U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.

Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock ( ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

Round table discussion at Business convention and Presentation. Audience at the conference hall.

Professional Learning

Goal

The goal of this professional learning module is to provide resources, tools, and common Comprehensive Literacy State Development (CLSD) project practices related to educator professional learning (PL).

Objectives

In reviewing this module, participants will:

  • Identify and describe different PL models, and gain a comprehensive understanding of their key features and benefits.
  • Examine how CLSD grantees effectively utilize various PL models to support educator development.
  • Access and compile a curated set of resources to be used as references for planning, implementing, and assessing PL activities aligned with the identified models.

CLSD grantees and subgrantees employ a number of PL models to support the implementation of their projects. These models offer educators and administrators the opportunity to enhance their literacy knowledge and pedagogical skills. Through individual technical assistance; regional or statewide convenings, meetings, or conferences; webinars; coaching; and communities of practice, educators can collaborate, grow, and make a positive impact on their students’ learning experiences.

Educator professional learning

A number of recent studies of educator PL offer insight into how educator PL is implemented and what constitutes effective practice.

What do we know about what kind of PL is offered to educators?

  • The Every Student Succeeds Act outlines six criteria for high-quality PL: it must be sustained, intensive, collaborative, job embedded, data driven, and classroom focused. However, 80 percent or more of professional development (PD) offered failed to meet four out of the six criteria.1
  • Ninety percent of districts used Title II funds to pay for short-term teacher (3 days or fewer) PD.2
  • Over the past 5 years, 80 percent of PL opportunities were presented as one-time activities.1

What do we know about what makes PL effective?

  • PL implementation should be aligned with PL standards.1
  • PL that emphasizes instructional practices, identifies key teaching strategies, and supports the implementation of changes tends to be more effective in enhancing student performance.3
  • Instruction-focused PL is most effective when it is linked with the materials that teachers are using in the classroom.3
  • Curricular and instructional modeling provides teachers with a clear understanding of what best practices look like.4
  • Educators benefit from a post-implementation follow-up opportunity to share their experiences, lessons learned, and receive feedback.5

Questions for Reflection and Discussion

  1. What do you notice as you read about PL trends and effectiveness?
  2. What is similar or different about PL in your context? Why might this be the case?
TOP

What are professional learning standards?

PL standards serve as a road map for high-quality educator development. They ensure that PL experiences are effective, engaging, and aligned with best practices. These standards cover areas such as deepening content knowledge, enhancing instructional skills, promoting equity and inclusivity, fostering collaboration, utilizing data to inform decisions, and fostering reflective practice for continuous improvement. By adhering to these standards, educators can grow, innovate, and create positive impacts on student learning.

Questions for Reflection and Discussion

  1. How do we know if our state or district has PL standards? How could we find out?
  2. How do we know whether the PL activities in our state or district are aligned with PL standards? How could we find out?
  3. Review your state or district PL standards, or one of the examples provided in this section. In what areas does our PL excel? In what areas does our PL need improvement? What action steps could we take to improve?

PL Standards Resources

Effective Teacher Professional Development
Florida’s New Professional Learning Standards
Characteristics of High-Quality Professional Learning
Building Better PL: How to Strengthen Teacher Learning

What’s the difference between professional development and professional learning?

While PD and PL share similarities, they hold distinct conceptual differences. PD typically follows a one-size-fits-most approach, often encompassing districtwide and district-driven opportunities. In contrast, PL is personalized to meet the unique needs of individual learners, concentrating on specific skills they aim to improve.6

PL vs. PD Resources

Professional Learning vs. PD: The Distinction Matters
Tips for Designing a High Quality Professional Development Program
Distinguishing Professional Learning from Professional Development

TOP

What are professional learning models?

There are many different types of PL models, representing a variety of formats, intensities, and functions. It is important to align PL needs with the appropriate model, as there is no one-size-fits-all approach. With a range of options available, including workshops, communities of practice, personalized technical assistance and coaching, and online platforms, educators have diverse pathways for learning. Engaging in book studies, participating in professional networks, and attending convenings and conferences facilitate collaboration and foster a culture of shared learning.

We posed two questions to the CLSD grantees about their experiences with PL models. Below are their responses.

Question 1: What PL models are most used by CLSD grantees?

As shown in Exhibit 1, the most common type of PL was individual technical assistance, followed by regional or statewide convenings, webinars, coaching, and communities of practice. Learn more about each model and examine related resources by clicking on the buttons in the Further Discussion of Professional Learning Models section below.

Exhibit 1: PL Models Implemented by CLSD Grantees

Professional Learning Model Bar chart

This PL Model bar chart displays the percent of CLSD Grantees. Technical Assistance: 95%. Regional or Statewide Convenings, Meetings, or...: 90%. Webinars: 70%. Coaching: 65%. Communities of Practice: 65%. Professional Learning Communities: 35%. Mentor Districts: 25%. Other (Resource Libraries, Consultant Support): 20%.

PL Model Resources

Models of Professional Development
Considering Models of Professional Learning
Teacher Professional Development Models for Effective Teaching and Learning in Schools

Question 2: What professional learning challenges and solutions do CLSD grantees experience?

Exhibit 2 below highlights challenges reported by CLSD grantees about PL. Nineteen CLSD grantees responded to this question. The most frequently reported challenges involved staff turnover or the capacity of existing staff, and issues with scheduling and finding adequate time.

Exhibit 2: PL Challenges Identified by CLSD Grantees

Professional Learning Challenge Bar chart

This PL Challenge bar chart displays the percent of CLSD Grantees. Staff Turnover or Bandwidth: 42%. Time and Scheduling Constraints: 37%. Provision of Differentiated Support: 26%. Communication and Messaging: 16%. Cost Issues: 11%. Shift From In-Person to Virtual Models: 11%.

