Effective Staff Development

Education is in a stage of rapid reform due to changing needs of society. The overall focus and trends we see in education today, remains similar to what was seen 100 years ago. Within the last twenty years, society has developed into something entirely different as should the goals of the educational system. By using old practices, schools are not preparing students for the real world and many graduate only to find a lack of success.

To properly prepare students for the 21st century, classrooms as we know them need to go through major reform. Lack of change could cause students to fall farther behind and lack the skills and knowledge needed to compete in our Global Society. Teachers must see this need and find the resources and desire to make changes in the classroom.

Change and reform is not easy or commonly accepted. Effective staff development is necessary to guide and support teachers toward a new way viewing education. The staff development must be meaningful and relevant so that teachers can bring experiences back to the classrooms and influence student achievement. The information to follow gives teachers, administrators, and staff development personnel ideas on:

• The Need for Effective Staff Development
• Stake holders and the Role of the Staff Developer
• Recommendations for Training

With the effective use of strategies mentioned above, facilitators can produce relevant staff development which encourages teachers to focus on reform and how change affects student performance.

The Need for Effective Staff Development

Educators and the community are seeing a major shift in how we define, understand, and view education. The change in education is a shift from educational practice which emphasizes processes, procedures, and inputs to one that values product, results and outcomes (Gallegos, 1994). These new expectations are clearly represented in the proposed National Standards which are making their way to several school districts. The Standards focus on the student's "performance" level along with their level of knowledge. This shift in expectations also requires a shift in teaching practices. During these transitions, teachers will experience fluctuations. Staff development must be present to support these changes. If America's teachers are to facilitate the students in meeting the requirements of our global economy, they will need staff development programs that prepare them to collaborate with the business community without sacrificing the students academic needs (Futrell et al., 1991). Staff development needs to directly reflect the needs of the students and community. It is up to staff developers to utilize various strategies to coach or guide teachers through the transition phase and into a reformed classroom.

Not only must we see a change in the focus of the teacher and curriculum, staff development itself should be revisited and reformed. Staff developers must become change agents rather than dispensers of knowledge. As Ron Edmonds once noted, the problem in failing schools is not so much an absence of knowledge as it is how people feel about what they know, how they think about what they do, and what they believe about the students they teach and the colleagues with whom they work. More important is to change these attributes by changing the culture of the school. By changing cultural aspects in a school, teachers ought to thoughtfully examine the purpose, role, structure and organization of schooling as is relates to the diverse students and communities. Staff development helps teachers move beyond improving what they have, to developing new understandings of what they need and new visions to get them there (Hixson, 1991). If staff development can make this cultural change, then students will benefit and be prepared for today's work place. The challenges that occur during this cultural change force the system to make major changes that take time, patience, leadership, and a willingness to take risks on both individual and organizational levels.

The San Diego High School Cluster has began this cultural change within its schools. The Cluster consists of all elementary and junior high schools that feed into San Diego High. The focus of the Cluster is to facilitate articulation between grade levels in all schools so that every child has the same tools and knowledge when entering San Diego High School. The Assistant Superintendent has formulated a group of teachers who create staff development to accomplish cultural change. Teachers within the cluster have noted the increase in comfort level and communication between schools in the cluster. This support group has exposed teachers to a change in culture within the schools as well as meaningful staff development developed by teachers.

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Stake holders and the Role of the Staff Developer

In some way or the other, staff development is affected by several stakeholders. Legislators, policy makers, funding agencies and the general public all want to know if professional development really makes a difference in student performance. With increasing outside pressure, it is important that staff development be effective and meaningful so that teachers are able to directly support student success.

Experts claim that reform in professional development must be initiated and carried out by individual teachers and school based personnel (Guskey, 1994). Giving classroom teachers the authority over conditions that impact student achievement is the prime prerequisite for successful reform. (Futrell et al., 1991). Teachers are the ultimate innovators. Significant changes will not occur unless teachers are involved in the planning, development and implementation of change (Katzenmeyer, 1991). Teachers who accept authority then become teacher leaders or coaches that provide practitioners with technical feedback, guiding them in adapting the new practices, helping them analyze the effects of their efforts, and urging them to continue despite setbacks (Guskey, 1994).

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Factors for Planning Training

Once a group with the appropriate stakeholders has been established, a discussion should occur regarding the most appropriate way to gain support from the staff. The following factors should be considered when planning training for a site (Guskey, 1994)

• Change is both an individual and organizational process. We cannot improve student achievement without improving the skills of the teachers and abilities of the teachers and principals within them.
• Think big but start small. Successful professional development programs are those that approach change in a gradual and incremental fashion.
• People need to feel that they have a say in the process. Use teams of individuals working together to plan, implement, and follow up. In some cases, involvement of parents and community can be helpful. Working on teams helps focus attention on shared purposes and goals that are the basis of professional development.
• Programs must include feedback procedures which focus on outcomes that are meaningful.
• Follow up support is necessary and allows those engaged in the difficult process of change to tolerate the anxiety of occasional failures.

