Staff Development: What’s Happening in Schools Today? Tina Launey MEDT 8464: Module 2.4 November 4, 2009

Essential Questions  How are staff development needs determined (at the school or district level)?  How is a staff development plan implemented, and how is its effectiveness evaluated?  What role(s) should the media specialist play in the staff development process?

Staff Development Model: Montgomery County School District  Spends three percent of its annual budget – $50 million – on recruitment and staff development.  Has developed partnerships with local universities, whereby the district “regularly communicates its needs, enabling education schools to recruit students who want to teach in the district’s high-need subject areas” (Gewertz, 2006).

Staff Development Model: Montgomery County School District  Offers contracts to promising candidates in April for the following school year, ensuring that positions are filled.  All teachers in the highest-poverty schools in Montgomery County meet highly qualified teaching requirements specified in No Child Left Behind.

Staff Development Model: Montgomery County School District  Requires all teachers to receive training about the district’s curriculum and establish individual improvement plans.  Provides ample support and growth opportunities.  Dismisses underperforming teachers who continue to underperform following extensive staff development training.

Staff Development Model: Comprehensive Balanced Literacy  State-funded grant allowed for collaboration between an independent school district and faculty in reading and special education from a local university.  Goal: Implement a balanced literacy program that results in improvement of elementary students’ literacy skills.

Staff Development Model: Comprehensive Balanced Literacy  Faculty and district personnel created a staff development plan that provided the following components:  Staff development instruction in balanced literacy tactics.  Implementation of balanced literacy approach.  Consistent, ongoing supervision/feedback.  Formative and summative evaluations of student work (Gerla, Gilliam, & Wright, 2006).

Staff Development Model: Comprehensive Balanced Literacy  54 teachers from 16 elementary campuses received week-long balanced literacy instruction from a consultant.  University faculty were involved throughout staff development program, from instructional sessions, follow-up monitoring, and coaching, to program evaluation and assessments (pre and post).

What Do These Scenarios Have in Common?  Trained staff development coaches within the district or trained consultants from outside the district.  Adequate funding at the school/district level for staff development program, through budget allotment or grant funds.  Partnerships with education programs/faculty at local universities.

What Do These Scenarios Have in Common?  Accountability from teachers who have received staff development training.  Continual assessment of student/teacher performance following delivery of staff development module(s).  Positive results following staff development training, in the form of increased student achievement!

Staff Development Model: Key Elements  Clear-cut staff development goals at the district or school level.  Ongoing financial resources to support:  Staff development coaches/consultants.  Instructional materials for teachers during staff development courses.  Classroom materials required to implement best practices.  Additional staff support to cover teachers who are attending staff development courses.  Continuing assessment and evaluation of teacher practices, and ongoing instruction for new hires.

Staff Development Model: Key Elements  Mutual beneficial relationships with local universities that can serve as partners in:  Assessing staff development needs.  Formulating a staff development plan.  Delivering training modules to staff.  Evaluating the impact of the staff development plan.

Revisiting the Essential Questions  How are staff development needs determined (at the school or district level)?  At the local school and district level, staff development coaches or independent consultants should be dedicated to determining the most critical needs of the school/district, relative to school improvement/student achievement goals.

Revisiting the Essential Questions  How is a staff development plan implemented, and how is its effectiveness evaluated?  Dedicated staff development coaches/ independent consultants should work with key players – administrators, team leaders, auxiliary staff (including media specialists), and partners from local universities/consulting firms to create a staff development plan that details goals to be met, strategies for delivery of staff development, and methods of evaluating the effectiveness of the staff development model.

Revisiting the Essential Questions  What role(s) should the media specialist play in the staff development process?  Participate in the school’s leadership and school improvement teams – these groups work to identify areas of need and develop solutions to meet identified goals.  Attend meetings during which staff development modules are being developed – provides the opportunity to see where the media center fits into the overall model.

Revisiting the Essential Questions  What role(s) should the media specialist play in the staff development process?  Support the school’s staff development goals by purchasing materials used in staff development modules, including professional materials, software programs/online databases, and read-aloud books.  Reinforce staff development instruction the teachers are receiving by incorporating the strategies they are using in the classroom into media center activities.

Revisiting the Essential Questions  What role(s) should the media specialist play in the staff development process?  When applicable, take part in staff development courses! Lead sessions that pertain to media resources and information skills development.

Suggestions for Staff Development Topics  Using online resources (to which the school or district subscribes) effectively:  Showing videos on BrainPop and GPB United Streaming, and using interactive tools (like quizzes and lesson planners) contained within these sites.  Integrating online eBook websites into classroom instruction (Scholastic Book Flix and Tumblebooks).  Locating research articles, images, video clips, and sound files in Cobb Virtual Library databases.

Suggestions for Staff Development Topics  Using Destiny (online library catalog for Cobb County) to find materials and information:  Locating books in Destiny.  Using Destiny WebPath Express to find age-appropriate, standards-related web sites.  Creating and managing patron accounts in Destiny; recommending books, writing book reviews, and requesting library materials in Destiny.  Using Destiny as a link to external web sites (through Computer Pathfinders).

Suggestions for Staff Development Topics  Creating classroom blogs to highlight student work and communicate with parents:  Setting up and designing a class blog.  Creating and managing blog posts.  Obtaining permission to use student photographs and examples of student work.  Posting media files (images, movies, sound) to classroom blogs.

Suggestions for Staff Development Topics  Using video in the classroom (teachers learn, then teach the students):  Teaching students how to operate video cameras and record classroom activities.  Teaching students how to download videos to classroom computers.  Showing students how to combine video, still images, and sound files in Windows MovieMaker.  Using advanced video editing techniques in Windows MovieMaker.

Resources  Gewertz, C. (2005). Staff investment pays dividends in md. district. Education Week, 24(44),  Gerla, J.P., Gilliam, B., & Wright, G. (2006). Project summit: a cooperative effort to effect teacher change. Education, 127(2),