A r c h i v e d  I n f o r m a t i o n

   FOR RELEASE                            Contact:  Melinda Kitchell    March 7, 1995                                      (202) 401-1008

Professional Development for Teachers: The Critical Classroom Difference

"Schools and students have changed significantly in recent years, but teachers are still at the heart of instruction," says U.S. Secretary of Education Richard W. Riley. "If, as a nation, we expect to prepare all students for the 21st century, we must provide teachers with ongoing opportunities to be the most informed, the most capable, and the most inspiring classroom leaders possible."

In support of professional development efforts aimed at improving teaching, Congress appropriated $320 million in fiscal year 1995 to broaden and improve the U.S. Department of Education's Eisenhower Professional Development State Grant Program. But the House Appropriations Committee on Labor, HHS and Education voted last week to slash $1.7 billion from the Education Department budget, including $60 million targeted for professional development.

Molly Merry, Colorado's 1995 Teacher of the Year and one of only three teachers in a small public school of choice in Ca?on City, says it is critical that teachers spend time throughout their careers updating their teaching skills and knowledge of how children learn.

Rather than being "trained" that there is only one correct way to teach, she says today's teachers are able to improve continually through on-going professional development, which exposes them to the most effective and most current education research on how students learn -- bridging the gap between education theory and classroom teaching.

Just as doctors constantly must investigate new theories and procedures, advances in education research continue to provide new insight into how children learn. In addition to classroom responsibilities, teachers who want to excel seek out workshops, seminars hosted by teacher groups, conferences and graduate-level classes. They also can work together through mentoring, peer- coaching, group implementation of ideas, and teacher-led inquiry.

"Teaching is not just a job you do and then go home," Merry says. "It develops you as a human being so that you can give more to your students and help them develop their minds and increase their knowledge."

To be effective, teacher professional development should:

• Offer a long-term strategy to improve teaching and learning based on the best available research and practice in teaching, learning and leadership;
• Focus on teachers as central to overall school reform, yet include all members of the school community;
• Respect and cultivate teachers' intellectual capacities and enhance their skills and knowledge in pedagogy, content and leadership;
• Involve teachers in planning and commit ample time and resources for change in the classroom;
• And, be evaluated by its impact on teacher effectiveness, student learning and leadership, with the school community serving as a guide for future professional development efforts.

Riley says the reduction in professional development grants proposed by the House committee would severely limit state and local efforts to prepare teachers to teach to new, challenging academic standards in core academic subjects.

"I look at the standards as opening up an opportunity to improve teaching and learning," Merry says.

"Do you take out the same old textbook -- or throw it out and figure out a way to make learning come alive and to get your students where you want them to be? Professional development gives teachers the confidence and expertise to go for it."

At a time when many school districts are struggling financially, Merry says some administrators may look to a "quick fix," turning professional development over to consultants who sell a specific teaching method.

"That's very short-sighted," she says. "There's no one perfect way to teach all children. I learn something new every day, and as a teacher, I'm getting better and better."