Once these factors have been discussed and considered, a training program can be developed. The next section describes recommendations, based on research, for planning a successful training session (Futrell et al., 1991).

Look inward, not outward

Research shows that teachers within a district or school are often the best representatives for teacher training. Put groups together consisting of all stakeholders to assess priorities, gather information, and determine possible long term directions. Teachers should have an equal say in decisions about staff development and maintain the focus on improving student achievement. Outside "staff developers" and programs do exists. Below are locations to solicit help or consultants for staff development but it is important to note research shows teachers prefer inservice and support from their own colleagues.

Professional Development Seminars

National School Services

 

 

Gather information, not answers about possible programs

It is important to look closely at the results of particular programs. Visit other schools and discuss day to day realities. Use the data from the programs and other schools to customize your staff development and meet the needs at your site.

 

Identify and use your own people

Use people within your school, district, and local region, who have expertise, facilitation skills, and workshop skills. Develop these skills among the members of your staff.

 

Use outside consultants sparingly

Consultants can be used to add excitement or to provide an outside perspective to facilitate the process. Do not use them for the sole purpose of training.

 

The ideas presented suggest an empowerment of the school staff which encourages teacher leaders and collaboration.

For more strategies on implementing a training programs at schools and Universities, visit the sites listed below:

Teaching new skills to teachers (technology) http://www.princeton.edu/~edutech/training/tra_level_1.html

Guidelines for staff development at the University Level http://www.usyd.edu.au/su/personnel/policy/prog-dev/acad/pd_ASDP.html

Lawrence Hall of Science Staff Development Programs http://www.lhs.berkeley.edu:8001/profdev.html

Staff Development on line: Chats, Focus Groups, etc. http://archives.gsn.org/k12opps/1195/0108.html

When planning staff development, it is important to note that adults learn in a variety of ways. It is important to understand the perspectives and characteristics of adult learners to tailor training that meets their needs. The following table gives several learner characteristics of adults along with a brief explanation (Hirschbuhl, 1996).

Active Learners	Willing to participate in learning. Active rather than passive
Experienced Based	Bring a wide variety of prior educational and life experiences to situations
Experts	They are experts in many fields
Independent	Want to accomplish things for themselves. Rely on past experiences.
Hands on	Acquire skills through hands on. They prefer to do than to listen
Life Centered	Adults focus attention on real world situations
Task Centered	More active in performing tasks directed toward reaching a goal
Problem Centered	Focused on real life situations
Solution Driven	focus on real life problems and actively seek out solutions to problems
Value driven	Need to know rationale for learning something. What are the benefits?
Skill Seeking	Seek out the attainment of new and improved skills to meet life problems
Self Directing	Perceive themselves as independent and responsible for own actions
Motivation (External)	Better jobs, promotional opportunities, and higher salaries
Motivation (Internal)	Self-esteem, recognition, confidence, overall quality of life

Understanding stakeholders involved, factors and recommendations for success and the reasoning behind effective staff development is the key to implementing change in today's educational system. Students need exposure to teaching that best prepares them for real world situations. This reformed teaching is not an easy transition for teachers. The use of effective staff development is important in implementing this change and making it successful.

Successfully restructured schools will not be those which have solved every problem, they will be schools which staff members work together to examine their practice, question it in light of recent research, and engage in systematic ongoing action to research and improve it (Futrell et al., 1991). Change enables staff developers to provide leadership and support for restructuring efforts (Katzenmeyer, 1991). Teacher lead professional development is the key element to successful change. It will lead to teacher instruction that is more skillful, more inspiring, and more nurturing. Teacher lead professional development should be built into the fabric of everyday school life. It should be part of the school culture that helps enrich the lives of everyone in the learning community (Walling, 1994). Teachers leading teachers by using strategies designed for implementing reform can change the way education looks today. Though not an easy task, this change will give students the tools needed to be contributing members of today's global society.

References:

Futrell, M., Hixson, J., Calhoun, E., Ellis, S. (1991). Nine Perspectives on the Future of Staff Development. Journal of Staff Development, 12, 2-9.

Gallegos, J. (1994). Staff Development Strategies That Facilitate a Transition in Educational Paradigms. Journal of Staff Development, 15, 34-38.

Guskey, T. (1994). Results-oriented Professional Development. Journal of Staff Development, 15, 42-50.

Hirschbuhl, J., Bishop, D. (Eds.). (1996) Computers in Education (7th ed.). Guilford, CT: Dushkin Publishing Group.

Katzenmeyer, M., & Reid, G. (1991). Compelling Views of Staff Development for the 1990's. Journal of Staff Development, 12, 30 - 33.

Walling, D. (Ed.). (1994) . Teachers as Leaders. Bloomington, IN: Phi Delta Kapa Educational Foundation.