students are scheduled out of building for regular blocks of time for service learning or internship experiences. While students receive hands-on experiences that could lead to future careers and personal development, teachers have opportunities to meet, study, and grow. Also encourages better school-community relationships. Yes Yes
Minimal
If paid
position coordinates program,
yes.

Practice Time Teacher practices new instructional techniques and methods with class while trained observer takes notes on teacher and student behaviors and outcomes. Substitute may free up a colleague. Principal or other critically important support staff (e.g., speech therapist, reading specialist) may observe or conduct lesson, releasing another trained teacher to observe. No No None Yes

Teacher practices new instructional techniques and methods while being videotaped. Later, teacher or team of teachers reviews video and gives constructive feedback (Barkley, 1999). No No None None

Summer or Interim-Session Training Professional development, collaboration, planning, evaluation, and assessment are scheduled during summer and/or interim sessions. Yes No
None
Collective bargaining or agreed-upon hourly rate or stipend

Banked Time: Extended Day or Early Release School day starts earlier and/or ends later; minutes are banked for future use with early student dismissal or full day of training. When sufficient time accumulates, students start earlier or later, allowing teachers time to meet. Yes Yes
Yes
None

Banked Time: Leave With Students Faculty leave when students leave (usually earlier than end of contract day), accumulating paid time to be used for professional development later. (See "Saturday Academy" using banked time.) Yes Yes
Yes
None

Common Planning Periods Administrators develop schedule that allows as many teachers as possible, at common grade level or within departments, to have common planning periods. Yes No
None
None

Saturday Academy Teachers attend workshops or meetings on Saturday, using banked time. Yes Yes Yes None

Teachers attend workshops or meetings on Saturday, receiving stipend or hourly rate. Yes No No Yes

Creative Scheduling Administrators schedule block of time for teachers to work together. Block could be created by scheduling all special nonacademic classes (e.g., music, art, PE, library, computer lab) at same time, allowing students to rotate from one special class to another while grade-level or cross-grade-level teachers meet. Also, time blocks could be adjusted (e.g., from traditional 20-minute class to much longer time), accommodating needs of both the discipline and the teachers. No No None None

Substitutes could be hired to fill in for positions or situations when the number of students requires additional supervision (e.g., five sections of Grade 1 and only four slots in which to schedule them). Yes No None Yes

On-Site Cohort: Buildingwide or Districtwide District or school establishes partnership with college or university offering on-site, customized courses or degrees to meet needs of faculty and school improvement plan. Job-embedded professional development. Yes No None If board supported, cost is contractual or per semester hour.

No No None If teachers pay, none.

Event-Specific Scheduling Students experience wide range of programs while teachers work on school improvement (professional development, planning). No Yes None Substitute teacher(s).

Sabbatical Teachers voluntarily set aside 20 percent of salary; district banks money. After five years, funds are used for full year's paid sabbatical. Yes Yes
None

No cost to district; reduction in teacher salary for five years.

Substitute Rotations Possible approaches: (1) Permanent substitutes are hired, allowing the same individuals to work with classes, or (2) substitutes are hired for particular days needed. Teachers are scheduled to work, reflect, create, modify curriculum, and grow professionally (frequency varies from weekly to monthly). Yes No None Yes

Online Courses Teachers can access specialized areas of interest—anytime, anywhere. Individualized learning or small learning teams could be formed around the course or topic. If study is during contract day, yes. No None Yes, course registration. Internet access is required.

Professional Development Structures
Structure	Description	Requires Board Approval	Requires Community Support	Effects on Parents	Cost
Lunch-Hour Summit	Planning period(s) are scheduled immediately prior to and following lunch. Time available varies but could be as much as 1.5 hours—monthly, weekly, or daily.	No	No	None	None
Business Partnership	Teachers, staff, and administrators participate in training opportunities scheduled for local business or corporation.	No	Yes	Possibly, if training is during school day.	None
Business Partnership	Educators participate in paid summer internships with a business. Broadens teacher understanding of content, provides real-world work outside the classroom, and encourages close partnerships.	Maybe	Yes	None	None to district; business covers cost.
Faculty Meetings	Faculty meetings provide mini opportunities for professional development. (To share mundane information, use electronic communication processes instead of meeting time.)	No	No	None	None
Student Service Learning and Internships	Students are scheduled out of building for regular blocks of time for service learning or internship experiences. While students receive hands-on experiences that could lead to future careers and personal development, teachers have opportunities to meet, study, and grow. Also encourages better school-community relationships.	Yes	Yes	Minimal	If paid position coordinates program, yes.
Practice Time	Teacher practices new instructional techniques and methods with class while trained observer takes notes on teacher and student behaviors and outcomes. Substitute may free up a colleague. Principal or other critically important support staff (e.g., speech therapist, reading specialist) may observe or conduct lesson, releasing another trained teacher to observe.	No	No	None	Yes
Practice Time	Teacher practices new instructional techniques and methods while being videotaped. Later, teacher or team of teachers reviews video and gives constructive feedback (Barkley, 1999).	No	No	None	None
Summer or Interim-Session Training	Professional development, collaboration, planning, evaluation, and assessment are scheduled during summer and/or interim sessions.	Yes	No	None	Collective bargaining or agreed-upon hourly rate or stipend
Banked Time: Extended Day or Early Release	School day starts earlier and/or ends later; minutes are banked for future use with early student dismissal or full day of training. When sufficient time accumulates, students start earlier or later, allowing teachers time to meet.	Yes	Yes	Yes	None
Banked Time: Leave With Students	Faculty leave when students leave (usually earlier than end of contract day), accumulating paid time to be used for professional development later. (See "Saturday Academy" using banked time.)	Yes	Yes	Yes	None
Common Planning Periods	Administrators develop schedule that allows as many teachers as possible, at common grade level or within departments, to have common planning periods.	Yes	No	None	None
Saturday Academy	Teachers attend workshops or meetings on Saturday, using banked time.	Yes	Yes	Yes	None
Saturday Academy	Teachers attend workshops or meetings on Saturday, receiving stipend or hourly rate.	Yes	No	No	Yes
Creative Scheduling	Administrators schedule block of time for teachers to work together. Block could be created by scheduling all special nonacademic classes (e.g., music, art, PE, library, computer lab) at same time, allowing students to rotate from one special class to another while grade-level or cross-grade-level teachers meet. Also, time blocks could be adjusted (e.g., from traditional 20-minute class to much longer time), accommodating needs of both the discipline and the teachers.	No	No	None	None
Creative Scheduling	Substitutes could be hired to fill in for positions or situations when the number of students requires additional supervision (e.g., five sections of Grade 1 and only four slots in which to schedule them).	Yes	No	None	Yes
On-Site Cohort: Buildingwide or Districtwide	District or school establishes partnership with college or university offering on-site, customized courses or degrees to meet needs of faculty and school improvement plan. Job-embedded professional development.	Yes	No	None	If board supported, cost is contractual or per semester hour.
On-Site Cohort: Buildingwide or Districtwide		No	No	None	If teachers pay, none.
Event-Specific Scheduling	Students experience wide range of programs while teachers work on school improvement (professional development, planning).	No	Yes	None	Substitute teacher(s).
Sabbatical	Teachers voluntarily set aside 20 percent of salary; district banks money. After five years, funds are used for full year's paid sabbatical.	Yes	Yes	None	No cost to district; reduction in teacher salary for five years.
Substitute Rotations	Possible approaches: (1) Permanent substitutes are hired, allowing the same individuals to work with classes, or (2) substitutes are hired for particular days needed. Teachers are scheduled to work, reflect, create, modify curriculum, and grow professionally (frequency varies from weekly to monthly).	Yes	No	None	Yes
Online Courses	Teachers can access specialized areas of interest—anytime, anywhere. Individualized learning or small learning teams could be formed around the course or topic.	If study is during contract day, yes.	No	None	Yes, course registration. Internet access is required.