It has been an interesting month for us as we attend a series of conferences around the country on education. We have been hearing now that more people want to put teachers in charge of their own professional development. We have also hear a lot of buzz around micro-credentials for teaching.
First the PD – Florida is one group that is pushing for teachers to be in charge of their own professional development. And there is a study from the Gates Foundation called Teachers Know Best that sheds light on the professional development issues.
- Only 29% of teachers are highly satisfied with professional development
- Less than 34% think professional development has improved
- Professional developments supported by education leaders such as professional learning communities and coaching are NOT meeting teacher’s needs
Remember that teacher professional development is a $1.8 Billion (with a B) industry that on average sucks up 68 hours per year per teacher.
The most interesting thing to me is that the teachers who select their own professional development are the most satisfied with their PD. So it seems pretty simple – put the teachers in charge of their own careers!
That leads to the second thing we keep hearing – micro-credentials are coming. Since we operate here in Texas, we are curious to know what happens next since they just passed HB 2424 directing the Texas State School Board to start recognizing micro-credentials. AIR has a great primer on micro-credentials for teachers if you need more information.
