Children Achieving

Component IV:

Professional Development

Professional development must be intensive and sustained. It will involve observing good practice, practicing good practice, being coached in good practice, reflecting on good practice and repeating the process. Professional development will be structured so that it does not rely on sitting occasionally at the feet of experts in workshops. It will emphasize building skill and knowledge teacher to teacher, being informed from time to time by both the opportunity to observe exemplary practice and to benefit from experts.

INTRODUCTION

In designing a school system around high expectations for all students, the professional development strategy must also be premised on high expectations -- for all students, teachers, administrators, and staff. As the capacity of its staff is the key to the District's ability to fulfill its mission, the District must redesign its participation in the preparation and ongoing growth opportunities for its staff. The goal of the professional development system will be to enable every teacher, administrator, and staff member to develop the knowledge, skills and behaviors required to create learning settings which enable all students to demonstrate high levels of achievement. Fundamentally, all staff members of the School District of Philadelphia must be provided with the necessary time, resources and administrative support to acquire and improve their professional knowledge, practices and skills to best enable all schools to achieve their mission.

While professional development will be largely shaped by learning communities, schools and clusters, it will be characterized across the District by the focus on the key content areas which will engage all educators: the core vision and values centered on high expectations for all students; curriculum content; pedagogy; assessment; local decision making, school governance, team-building and collaborative culture; leadership training; parental involvement; classroom management and conflict resolution; and technology.

As high student standards are developed, teachers and other educators will need to know how standards are used in the teaching process; how to evaluate, adapt, create, and use the most effective resources to address them, and how to identify the evidence that will indicate when students have attained them.

The authority to determine the nature of the school learning environment should be relocated so that those closer to the students make more of the decisions that shape instruction. The challenge is to restructure the system so that it will serve as a support rather than an obstacle, providing a shared vision of teaching and learning, a framework of standards and policies which ensure equity and accountability, dissemination of maximum knowledge about best practice, support for inquiry and effective brokering of expertise.

A new model for schooling and the reform process designed to implement it, must contain a new conception of professional development. The action steps for this professional development plan provide for individual and collective "opportunities-to-learn" (to observe, practice, reflect, and try again) in the form of time, resources and administrative support. It provides a framework through which the needed resources and supports are made accessible to teachers, administrators, and staff to better prepare them to function effectively in a system centered on high expectations. As such, flexibility in the design and delivery of services and supports will be the key operating principle of professional development. Adequate and equitable access to information, resources and time will produce a system characterized by flexibility to effectively serve the multitude of contexts which exist in Philadelphia schools.

STRATEGY 1: Provide needed resources in the form of time, or its budgetary equivalent, to support effective professional development throughout the District

The School District of Philadelphia will provide the resources equivalent to twenty (20) days for all school-based teachers, administrators and staff, in support of the District's commitment to the capacity development of School District personnel.

"Resources equivalent to days" signifies the cost of providing a substitute teacher for professional staff. For paraprofessional and non-instructional staff, it means the cost of providing a substitute in their job title. The twenty (20) days (or the budgetary or programmatic equivalent in other forms) will permit school-based staff to participate in professional development opportunities which they will shape individually and collectively. These resources will be phased in beginning in the first year with ten days, fifteen days in the second year and twenty days in the third. The disposition of days and the substance of opportunities will be determined as follows:

Time for leadership development by the principal is contained in the extra month of employment suggested below.

The School District of Philadelphia will provide to each learning community the resources equivalent to ten (10) days per school-based professional and five (5) days per paraprofessional staff in support of the District's commitment to the capacity development of School District staff. These days (or the budgetary or programmatic equivalent in other forms) will permit school-based staff to participate in professional development opportunities. The substance of those opportunities and the disposition of those 10 days (resources equivalent to) will be determined by the Learning Community (school). The Office of Professional Development and the staff of the Teaching and Learning Network will serve as resources to the learning communities by providing information, facilitating access to programs and providing assistance in the development of the Learning Community Professional Development Plan.

The Learning Community Improvement Plan (a subset of the school plan) will contain a professional development component which addresses all stakeholders, including paraprofessionals, non-instructional staff and parents, particularly encouraging parents to attend staff development activities. The Learning Community Improvement Plan will include a plan and budget for the utilization of professional development time and money.

The School District will provide resources equivalent to five days for all school-based teachers in support of its commitment to the capacity development of School District staff. Each teacher will develop, in consultation with his or her principal, an Individual Professional Development Plan that outlines how the plan supports student achievement and how the time will be used. The Office of Professional Development will develop lists of possible activities and uses of the resources (e.g., observe effective teaching practices at other sites, participate in teacher networks, participate in staff development programs, participate in peer collaboration activities) and make that information universally available.

Three (3) days of District-wide professional development will be provided in support of the School District's commitment to a District-wide shared vision of a standards-based, student-centered approach to instruction, curriculum and assessment. This professional development program will be made available to all professional and paraprofessional staff. The Office of Professional Development will provide each cluster and/or small learning community with designs for follow-up staff development. The in-class support and follow-up will be provided by network facilitators, house directors, program support teachers, department heads, charter coordinators, exemplary teachers, other teacher leaders and subject area specialists.

