Leading the Way: Professional Learning Insights for School Administrators

What Is Professional Learning?

According to a RAND Corporation survey, most professional development offerings fail to provide teachers with advanced content knowledge and skills they can apply in the classroom. Districts are moving away from typical one-size-fits-all professional development and toward professional learning, exemplifying a shift to instruction rooted in the science of reading. 

Unlike professional development, which often takes the form of a one-time “sit-and-get” training for all teachers, professional learning aims to accelerate educators’ personal and collective learning and close the knowing-doing gap. 

Since 2019, states have enacted more than 220 literacy bills aimed at transitioning curriculum and instruction to the science of reading. To meet the spirit of these mandates and effectively boost student literacy, teachers need professional learning that helps them better understand the research behind the science of reading and how it can be applied to evidence-based instructional practices. 

The shift toward evidence-based professional learning represents an advancement in reading instruction. Access to professional learning focused on the science of reading helps teachers develop deep literacy expertise and implement targeted strategies and interventions. The right professional learning programs can effect measurable change throughout your district, schools, and classroom. As a school leader, you can invest in professional learning programs that empower your teachers and transform reading instruction. 

What Is the Difference Between Professional Learning and Professional Development?

"Professional development" and "professional learning" are often used interchangeably to describe teacher training. However, professional development usually refers to one-time workshops, seminars, or lectures that follow a “one-size-fits-all” or “sit-and-get” approach. State or district laws typically require teacher professional development—for example, a state might require that elementary school teachers undergo training in early literacy instruction, or a district might mandate attendance at its assessment data workshop on an in-service day.

Teachers report that they most often participate in professional development featuring collaborative learning, where they meet with others to learn new content or plan instruction together. This type of collaborative learning often includes participation in professional learning communities (PLCs), with 39% of teachers surveyed in the RAND study reporting that they attended PLC meetings at least weekly.

In contrast to what we typically call professional development, professional learning is interactive, sustained, and customized to a teacher’s specific needs. It encourages educators to take responsibility for their learning and to practice what they learn within their own teaching contexts (Scherff, 2018). 

Districts nationwide are seeing the value of longer-term professional learning. Eighty percent of districts said they funded longer-term professional development lasting four or more days, and 55% supported collaborative or job-embedded professional development. Still, research from the past decade shows that much of the professional development teachers engage in doesn’t meet the federal standard for “high-quality.” 

According to research (Archibald, Coggshall, Croft, & Goe, 2011; Darling-Hammond, Hyler, & Gardner, 2017; Labone, & Long, 2016), high-quality professional learning:

• Ties to specific content and standards

• Incorporates active learning

• Is job-embedded

• Encourages collaboration

• Provides models

• Includes coaching

• Is sustained and continuous

• Aligns with school goals, standards and assessments, and other professional learning activities 

When evaluating professional learning programs, consider evidence-based programs that support teacher interest and autonomy, as well as teacher collaboration and peer mentoring. The goal is for professional learning to help teachers grow in their practice and positively impact student learning. 

Learning Forward and the National Commission on Teaching and America’s Future suggests the following seven steps to improve teacher agency in professional learning: 

• Make all professional learning decisions in earnest consultation with teachers. Ensure at least 50% teacher representation on school and district teams responsible for every decision-making stage, from planning and data analysis to design, implementation, and evaluation.

• Rethink the organization of school days so educators can meet regularly to collaborate with colleagues on improving teaching and learning. 

• Involve and support teachers in analyzing data and identifying teaching and learning challenges.

• Establish learning communities, such as PLCs, where educators solve problems of practice and share responsibility for colleague and student success. 

• Give teachers choices regarding their professional learning, including who they work with and where they focus their learning. 

• Ensure that professional learning is for continuous growth, not evaluation. 

• Resist the temptation to “scale up” or mandate a particular form of professional learning without thoroughly examining the context in which it will be implemented. Understand that learners must want to improve their practice and see how the learning opportunity will help them. 

Benefits of Professional Learning

Like medicine and law, education requires continuous professional learning due to advancements in research; changing demographics; federal, state, and local policy changes; and evolving professional responsibilities. Advances in technology and emerging social issues also shape and shift how teachers approach instruction. 

At the individual level, professional learning elevates teachers’ professional growth, advances educator effectiveness, and increases student engagement. Professional learning also benefits teacher cohorts across schools, with PLCs giving teachers a place to try new instructional approaches, evaluate specific pedagogical practices and tactics, and allow for planning, modeling, and reflecting. 

Teacher-led professional learning also creates opportunities for educators to collaborate and examine data to improve instruction. For example, educators can come together to examine student data, consider and identify specific instructional practices and interventions that address literacy gaps identified in the data, and reconvene to discuss the results of implementing those strategies. 

Elevate Professional Growth

Professional development significantly contributes to teachers' career advancement and personal fulfillment by connecting educators to new ideas, instructional practices, and technologies. Teachers can stay updated on evolving educational trends and technologies by continuously learning, and gain confidence in their practice by acquiring new skills and expertise through independent learning and collaboration with their PLC peers. By investing in their growth, teachers set themselves up for long-term success and increased earning potential. 

