Effective Professional Development:
Principles and Beliefs

Effective professional development is an essential and indispensable process, without which schools and programs cannot hope to achieve their desired goals for student achievement. SERC's programs and initiatives are built on the belief that the continued growth and ongoing development of professionals and other personnel are both key to the effectiveness of the educational system and critical to retaining the best people in the profession (Fullan & Stiegelbauer, 1991). SERC activities are designed with the vision that a person who has opportunities to learn, reflect, and apply skills related to their profession can best provide the same opportunities for children.

Professional development is an experience shaped by the willingness and readiness for change by educators, families, and other stakeholders. There is no single "ideal" model that meets every school's/district's needs and requirements. The diversity of cultures and uniqueness of concerns are thus acknowledged and valued. At the same time, researchers and practitioners have identified a number of guiding principles and beliefs that are consistently evident in successful professional development and technical assistance efforts (Guskey & Huberman, 1995). This research, when combined with years of experience in providing training and technical assistance programs, provides a framework for the design and delivery of professional development through SERC.

Two key concepts are central to SERC professional development programs: high quality staff development concurrent with organizational development; and, improvement of performance through both individual achievement and systemic change. Following is a brief review of the principles and beliefs that drive SERC program design, implementation, and evaluation.

#1 COLLEGIALITY AND COLLABORATION

SERC supports professional development activities that are team-based to facilitate collegiality and collaboration. Each component of a professional development plan must model and strive to facilitate collaboration and team building from multiple perspectives, e.g., stakeholders and philosophy. From needs assessment to evaluation, each program component should be conducted with teamwork as a critical focus. Educators should be collaboratively involved in planning and applying their own learning experiences (Fullan & Hargreaves, 1991; Rosenfield & Gravois, 1996).

#2 PURPOSE

Professional development provided through SERC works to meet the needs of the adult learner; accepts that professional development is highly personal for each professional; and acknowledges that change is a process that takes time (Sparks & Hirsh, 1997). Professional development programs should be designed and implemented for one of four major purposes:

• Awareness/Exploration: Describes professional development activities that address those first stages of concern/ interest/ understanding regarding an innovation.
• Skill-Building Activities: Describes activities designed to help participants build and apply specific instructional skills; generally these activities are assumed to include follow-up coaching and support.
• Program Improvement: Improved performance requires both individual and team development coupled with systemic change. Program improvement occurs when individuals or teams engage in a continuous, collaborative, problem-solving process. The process involves reflection and refocusing instructional practice to improve student learning.
• Strategic Planning/Systems Thinking: Effective professional development and change initiatives must acknowledge that complex, interdependent relationships exist among the various aspects of an educational system. All professional development activities must share common elements; a comprehensive approach to change that facilitates effective operation and integration of all components of the system (Fullan, 1993; Kaufman & Herman, 1991).

#3 CHARACTERISTICS

• Effective professional development programs are characterized by diversity of ideas, people, and support practices. They acknowledge and value the uniqueness of concerns, interests, and cultures within programs and staff. As such, SERC plans and implements a variety of professional development activities, for example: summer institutes; mentor programs; technical assistance; peer research; coaching; observation; study groups; and networking (Guskey & Huberman, 1995). SERC professional development programs are based on the following beliefs and assumptions:
• The craft of teaching is best transmitted by teachers. Teachers know more about classroom culture and teachers' competencies than do external consultants or administrators who occasionally visit the classroom. Teachers who have experience with new, innovative practices are in a better position to support the efforts of colleagues. SERC's programs and initiatives are designed to continually work to build that capacity in Connecticut.
• Follow-up support is as important as initial training. Through technical assistance, SERC strives to provide practitioners with ongoing support and opportunities for problem-solving and application of learning. "What makes the early stages of implementation so complicated is that the problems encountered at this time are often multiple, pervasive, and unanticipated" (Miles & Louis, 1990). "Support coupled with pressure at this time is vital for continuation" (Guskey, 1995).
• Networking facilitates change and reduces isolation. Educators need to be linked to both the local and larger learning community. "The growth of any craft depends on shared practice and honest dialogue among the people who do it" (Palmer, 1998). Professional networking affords practitioners the opportunity to share workable solutions to common issues and concerns while providing peer to peer support. It facilitates collegial reflection and provides a context for collaborative problem-solving .

#4 JOB-EMBEDDED

Administrators and teachers alike must strive to weave professional development into the fabric of day-to-day practice. SERC actively works with school personnel in re-evaluating schedules and resources to enable teachers and others to engage in active, productive, and job-embedded learning experiences. Adequate time must be found within the school day to allow school personnel to learn and work together to accomplish identified goals (National Staff Development Council's Standards for Staff Development, 1995). Effective professional development must be designed to respect the leadership capacity of teachers, administrators, and others in the school community while promoting continuous inquiry and improvement embedded in the daily life of schools (Donahoe, 1993).

#5 INTEGRATED PLANNING

Segmented, uncoordinated training projects are often seen as "a steady stream of episodic innovations" (Fullan & Miles, 1992) which come and go but produce no lasting change. "Change is complex and practitioners require on-going high quality professional development after the in-service component" (Fullan, 1999). This post activity component includes opportunities for educators to practice new skills and receive structured feedback (The National Staff Development Council Standards, 1995). SERC offers an integrative approach to provide high quality professional development programs, activities, study groups, and technical assistance to schools, families, and the community. Major training and technical assistance initiatives are coordinated with more traditional short-term professional development activities and both are driven by a clear, compelling vision related to increasing knowledge and awareness of educational issues.

#6 SYSTEMS THINKING

"In systems thinking, the whole is primary and the parts are secondary versus in analytic thinking, the parts are primary and the whole is secondary" (Barker, 1993). Systems thinking centers on the complex, interdependent interrelationships among the various aspects of an entire system. Effective professional development activities, however varied, should share common elements and focuses. This comprehensive approach to change significantly increases the potential that all components of a system (e.g., assessment, curriculum, and teacher evaluation) compliment each other and work toward a measurable set of outcomes related to improving student achievement and enhancing instruction. SERC designs professional development and other change activities with primary consideration given to this systems thinking approach. SERC recognizes the three phases of the change process: initiation, implementation, and institutionalization. The programs, activities, and technical assistance offered to Connecticut's schools complement and reinforce major school restructuring and school reform efforts.

#7 PHASES OF CHANGE

SERC acknowledges in all of its professional development activities that meaningful change most often takes place over an extended period of time and is dependent on the commitment of individuals and the systems in which they work. It also tends to move through several phases of change (Fullan, 1998). The three major phases of change outlined below provide only a general image of a very complex, non-linear, circular process in which events at one phase can provide feedback to alter decisions made at previous stages.

• Induction (or Initiation) Phase includes the process that
  leads up to and incorporates a commitment by a school/district/program to proceed with an innovation or initiative. This phase may last many years. Change agents must consider relevance (practicality and need), readiness (capacity and need), and resource (availability).
• Implementation Phase involves the initial implementation of the change and generally involves two or three years of work. Successful implementation during this phase is characterized by ongoing support. For most new programs, extended training spread over time is a prerequisite for change and on-site technical assistance is required to solve the specific problems that occur during implementation. No matter how much preparatory staff development occurs, it is when people actually try to implement new approaches and reforms that they have the most specific concerns and doubts. Getting over this initial critical hump represents a major breakthrough for working towards more thorough change. Change can be effected when concrete, specific training activities are coupled with ongoing technical assistance and support during the implementation phase. Continuous interaction and staff development are critical regardless of the changes being implemented. The more complex the change, the more interaction is required during this stage (Guskey and Huberman, 1995).
• Institutionalization Phase refers to the change becoming "built-in" and an ongoing part of a system independent of specific individuals or programs. Success at this stage depends on change becoming embedded into the system (through policy, budget, schedules, etc.); generating a critical mass of individuals who are skilled in and committed to the change; and establishing procedures for continuing assistance, especially relative to supporting new personnel (Fullan, 1998).

#8 COMPLEX NATURE OF CHANGE

SERC acknowledges that the complex nature of change should always be a primary consideration in the design and implementation of effective professional development programs (Fullan, 1998).

• Change is loaded with uncertainty. It is a process of coming to grips with new meaning. Most innovations require new learning and the construction of new knowledge and require a meaningful period of time for assimilation into practice. Fullan (1998) refers to the "implementation dip" (that period in the change process when productivity goes down before it goes up) as a period during which many people abandon innovation believing that it does not work.
• Change is a journey, not a blueprint. Individuals, and the contexts in which they function, are continually evolving. Effective, meaningful change is characterized by an ongoing planning-action-reflection/evaluation cycle.
• Problems are natural. Change threatens existing interests and routines, heightens uncertainty, and increases complexity. In meaningful change situations, problems are viewed as opportunities for deeper change and deeper satisfaction. The enemies of change are passivity, denial, conventionality, and fear of being "too radical." Effective change can occur when individuals and organizations are active, assertive, and inventive.

#9 MANAGING COMPLEX CHANGE

Effective innovation requires monitoring of implementation, communication, linking with other initiatives, identification of unsolved problems, and clear, concise problem-solving action. SERC programs acknowledge that change is complex and requires consideration of multiple elements. These include: clarification of confusing or problematic elements; new skill development and mediation of accompanying anxiety; ongoing incentives (e.g., release time, stipend for additional work, continuing training, peer and administrative support); sufficient resources/support to allow meaningful implementation; and well-designed action plans (National Staff Development Council's Standards For Development, 1995). See graphic on the following page.

#10 RESULTS-DRIVEN PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

SERC embraces the belief that professional development should be evaluated based on its impact on student achievement, including students with disabilities, and rooted in the best available research. Results-driven education that evaluates the success of public education by what students actually know and are able to do requires results-driven staff development (National Staff Development Council's Standards For Development, 1995). Professional development programs are judged primarily by whether they change instructional practice in a way that contributes to increased student achievement. Training programs should include three principle measures of evaluation:

• Implementation (Did the training meet the participants' needs? Was it of high quality?);
• Application (Are the participants receiving job-embedded, reflective opportunities to assist in their application and utilization of new knowledge in an effort to improve educational practices? Is their appreciation effective?); and,
• Impact (What are the measurable results for Connecticut's students?).

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