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I. Chapter Summary
II. Building and Sustaining Professional Learning Communities [Model]
III. Making the Case for Online Professional Development [List]
IV. Creating a Coordinated Approach to Professional Development [Set of Graphics]
V. Professional Development Process and Communication Guide
VI. State Examples
VII. Resources & Readings
VIII. Next Steps
IX. Work Group Members
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III. Making the Case for Online Professional Development
Background Statement: What is Online Professional Development?
Professional development is necessary to ensure a high quality professional staff. Both the education and the business community recognize that a well-trained staff leads to increased achievement, higher job satisfaction and higher employee retention rates. This professional development may be delivered in a variety of ways, one of which is using online, multimedia resources.
Ongoing professional development provides educators the opportunity to acquire new skills and knowledge needed to improve classroom instruction and raise student achievement. Traditionally, professional development requires teachers and other educators to attend a regularly scheduled class.
Technological advancements have transformed professional development for the 21st century—the availability of online, multimedia professional development has added a new dimension to learning. Teachers and other educators now have the opportunity to gain knowledge and skills by simply using their computers and accessing a particular course or content at any time, any from any place.
Online professional development is not the only alternative to traditional face-to-face professional development; but it is a vital part for being able to address current demands, especially those related to NCLB, and ensuring all teachers are highly qualified.
The positive results of online professional development have been well demonstrated by colleges, universities, business, and the military. In fact, colleges and universities report using online learning with great success and increasing enrollment. Online enrollments continue to grow at rates faster than the overall student body and schools expect the rate of growth to further increase.
Online professional development accommodates a variety of learning styles. A typical online course may include written text, video clips, video meetings, face-to-face meetings, Email, discussion boards with other course participants, and group work.
Some of the other advantages of online professional development include: creating a learning community with statewide participation and communication; eliminating or reducing travel time and expense; allowing for flexibility in terms of when teachers can participate (i.e. teachers can participate at any time and from any place); allowing for benefits to both urban and rural areas; and providing large numbers of teachers with high quality professional development within a specified time frame. Most importantly, a well-trained instructional staff with increased job satisfaction leads to higher teacher retention.
The demands for professional development are extremely high and reliance on traditional, face-to-face methods will not be sufficient to meet current needs. Online professional development is a way to provide the necessary professional development to meet and exceed the increasing demands of developing high quality teachers needed to increase student achievement.
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Making the Case to Policymakers
Who are the Policymakers We Need to Reach?
Policymakers include state government officials (e.g. legislators, state education agency leadership) and state school board members. These leaders represent constituents’ interests on the local, regional, state, and national levels and are in the position to drive policies and funding that directly affect professional development, including online learning and education technology.
Policymakers are extremely busy—multiple stakeholders constantly compete for their time. When approaching a policymaker, plan a targeted campaign. Your address should be short, memorable, and results-oriented. Deliver compelling data that makes your case and ask the policymaker for a specific action related to your campaign. Take the initiative to tell him/her how you can help.
Tips for Meeting with Legislators
1. Find the Right Legislators.
- Spend time and effort on legislators who have power—that is, those who are on the right committee, have in positions of leadership and/or have special knowledge and interest in technology. It is important to work with someone who can do something when you want something done. If your desire is a budget amendment, look for legislators on financial committees, preferably high-ranking members likely to be on conference committees.
- At the same time, keep your eyes on any newcomers. Evaluate them for potential. Are they interested in technology? What are their committee assignments? Do they appear to be on leadership tracks? Do you know someone who can help you reach and influence them? Every powerful chairman was once a freshman and freshmen are usually easier to befriend and will remember that you liked them when they were new.
2. Build Relationships with Legislators.
- Offer invitations for events such as visits to schools showcasing technology projects that are meaningful to them—perhaps the school is in the legislator’s district; perhaps the project’s focus relates to the legislator’s business or personal interest; perhaps it’s a thank-you. Further, take the time to put the spotlight on the legislator white he/she is there. Suggest a photo opportunity for a picture for the next campaign, an article in the local newspaper, or a speaking event at an engagement with parents.
