Learning Forward’s Definition of Professional Learning

The term “professional learning” means a comprehensive, sustained, and intensive approach to improving teachers’ and principals’ effectiveness in raising student achievement.

Professional learning fosters collective responsibility for improved student performance and must be comprised of professional learning that:

• Is aligned with rigorous state student academic achievement standards as well as related local educational agency and school improvement goals;
• Is conducted among educators at the school and facilitated by well-prepared school principals and/or school-based professional development coaches, mentors, master teachers, or other teacher leaders;
• Primarily occurs several times per week among established teams of teachers, principals, and other instructional staff members where the teams of educators engage in a continuous cycle of improvement that:
• Evaluates student, teacher, and school learning needs through a thorough review of data on teacher and student performance;
• Defines a clear set of educator learning goals based on the rigorous analysis of the data;
• Achieves the educator learning goals identified above by implementing coherent, sustained, and evidenced-based learning strategies, such as lesson study and the development of formative assessments, that improve instructional effectiveness and student achievement;
• Provides job-embedded coaching or other forms of assistance to support the transfer of new knowledge and skills to the classroom;
• Regularly assesses the effectiveness of the professional development in achieving identified learning goals, improving teaching, and assisting all students in meeting challenging state academic achievement standards;
• Informs ongoing improvements in teaching and student learning; and
• May be supported by external assistance.

The process outlined above may be supported by activities such as courses, workshops, institutes, networks, and conferences that:

• Must address the learning goals and objectives established for professional development by educators at the school level;
• Advance the ongoing school-based professional development; and
• Are provided by for-profit and nonprofit entities outside the school, such as universities, education service agencies, technical assistance providers, networks of content-area specialists, and other education organizations and associations.

Collaboration Support Teachers Need

What support is required for teachers to integrate collaboration throughout their individual and collective improvement cycles?

1. System and school recognition that collaborative contexts provide the most enduring and meaningful support for individual and collective improvement.
2. School climates that allow safe and free discussion of individual challenges and needs for support, as well as selfless sharing of expertise so that effective practices move from room to room.
3. Structures that provide time and resources in the workday for teams to study, learn, experiment, and reflect.
4. Support to learn the specific collaboration skills that ensure teams work together well.