Resources equivalent to two days in order to make available 45-minute periods of released time to be used for collaboration, peer support and ongoing collegial conversation and reflections will be provided. These collaboration periods will be coordinated by the small learning community, and their use will be outlined in the Small Learning Community's Improvement Plan.

The School District will provide resources equivalent to five days for all school-based paraprofessional and non-instructional staff in support of the District's commitment to the capacity development of School District staff. The utilization of professional development resources will be determined by representatives of each group in collaboration with the Teaching and Learning Network staff, Office of Professional Development staff and the Cluster Leader.

School-based administrators will become 10+1 (ten-plus-one) month employees. During this extra month, administrators will: prepare for the subsequent school year, provide professional development to faculty in a variety of settings, engage in their own professional development, and meet with their coach/mentor/critical friend in order to assess the previous year and plan for the coming year.

Each administrator will develop an Individual Professional Development Plan. The plan will outline how it supports student achievement. "Peer tutoring" and mentoring will be encouraged. The Professional Development Center, in consultation with the Office of Schools, CASA and educational partners will establish an administrator's Leadership Institute which will offer professional development programs. Programs will focus on developing leaders who have a broad knowledge base and a repertoire of appropriate skills. The Office of Professional Development will also facilitate connections with private corporations for professional training opportunities as they gain their support of the District's Leadership Institute for Administrators.

STRATEGY 2: Provide effective mechanisms for universal access of professional development resources.

A Teaching and Learning Network will be established in each cluster. The Teaching and Learning Network will consist of a Teaching and Learning Network Coordinator who will operate out of the cluster office. The network will be comprised of all lead instructional personnel in the small learning communities within the cluster. This will include at least one network facilitator for every three learning communities and, by whatever title, an instructional leader from each school K-12 in each of the areas for which standards are developed. Through the Teaching and Learning Network, a cluster may also choose to establish a center for locating resources (e.g., professional materials, commercially produced instructional materials, educational technology) and for holding workshops and study groups. Each cluster should decide whether a dedicated site for this center meets their needs or, if not, how their needs can best be supported. Through each Teaching and Learning Network, the coordinator, secretary, network facilitators, and instructional leaders will:

Over time, the resources supporting the network facilitators will devolve to the learning communities, and the facilitators will be available on a purchase-of-service basis. The Office of Professional Development will serve as a resource to each Teaching and Learning Network, providing information, facilitation services and staff development leadership.

The Teaching and Learning Networks, in collaboration with the Equity Office, will support learning communities and schools in developing sound instructional programs in full compliance with federal, state, city and court mandates. The School District will root its compliance activities in instructional support, ensuring that the network facilitators are well-versed both: (1) in best practice for all students including those for whom our schools have historically failed and (2) in all compliance requirements related to instructional program design and in how to maximize flexibility in fulfilling those requirements. Regular professional development coordinated by the Equity Office will ensure their capacity to provide this support.

The School District will establish and support the ongoing operation of a Professional Development Office. The Professional Development Office, part of the Instructional Program Support Services Center, will provide technical assistance to the Teaching and Learning Networks and facilitate the Network's access to resources regarding Learning Community Planning, professional development activities and council training. In addition, the office will operate a Principals' Institute and a Bilingual Institute for new bilingual program teachers.

The Office of Professional Development will operate a database that will make universally available information on best practices and programs (local and national), consultant services, expertise (school, community and national) and professional development literature and materials. Schools and clusters will be provided with the necessary hardware and software to access this database.

While reflective practice and inquiry should be part of every learning community's activity, there is no need to reinvent the wheel. Much of what is needed in instructional content and assessment expertise exists within the District, and other exemplary programs are available in the city and nationally. What is greatly needed is a system for identifying this expertise and making it available, so that as teachers, learning communities, schools and/or clusters identify needs, they know how to access the resources and thinking on best practices.

In addition, the database of professional services developed by the Office of Professional Development and/or by educational partners, will include references and client evaluations.

The School District will provide paraprofessionals, non-teaching assistants, secretaries, non-degreed professional/technical staff, non-degreed comprehensive day care teachers with support to continue their professional development, the ultimate aim of which is to impact on students' ability to achieve. As part of the contractual agreement with PFT, the Board of Education agreed to create a Career Development Fund for the purpose of assisting members of the bargaining unit in career development. This fund will assist paraprofessionals, non-teaching assistants, secretaries, non-degreed professional/technical staff, non-degreed Comprehensive Day Care teachers who need to be recertified and any employee who may be eligible for retraining under Article B-XV as they pursue professional development. In support of this professional development, the District will:

The School District of Philadelphia will establish an initiative to encourage District teachers to pursue certification from the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (review of professional portfolio, interview, peer recommendations and observation of teaching under real conditions). This voluntary performance-based assessment process will measure a teacher's skills against very high standards. Board-certified teachers may become ten-plus-one month (10+1) employees; during the plus-one month (July or August) they will share their teaching expertise and skills with other teachers by serving as model teachers during summer training programs. They will also be an important part of the Teaching and Learning Network.

