A Culture of lifelong learning: Ten Professional Development Strategies for School leaders

This article is reprinted from LinkedIn with Dr. Manno's permission. It is my belief that every educator will ​benefit from his wisdom. Enjoy! 

 Dr. Christopher Manno, Superintendent of Schools, Burlington County, New Jersey


Following A Culture of Lifelong Learning: Ten Professional Development Strategies for School Leaders Aug 22, 2015

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Effective teacher professional development must be of the highest quality – thoughtfully designed with teacher input and choice, and planned to account for How People Learn (Bransford, J., 1999). Effective teacher learning occurs in the context of a school-wide culture of lifelong learning. Effective teacher professional development is an ongoing process, not an event. Therefore, effective professional development for teachers is about designing varied and connected learning experiences in multiple contexts.

 Achieving effective professional learning experiences may often be in conflict with the inordinate amount of teacher training time to support mandates not directly related to teaching, learning, curriculum, instruction, and/or assessment, e.g. bullying prevention, sexual harassment, Affirmative Action policies, Right to Know policies, staff conduct, business or financial practices, and personnel procedures.  These are all very important to effectively, responsibility, and safely administering schools; however, they are secondary to schooling’s core mission of teaching and learning.

There are creative ways to overcome this perennial tug-of-war over our most precious resource - time. Here are ten ways to design professional learning experiences given time constraints:

1. Use the calendar. Identify days that can be transformed into half days for students and half days for professional development. Plan these days during months in which less calendar disruptions occur. When presented, explained and framed proactively and thoughtfully, Boards of Education and parents can be very understanding of professional growth and learning needs for teachers; and, can understand this wise investment in better instruction. Work with your local YMCA or other childcare organizations to provide after-care for younger students on these days.
2. Use "faculty meeting" time thoughtfully to promote professional growth. Don’t squander faculty meeting time on reading announcements. If the principal is standing in the front of the room for more than fifteen minutes, it’s too long. Never read or state something during a faculty meeting that can simply be read in an email or shared document prior to the meeting, e.g. Google Drive or Dropbox. Hold everyone – teachers and administrators – accountable for reading the information. Require everyone to read and electronically sign off that they read such. Do it yourself as a role model. Google Forms is an outstanding way to do this; or, just include and electronic sign off page at the end of a Google Doc, with a statement, "I have read and understand the material included in this briefing" and a place for staff to type their name in a designated Then, a small amount of faculty meeting time can be used for brief clarification or questions on the informational items. Most of the time should be used toward professional growth, teacher-created mini-workshops, or turn-key training from out-of-district workshops educators may have attended. 
3. Create Professional Learning Communities (PLCs). Rotate "faculty meetings" with PLCs. Use a Google Form to survey staff regarding topics or areas of study, all directly related to a statedDistrict or School Goals. Use one meeting per month for faculty meetings, and one for PLCs, or some variation of this depending on the local collective bargaining agreement. Make sure PLCs are tightly structured, facilitated, and result in products. Invest the time to directly teach about how PLCs work; this is a valuable activity for a faculty meeting. Remember, a PLC is not just a group of educators getting together to chat over coffee. It’s much more.
4. Create a peer observation program, in which teachers on preparation periods can volunteer to cover the class of a colleague, so that teacher can observe another colleague. In turn, the teacher who had the opportunity to observe will do the same (cover) for another colleague. It's a "pay it forward" model. Encourage teachers to post-conference about the visits. Provide a suggested (not mandated) protocol grounded in best practice to guide such discussions. Collect no documentation on the visits, other than perhaps how many took place, in order to be able to measure the use of the program. Consider having a Collective Bargaining Unit (Association) member or a teacher leader coordinate the model, so as to keep administrators completely out of it. You don't want the staff to believe the administrators are monitoring participation. The idea is that teachers should not do this out of obligation or fear they will be judged if they don't. You want to develop a culture of professional growth out of sincere desire to learn; which is not developed by guilt, coercion, or fear. 
5. Develop a book club program, in which teachers are provided time, during faculty meetings, PLC's, or volunteer or paid workshop time before or after school, to study professional literature. Allow teachers to choose the books related to district/school goals or their own professional development plans. Let teachers choose the groups; don't micromanage it. The more standardization you attempt, the less effective this will be. If possible, purchase the books for the teachers. It’s a wise investment. The most important task for administration is to make the time. Provide a suggested book review protocol to guide discussion, but don't mandate it or collect documentation, other than how many teachers participated. Your job is to be a helpful resource and coach. Again, a culture of learning is developed organically, through desire to improve, not out of guilt or fear. 
6. Purchase each teacher a good professional book that supports District or school goals, instead of purchasing trinkets for Teacher Appreciation Day or Week.
7. