Schools should establish PD expectations with teachers from day one
March 04 2010 by 
Hayes Mizell
When a school system interviews a prospective new teacher, each party has different interests. The candidate wants a job, preferably one that meets his or her expectations regarding salary, benefits, grade level, subject, school, and working conditions. The school system wants a teacher who meets certain requirements regarding pre-service education, certification, and experience.
The interviewer may be someone in the human resources department of the central office, or a principal, or both. Their conversation covers many topics, but the interviewer may fail to communicate a critical expectation. As part of the employment and induction process, school systems rarely focus on the prospective teacher's future development. There is an assumption that the teacher will participate in whatever professional development the school system requires, but this overlooks the larger issue of whether and to what extent the teacher is committed to his or her professional growth.
In contrast, imagine if every interview included the following statement:
" It appears you have talents and abilities that can foster the intellectual development of this community's children. But you should be aware that we also expect you to develop intellectually. We expect that throughout each school year you will keep learning more about the content you teach and how to engage students more successfully in learning that content. ?
"We expect you to engage your colleagues in figuring out how to improve classroom instruction, curriculum, assessment, and results. We expect you to seek out and test promising new ideas from your colleagues and others outside your school and this school system. We expect you to pursue your own new learning aggressively, and to apply what you learn to help raise the levels of your students' academic performance.
"We will support you, and periodically we will be interested in seeing how your intellectual growth is making you a more effective teacher. And if you ever have reason to believe your school or this school system is doing anything that gets in the way of your intellectual development or that of your students, it is your obligation to let us know about it. If you are not prepared to do these things, then perhaps you would be happier in another school system. "
When interviewing candidates for teacher positions, does your school system or school forcefully and consistently communicate high expectations for educators' learning? And does it subsequently reinforce those expectations with support and practices that encourage and enable teachers to engage in effective professional learning every day? Now is the time.
Hayes Mizell is NSDC's distinguished senior fellow.
Posted in Hayes Mizell | 
Mar 6, 2010 at 5:33 PM
It has bothered me for years that so many educators seem to think they are done learning when they graduate from college and get a job. Instead, they need to realize they are just BEGINNING to learn. There were so many things I didn't know when I started teaching, especially about strategies to help struggling students. It took a lot of reading and researching to get the information I needed. I am now a Professional Development Facilitator and often see eye-rolls and angry looks when I go in to work with a school. I would have loved the kind of professional development we are offering today and the chance to get it at school instead of having to travel for the opportunity. I wish all teachers were dedicated to improving their own learning. How can we promote life-long learning when we aren't modeling that to our students?
Mar 10, 2010 at 4:21 PM
I agree that school expectations for PD should be established up-front. However, the greatest issue I deal with as a school-based staff developer and instructional leader is the reinforcement of the expectations by school administrators. The most frustrating experience is to have planned a meeting and no one shows because there is a conflict with a parent conference, meeting with the principal or field trip. (We have weekly staff development on the same day all year long.) As school administrators, we are responsible for assisting teachers with establishing norms and expectations for staff development during the first days of schools and ensuring that we are holding teachers accountable for being a part of experiences that will enable them to bring fresh ideas into the classroom. If we do not do this, then we cannot expect to change in student achievement. Even more importantly, school administrators have to make an effort to be there as well. We have to sit side by side with our teachers, learning about what makes for an effective lesson and how we can support teachers in their efforts to help children become successful learners.
Mar 12, 2010 at 12:38 AM
High Expectations. One of my favorite phrases in the field of education. The title of this article alone drew my interest. Education is definitely a with field which denotes collaboration.
I definitely agree with Hayes Mizell. These statements need to be the model adopted by systems worldwide. High and clear expectations are just as important for educators as they are for students. The statements speak to support, professionalism, and intellect. Isnt this how the profession should be viewed? Looks like HR and leadership teams who are in the hiring seat have some work to do.
Kevin Simpson
Education Consultant
KDSL - Know.Do.Serve.Learn
Blog: http://kdsl.wordpress.com/
Twitter: @KDSL07
Dec 14, 2010 at 6:11 PM
Impressionant ! Je ne suis jamais resté dans une page si longtemps ! Votre article est très bon et il peut m’aider beaucoup. Je vais visiter encore votre blog.