Source: EducationWeek, March 06, 2024

 

New findings from EducationWeek illustrate big disconnects between K-12 school district leaders and their teachers with respect to how much professional development they want or need, and whether it’s effective. Which has big implications for vendors of K-12 professional development software, like Edsby.

Many teachers see PD as irrelevant

Of an October, 2023 survey of more than 2,000 U.S.-based educators, principals and other education leaders, nearly half of teachers, 48 percent, said the professional development provided by their district or a paid vendor that they are required to take is irrelevant or not connected to their current teaching job, EdWeek found.

The same percentage of teachers also said they received too much PD in the past year.

Principals seem to disagree. When asked the same question about PD’s relevance to their teachers’ jobs, the vast majority — 84 percent — said it is on target. And nearly half, 48 percent, felt teachers receive too little training.

Among teachers who want PD, training on digital tools ranks high

When it comes to what areas of focus teachers need most from PD right now, technology training ranks high.

According to the report, 13 percent of teachers say they need training on using technology or digital tools effectively.

This answer came second only to teachers saying they don’t need any PD right now (19 percent).

EdWeek’s findings with respect to teacher PD are part of a focus on teacher morale here, from a larger set of research the publication calls The State of Teaching.

These findings reinforce that professional development systems that can be tailored to individual K-12 teachers’ or districts’ needs are critical. Learn how the Edsby social learning platform as K-12 professional development software can facilitate learning at individual schools, or even district-wide.