- Visit the legislator in the home district or capitol office now and then. Bring some information, a knowledgeable person, or a constituent with you. Cultivate office staff. Provide ready contact lists for office staff to get information about a technology project or a school or an individual. Let the staff know how you can help them. Make it a goal to win the trust of the legislator and his/her staff.
3. Be Specific and Simple in Your Message.
- In lobbying for or against a specific piece of legislation, make sure you inform the legislator of exactly what you want done. Rather than just saying you “don’t like a bill,” say, “Please vote against the bill when it comes to the technology committee next week.” Remind the legislator just before the meeting. If you want an amendment, provide the amendment language. Try to be at the meeting where the amendment will come up. Inform the bill patron that you are seeking the amendment; with luck, the bill patron will consider your amendment friendly. Try to speak with the person who originally drafted the bill. This person usually has the ear of other legislators.
- Most importantly, be right about your information. Provide an accurate and brief summary of the good and bad components of the legislation that is understandable to the average person. Remember that technology tends to scare people. And, if you are asking legislators to do something that will be unpopular with their party, important constituents, or major special interest group, be upfront and tell them. If significant backlash is likely in their case, consider finding another legislator to do what you want. Make it as easy as possible for legislators to help you and make sure they understand how doing what you want will benefit them.
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Making the Case to State Education Agency Leadership
and State School Board Members
Preparing an Effective Meeting
- Use the opening statement of the meeting to frame the issue. Explain why professional development is important in meeting the educational needs of the state, and then emphasize the importance of online professional development and its connection to ensuring highly qualified teachers.
- Emphasize that you realize that online professional development is not the only option, but another means of achieving the goal of highly qualified teachers.
- Show examples of online professional development including various options of delivery (Refer to “What is Online Professional Development?” statement).
- Know your audience. Determine what appeals to your state board of education both from an individual and statewide perspective.
- Know the current legislation and policies related to professional development and specifically online professional development in your state.
- Show you understand the current priorities or high needs of your state and explain how online professional development address those needs.
- Identify advantages to using online professional development, including its:
- Relevance to the educational communities in both urban and rural areas;
- Lower travel costs (time and expense);
- Flexibility in terms of when and where teachers can participate (any time, any place);
- Ability to be either synchronous or asynchronous (or both);
- Ability to create a learning community by statewide participation and communication; and
- Use of a well-trained instructional staff with increased job satisfaction that leads to higher teacher retention.
- Spell out a targeted online professional development solution and an accompanying plan to bring about the solution. Remember, this is an ongoing long term solution, not simply a short term solution to meet NCLB deadlines.
- Give facts and statistics to support the types of initiatives you are proposing for the district.
- Explain the current state of online professional development and education technology issues. List successful K12 online professional development initiatives from school districts in your state and other states. Use these examples as a conversation-starter for how the state needs to continue to move forward.
- Example: Colleges and universities are using online learning with great success and increasing enrollment. Online enrollments continue to grow at rates faster than the overall student body, and schools expect the rate of growth to further increase.
- Example: Online learning is widely used in business and military.
Finally, at the end of the presentation, connect your plans to your initial vision of improving teaching and learning and developing highly qualified teachers and emphasize why it is important for the school board to embrace and improve online professional development.
- Anticipate the questions that will posed following the meeting. For example:
- What does an online course look like?
- Should we build this system and courses or should we purchase?
- What are the upfront costs and the recurring costs?
- What are the minimum technology requirements?
- Are the teachers ready for this? Will they be successful (i.e. I’ve heard there is a high failure / non-completion rate)?
- How many teachers will be able to participate? What is the cost per teacher? Per course?
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Making the Case to District and Building Administrators
Who are District Administrators?
District administrators include but are not limited to the superintendent, assistant superintendent, curriculum director, director of instruction, financial director and district technology director. It is important to make the case to these district leaders so that they can in turn advocate for educational technology with the school board, the general public, policy makers and school personnel.