Despite common difficulties, many related to the ongoing impact of the coronavirus 2019 pandemic, CLSD grantees adapted and identified innovative solutions to overcome challenges. As shown in Exhibit 3, the most common strategy identified by the 18 CLSD grantees who responded to this question was making efforts to improve communication via clear expectations, more frequent and targeted outreach, and regular feedback loops. CLSD grantees also reported increasing PL participation via offering more flexibility, such as providing multiple formats, flexible scheduling, and synchronous and asynchronous opportunities. In addition, grantees used data and participant feedback to offer more tailored PL that was differentiated to specific needs of different educator groups. For example, newer vs. experienced literacy teachers may require different PL supports. Finally, some CLSD grantees reported offering more individual one-on-one support or dedicating additional funds to PL as an adaptive response to challenges.

Exhibit 3: PL Solutions Identified by CLSD Grantees

Professional Learning Solution Bar chart

This PL Solution bar chart displays the percent of CLSD Grantees. Improved Communication: 44%. Increased Flexibility: 33%; Data-Based Differentiation" 28%; One-on-One Support: 11%; Additional Funding: 6%;

Questions for Reflection and Discussion

  1. What PL models are most common in our state or district?
  2. Are these the right models for our context? How do we know?
  3. How are the challenges we face similar to or different from the ones listed here? Why might this be the case?
  4. What kinds of solutions do we implement that help us provide effective PL?
TOP

Further discussion of professional learning models

TOP

How do I plan an effective professional learning opportunity?

Planning toolkits serve as valuable resources for anyone tasked with organizing PL opportunities. These toolkits act as comprehensive “one-stop shops,” guiding planners through the entire process, starting with conducting a needs assessment, choosing relevant topics, and structuring engaging sessions. Additionally, they include assessment tools for evaluating the impact of the PL experience afterward. With a variety of toolkits available, each offering unique features and approaches, planners can select the one that best suits their specific needs and objectives. These toolkits streamline the planning process, ensuring that PL initiatives are well organized, impactful, and aligned with desired outcomes.

PL Planning Toolkit Resources

TOP

Where do I start?

Prior to designing any PL opportunities, it is essential to conduct a comprehensive needs assessment. This assessment enables the PL planner(s) to evaluate the current practices, identify specific needs, and assess the receptiveness of the individuals who will be participating in the PL experience. Needs assessments promote reflection on past PL experiences, helping to determine how future initiatives can be more effective and impactful. By gathering insight through the needs assessment process, PL planners can tailor the learning experiences to address the identified needs and ensure meaningful growth and development for all participants.

PL Need Assessment Resources

Questions for Reflection and Discussion

  1. Why is conducting a comprehensive needs assessment crucial before designing any PL opportunities? How can this assessment process help PL planners create more effective and impactful learning experiences for participants?
  2. Are regular needs assessments part of our PL planning process? If not, what actions can we take to include them? Whom will we need to engage to start the process?
TOP

How do I evaluate the effectiveness of my professional learning opportunity?

After delivering a PL opportunity, it is essential to determine whether the PL met its intended objectives. This can be determined through feedback surveys, pre- and post-assessments of knowledge, observation of teacher practice, and student improvement outcomes. As mentioned earlier, many planning toolkits include after-learning steps to help educators and organizers design effective follow-up strategies. By incorporating these steps, educators can build on their learning, effectively transfer new knowledge to their practice, and ultimately create a positive impact on student learning outcomes. A well-structured follow-up process ensures that PL experiences are meaningful, relevant, and aligned to educator needs. CLSD grantees report that the keys to implementing effective PL are being responsive to needs; offering clear, consistent communication; and collaborating effectively across stakeholder groups.

PL Effectiveness Resources

Questions for Reflection and Discussion

  1. What kind of data do we gather to assess the quality and effectiveness of our PL offerings? What additional data will provide more information to inform future planning?
  2. What strategies can be adopted to ensure a well-structured follow-up process after delivering PL? How can after-learning steps be incorporated to help educators transfer new knowledge to their practice?
TOP

Voices From the Field

Feedback from grantees during communities of practice and topical meeting events revealed a need to share information about PL models that other grantees use to support literacy efforts. In response, a topical meeting on PL was held in August 2023. During this meeting, four states showcased PL efforts from their CLSD grant projects. Presentations included background information on the strategy, challenges and successes, lessons learned, and planned steps for future progress. Click the links below to view these presentations.

TOP

Resources From the Field

CLSD grantees were asked to share any relevant resources related to their PL efforts. These links appear below. If you would like to add a resource from your project, please email literacy@seiservices.com.

  • California Educators Together is a community of practice “designed to provide educators, administrators, specialists, and state program leads a common space to communicate, share strategies, and access resources.”
  • The California CLSD Padlet site offers grant information; resources clustered by grade bands; and forms, templates, and calendars related to the grant.
  • Louisiana Literacy Library is an educator’s tool providing access to a multitude of grade-level-specific literacy PL resources.
  • Michigan Early Literacy — Professional Learning features services and resources, offering modules, coaching models, and techniques to foster creative and critical thinkers in a caring and engaging learning environment for learners.
  • Michigan Technical Assistance Center offers educators and school districts a comprehensive range of research-based strategies, technical assistance, and resources within the Multi-Tiered System of Supports framework to improve outcomes for all learners and ensure effective implementation of data-driven practices.
  • Professional Learning Literacy Essentials from Michigan features a comprehensive digital toolbox consisting of modules that concentrate on essential practices spanning from schoolwide approaches to classroom instruction.
  • Arizona Department of Education Professional Learning offers synchronous and asynchronous PL opportunities, including webinars and online courses, focused on early literacy and education, with options for continuing education units.
TOP