Advance Educator Effectiveness

Through professional learning, teachers access new teaching methods, tools, and instructional strategies that they can immediately apply in their classrooms. This exposure to best practices helps educators create more engaging and effective learning environments. By collaborating with other teachers in their PLCs, they can gain fresh perspectives that lead to improved classroom practices.

When PLCs focus on topics like differentiated instruction and adolescent literacy, teachers learn strategies to support students from various backgrounds and learning needs. Taking an individualized approach leads to better student outcomes and more inclusive classrooms.

It is important to note that some studies have shown a direct correlation between professional learning for teachers and student achievement. Some research suggests that teachers who receive substantial, high-quality professional learning can boost their students’ achievement by roughly 21 percentage points.  

Increase Student Engagement

Teachers who engage in professional learning are more likely to incorporate innovative teaching methods, such as project-based learning and technology integration, that can significantly boost student engagement and learning outcomes.

By investing in continuous learning and improvement, educators can advance their careers and create more dynamic, effective, and engaging learning experiences for their students.

Strategies for Implementing Professional Learning

Professional learning is most effective when it is continuous and supports teachers’ day-to-day practice. Evidence suggests that successful programs stem from challenges teachers face or originate in district-adopted instructional approaches rather than representing abstract ideals or arising from disparate workshops. 

Supporting professional learning with aligned instructional materials can further increase impact. Without concrete support for new practices, professional learning will likely fall short because integrating new knowledge and approaches into one’s classroom takes cognitive resources and time focused on improving practice.

Leveraging Professional Learning Communities (PLCs)

PLCs are a key part of an effective professional learning program. They allow teachers to share best practices in a supportive environment that meets weekly, monthly, or even online. Whether organized by content area, grade level, or across schools, PLCs can strengthen relationships between educators and give them a safe place to exchange ideas and try new approaches.

• PLCs allow teachers to brainstorm innovative ways to improve literacy and student achievement from the ground up. 

• PLCs enhance teacher reflection on instructional practices and student outcomes. At PLC meetings, teachers can share student progress data, celebrate their successes, and identify areas for improvement.

• Learning from others in a PLC allows teachers to reflect on ways to enhance and adjust their teaching practice. 

Using Pre-Service Days

School administrators can schedule time for teacher professional learning throughout the year, including during the summer months or before school starts. For example, some schools introduce professional learning programs in June and schedule face-to-face days throughout the summer to support self-paced online learning modules. Pre-service days can also be used to onboard new teachers or pair them with mentors.

Using In-Service Days

One day likely won't give your teachers enough time to dive deep into a literacy topic, but they can use that time to follow up on any work they’ve been engaged in throughout the year. By sticking to one topic and connecting it back to initiatives that teachers are already working on, you can answer questions and collect insightful feedback to help your school plan future professional learning.

Providing Weekly Time During the School Day

It’s essential to carve out time for continuous professional learning beyond workshops and short training sessions. 

• Educators need dedicated time to collaborate and reflect with colleagues.  

• Comprehensive mentoring or induction programs provide new teachers with feedback and support about curriculum development, classroom management, parent communications, and other responsibilities. 

• Veteran teachers can get extra literacy support if they are teaching new curricula, grade levels, or student populations. 

By providing time for teachers each week, you can facilitate PLC participation and ensure educators benefit from their time together.

Selecting a Professional Learning Program

Hanover Research says a high-quality professional learning plan “includes an ongoing, coherent sequence of learning opportunities designed to improve the knowledge, skills, and abilities of teachers and instructional staff to ultimately enhance student academic outcomes.”

By offering structured and job-embedded learning opportunities, you can support peer collaboration, build teachers’ skills, increase job satisfaction, and help teachers develop a more sophisticated understanding of each other’s teaching practices.  

An effective professional learning plan for literacy should include:

• Teacher learning goals, implementation actions, a timeline, success measures, and an evaluation plan 

• Differentiation based on content area and/or grade level

• Customized activities and pathways for novice and veteran teachers that incorporate active learning, collaboration, coaching, mentoring, and opportunities for feedback and reflection 

Working teachers need time to adjust and change their existing literacy practices as they strive to absorb new ones. Because of this, they deserve more than what is typically offered in short-term courses or workshops. Many educators might be unaware of the type of coursework or professional learning they need, while newer teachers might require direct feedback about the differences between their actual knowledge and what they believe they know in order to adopt new practices. 

Lexia® has developed a professional learning portfolio designed to cover all components of an effective, evidence-based literacy program and allow for further targeted learning around specific topics. Together, our professional learning programs embody a dedication to evidence-based practices that cultivate literacy-rich environments through informed, shared strategic decision-making while making the most of teachers’ time and districts’ professional development investments. 

Boost student success by reimagining professional learning for your educators.