For sustained success, educators must commit to their own lifelong improvement.

Commitment to high-quality professional learning is a common aspect of educational systems of the the world's highest-achieving nations. Despite evidence that effective professional learning can be a powerful lever for school improvement, much of the professional development (PD) that is conducted in the United States has had limited impact on teacher practice…

In these pages, John Murray identifies research-based characteristics of effective teacher professional learning, detailing eight strategies for planning and executing professional development programs and evaluating their results. Content includes: The proven “backward” approach to articulating the goals of your PD program; Descriptions of innovative and effective designs for professional learning such as Lesson Study and Instructional Rounds; Powerful approaches to designing and implementing online PD

Packed with templates that make getting started easy, this all-in-one resource will facilitate deep professional learning that truly enhances student achievement.

“This book is one that any teacher or administrator who is involved with leading professional learning and continuous improvement—new to the field or with great experience—would find great value in.”

— Jeff Ronneberg, Superintendent

Spring Lake Park Schools, MN

“This is a critical resource that should be on every education leader's bookshelf. You will be challenged to find another book with so much helpful information on so many important professional development strategies that you can get started on immediately to facilitate real change in your school.”

— John D. Ross, Educational Consultant

Pulaski, VA

Effective Teacher Professional Learning

Effective teacher professional learning

We always tell our students that we want them to be lifelong learners. Before we can realize that goal with students we must first get our teachers to learn continuously throughout their careers.

—David Mallery

When asked, teachers report that workshops, speakers, and conferences—even when engaging and informative—rarely bring about changes in their instructional practices or student learning. This ineffectiveness of traditional teacher professional learning has led to extensive research on what constitutes effective professional development—and a consensus is emerging about the essential characteristics of professional development that are critical to increasing teacher knowledge and skills and hold promise for increasing student achievement (Darling-Hammond et al., 2009; Webster-Wright, 2009). “High-quality” or “effective” teacher professional learning is defined as that which ...

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