The School District, in collaboration with area colleges and universities, will develop specific expectations and programs for the preparation of teachers and administrators and for the delivery of teacher and administrative graduate programs. The District will convene an Education Alliance which would be a series of meetings with representatives of area colleges and universities and cooperating teachers to discuss professional development and the preparation of new teachers. The District, in cooperation with area colleges and universities, will work with the State to develop new and more rigorous teaching standards for certification purposes that are directly related to the standards for students. Furthermore, the effort will include the development of standards related directly to teaching in urban, multi-racial classrooms and promoting parental involvement in schools.

STRATEGY 3: Provide specific professional development opportunities -- some ongoing, some transitional -- targeting identified needs for action plan implementation

Kindergarten

The School District will provide training in effective teaching and child development for newly hired kindergarten teachers for fifteen (15) hours during the month of July 1995. This training will be facilitated by the Office of Professional Development in collaboration with the Office of Early Childhood and will be conducted by experienced kindergarten teachers who will receive training for trainers in May 1995.

The School District will also seek to provide staff development for all kindergarten teachers in August 1995. The substance of that staff development will be determined by surveying all kindergarten teachers. This training will be facilitated by the Office of Professional Development in collaboration with the Office of Early Childhood.

New Teachers

The School District will provide new teachers with the training and support that will ensure their effectiveness in the classroom and will result in high levels of student achievement. The School District of Philadelphia will submit a new Induction Program Plan to the Commonwealth that outlines a two year program which mandates that the new teachers attend 30 hours of staff development. The new plan will stipulate that in the first year new teachers will attend fifteen (15) hours (one week) of staff development during the summer before they begin service. These sessions will be conducted by staff of the Professional Development Office. New teachers will also attend fifteen hours of staff development (3 hours, 5 sessions) during the school year that focus on issues of immediate need such as classroom management and curriculum. These sessions will be conducted at the cluster level by the network facilitator.

New teachers will work with a mentor who serves as coach and "critical friend." The new plan will stipulate that in the second year new teachers will continue with a mentor who focuses on "stretching" the new teacher's instructional repertoire. The new teacher and the mentor will design the new teacher's Individual Professional Development Plan that outlines how the resources equivalent to five (5) days will be used. The plan will then be reviewed with the principal. In-class support and follow-up for new teachers will be provided by network facilitators and other instructional support persons.

Small Learning Communities, Clusters and School Councils

The School District will provide planning support for the eighteen buildings which will open as schools made up of small learning communities in September 1995. In six (6) elementary schools, six (6) middle schools, and six (6) high schools, the planning process for the coming school year will create learning communities of 200-500 students. Planning support will include assistance in assessing needs, developing a vision and creating an instructional plan and budget for each learning community. The Professional Development Office and partner organizations will ensure that each learning community has access over the summer to professional development consistent with its student needs and its instructional plan.

The School District will develop and implement a comprehensive ongoing training program for professional development leaders in the Teaching and Learning Networks in support of the District's commitment to providing effective support at the classroom, learning community/school and cluster level. The training program will be designed by the Office of Professional Development in consultation with educational partners such as PATHS/PRISM, the Philadelphia Schools Collaborative and the Philadelphia Writing Project; representatives of the participants; and training experts. The program will cover areas such as: content and effective teaching practices, techniques, utilization of resources, assessment, effective "people skills," facilitation skills and presentation skills. The program will be designed to meet the training needs of the different participant groups.

The School District will develop and implement a comprehensive training program for School Councils. The School Council will serve as a decision making body in each school. The Council, comprised of teachers, administrators and parents, will be expected to make informed school-based decisions in such areas as budget, personnel, curriculum, instructional strategies, scheduling, teacher and student assignment and discipline. Professional development will include all members of the Council. In the first year, the training program will be designed by the Office of Professional Development in consultation with School Council representatives and Cluster Leader representatives. In subsequent years, the planning and design will be conducted through the clusters. The training program will cover such core areas as: effective instructional leadership (what it is and how it should be evaluated); understanding school-based budgets and utilization of resources; effective decision making; and team building. To the extent possible, training programs should be customized to meet the specific needs of each Council.

The School District will develop and implement a comprehensive ongoing training program for Cluster Leaders in support of the District's commitment to provide effective administrative leadership. The training program will be designed by representatives of CASA, the Cluster Leader designees, and the School Support Office in consultation with the Superintendent of Schools. It will draw on national expertise and may include participation in a variety of national programs. It will be facilitated by the Office of Professional Development.

The training for Cluster Leaders may include the following topics: building budgets, facilitation and design, collaboration/leadership skills, organizational structure K-12, management designs (other than educational), effective teaching and learning strategies, understanding of maintenance/facilities, managing change and relationships to parents and the community.

TIMELINE

By September 1995:

By September 1996:

1997 and beyond: