Professional Development - The Elephant in the Room

Professional development is an expensive part of a school’s operation.  Schools are a people business. The cost for professional staff and leadership in schools is typically 70% or more, which in Vermont is over a billion dollars annually.  A few years ago The Mirage report challenged the status quo of teacher professional development, noting that despite costs approaching $18,000 per teacher annually, only 3 in 10 showed any positive change.  The report generated a flurry of ideas and recommendations for change.


Still, professional development continues to rank highly on lists of needs ….90% of Vermont schools cite technology professional development needs in one or more areas.  Superintendents, curriculum directors, and building leaders bemoan challenges, and the same challenges are cited by providers and consumers (coaches and teachers). But when it comes to implementation….time and time again I hear many schools and districts coming up with the same solutions and methods for PD….can nobody see the elephant in the room?  

Among the many challenges cited:

Time - Depending on whom you ask, not enough, or too much....

Dealing with too many initiatives that dilute focus....

  • The number of currently mandated initiatives in Vermont...Vermont has had several major legislative additions over the past five years, and is considering more this year….

Sustaining the effort...

  • Creating a learning culture and vision takes time

  • Change fatigue, especially with technology, erodes enthusiasm

  • Leadership changes are disruptive to consistent efforts

Managing the high costs of change...

  • The actual cost in resources (time, money) in an era of budget constraints

  • The psychological and emotional cost of continued change with no clear results

Transforming traditional structural limits to change….

  • Physical facility and transportation drive choices

  • Time structures - school year, week, day

  • Local governance opposition to systemic solutions

Adapting to societal change….

  • Family structures and parent expectations, from helicopter to lawnmower

  • Social media impact on attention

  • Trauma, among other socioeconomic issues


These challenges are daunting, but there are examples of successful programs across Vermont, and we could adopt their practices across all Vermont schools to improve the results.  But unless a system-wide effort is made to address these challenges, the elephant may never go away.

Lloyd Irish