Who are Building Administrators?
Building administrators are individuals in administrative roles at the school site (e.g. principal, assistant principal, dean of students). Building administrators have the most direct contact and influence with teachers and students of any school system administrators or leaders. These individuals set the tone for the school—their attitudes and philosophies permeate the entire school. If education technology is high on their priority list, it will likely be a priority of the entire school community.
- Know Your Topic
Goals and Strategies for Making the Case to Administrators
- Summarize the reasons for online professional development to create a compelling set of talking points they can deliver to other stakeholders.
- Clearly outline your goals for online professional development within the district and give specific ways to achieve these goals. In this plan, include:
- One-page list of compelling reasons for educational technology based on audience and/or relevant needs;
- Key strategies, their relationship to specific goals, and key indicators; and
- A resource list of support people, documents, and tools.
- Speak the language of your audience. Use terms relating to teaching and learning.
- Relate online professional development to data-driven decision making and the school improvement process.
- Describe the climate and conditions within a school district or building that will support and promote online professional development.
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Online Professional Development Overview
E-learning includes learning experiences enabled or enhanced by technological resources that support the development, exchange and application of knowledge, skills, attitudes, aspirations or behaviors for the purpose of improving student achievement. Knowledge includes information, theories, principles and research. Skills are the strategies and processes to apply knowledge. Attitudes are beliefs about the value of particular information or strategies. Aspirations are the desires or internal motivation to engage in a particular practice. Behaviors are the consistent application of knowledge and skills. (National Staff Development Council & National Institute for Community Innovations, 2001, p.7)
Making the Case
Why use Online Professional Development Resources?
In the Southern Regional Education Board publication Online Professional Development: Why SREB States Should Use It, these benefits are noted:
- Reaches teachers regardless of where they live and work: Physical barriers to access are removed, allowing “anytime, anywhere” and “just-in-time” learning to occur. This gives teachers access to information and resources as needed. Some teachers have referred to this as help only a “click” away.
- Eliminates or reduces travel time and expense: Given declining budgets, limiting the cost and use of cars, hotels and meals holds considerable appeal. Also, because online learning provides teachers with the flexibility they need to engage in training when it fits their schedule, fewer days away from the classroom or office are necessary and therefore reduce the need for substitutes.
- Provides large numbers of teachers with quality professional development within a specified time period: Scaling professional development to train many teachers in a timely manner presents states with enormous obstacles. These needs include training large numbers of teachers in short periods of time, repeating training to meet teacher turnover and schedule problems and providing follow-up training.
- Creates a learning community where teachers have contact with other teachers who share common experiences and goals. (SREB, 2004, p. 3)
Additional benefits are:
- Increase probability of recruiting and retaining highly coveted educators who come to the district with strong technology skills and the expectation that the school and district will support them in 21st Century professional learning opportunities.
- Because courses are available from universities, colleges, corporations and associations worldwide, educators have access to far more opportunities for professional development, certification credit and degrees than they would in their own school, district, or region.
Be Prepared For Frequently Asked Questions Specific to your State, District or School
Questions to Consider Before Making the Case to Others
- What is the potential impact of online professional development? What does the current research show?
- How can online professional development increase teacher efficiency and effectiveness?
- How do we recognize success? What are key indicators?
- What funding sources are available?
- How might online professional development save money in the long run?
- What successful models currently exist?
- How does online professional development tie into our school improvement efforts and current models of teaching and learning?
- What kind of professional development will be required by everyone at all levels?
- Can or will this transform our current models of teaching and learning?
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Making the Case to the Corporate Community
The Need
To run a successful business, you need to recruit talented individuals, retain their talents and knowledge and continuously develop their skills. Lack of attention to this human infrastructure creates real costs to the running of your business. Schools are no different.
Your workers want and need ongoing professional growth to move up in your company and continue to be challenged. Teachers are no different. They are educational professionals who want to build successful careers within strong organizations that value their expertise and dedication.
