Resource Hub
Explore guides, research papers, policy briefs, and tools to aid decisions on standards and assessments.
Common Core State Standards & the Transformation of Professional Development: What Policymakers Can Do to Advance High-Quality Professional Development at Scale
Education First has prepared a series of briefs called Common Core State Standards & the Transformation of Professional Development to help policymakers and educators understand the professional development teachers need that meets a high bar for quality and impact called for by the new standards. The goals of the series are to clearly define the specific supports and learning opportunities educators need, to illustrate how to deliver professional development opportunities at scale and at depth, and to translate conclusions of policy changes that state and local leaders should consider. The series begins with an Executive Summary. This brief (Brief no. 3) is the last in the series and specifically addresses state and district leaders who should work to create professional learning systems that are “replicable, affordable and effective” (p. 4). The authors give five recommendations to help state and districts achieve high-quality, Common-Core aligned professional learning.
Based on findings from research (see Brief no. 1) and interviews from districts implementing effective professional development (see Brief no. 2), the recommendations found in this last brief of the series provides general starting points for states and districts to create effective professional development for the Common Core for teachers and principals. Some of the recommendations may seem overly broad (e.g., “clarify where your dollars are going and prioritize how they can be used most effectively”). However, what is useful in this brief is that for each recommendation, the authors reiterate concrete examples of what districts have done in implementing the recommended action, provide links and citations to additional resources, and list actions that state and districts leaders can take. In addition to its useful content, this brief is well-organized, using lists, sidebars, and colors to help with readability and accessibility.