High quality schools are a key component to attracting workers with the 21st century skills you need to run your business. To achieve this, schools need teachers with 21st century skills to teach in your classrooms.
How do we find, retain and develop those kinds of teachers within our community? Just as you must have organized strategies to keep the best employees in your business, so must education systems develop an infrastructure to recruit, retain and develop education professionals.
Recruitment
Just as you compete to recruit workers from a tight supply of well-educated and skilled individuals, our school district leaders must compete to attract the high-quality, skilled educators we demand to assure excellent educational opportunities and success for our children. This competition is particularly intense for highly qualified teachers in the areas of math, science and literacy. These areas prove most difficult in staffing teaching positions. At the same time, competence in math, science and literacy are the baseline skills you demand in the graduates you want to hire.
Today’s teachers are not only looking for a higher salary; they are also attracted to jobs with opportunities for professional growth and support that help them create a lifelong career. It is in the best interest of our schools and districts to invest in the infrastructure that will attract these high quality individuals who want to be on the forefront of education. Access to professional development is a key component of this infrastructure and, thus, must be part of a successful recruitment strategy. Today, cutting-edge professional development is being delivered online.
Retention
The ability to retain the workers you paid to recruit and train constitutes a huge business savings. Perhaps more important than this is the ability to keep, with your experienced long-term workers, the intellectual capital you need to run your company smoothly, innovatively and at a profit over the long term.
In education, retaining teachers has become a major challenge.
- In the US, nearly half of all teachers leave within five years (2004 Blackboard Summit Report, p. 19).
- In high poverty urban and rural areas, as many as half of all new teachers leave within three years (Blackboard Summit, p. 19); and
- In our state/community, the retention rate for teachers is [contact your state DOE for state or local data].
Can you imagine running your business under these conditions? This challenge in retention carries with it significant costs for a publicly-funded enterprise, especially in an age of tight budgets. Nationally, teachers who leave after their third year cost their districts nearly 1.5 times their annual salary to replace them (Blackboard Summit, p. 19).
Online professional development strategies provide a variety of benefits that assist with this important retention issue:
- They can help support new teachers during those critical first years, when they’re most likely to leave;
- Online networks enable teachers to connect with mentors and supervisors anytime and just in time;
- Online professional development opens up access to resources and support networks beyond the school building, especially those that may not be available in our community; and
- There is growing evidence that new teachers with a strong professional support systems and professional development through mentoring programs are more likely to stay in the classroom.
Development
Businesses know that, in order to compete, they need to continuously build and update the skills and abilities of their workforce. Because few businesses are able to afford an in-house training staff, they are turning more and more to online strategies to provide ongoing access to high-quality training. Between 2001 and 2003, corporate expenditures in online training grew from $2.2 billion to $11 billion (Growth of e-Learning).
This growth is being driven by realized efficiencies in time, cost and the need to target the training for where it is needed most. The same opportunity exists in K-12 education. Online professional development enables teachers to access courses and resources that may not be available locally. With a particular shortage of math and science teachers in poor, rural and urban districts, online professional development is often the only solution. Deep expertise can be reached easily from anywhere in the nation via online professional development.
Online professional development enables teachers to more easily access training and resources despite their busy schedules. Online strategies give states and districts the flexibility to offer courses outside the constraints of scheduling face-to-face time. In addition, online resources cut out the need for travel away from the district, creating more efficient use of time away from the classroom.
Online professional development enables delivery of targeted and personalized training. One-on-one training in a face-to-face environment is prohibitively expensive. However, offering a broad range of specific online options enables teachers to align learning opportunities with individual needs and priorities.
Summary
You want to create a work environment where your employees are excited to be there, want to do excellent work, and have the skills to help move your business forward. You should demand the same from your schools and for your community’s educators. Beyond the dollars and cents, we want our children to go to a school that has high-quality teachers who are dedicated and excited to be there, who have the skills to educate and nurture our children, and who provide a strong, stable educational environment. Online professional development can help us make this a reality.
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 #1: Making the Case for Online Professional Development
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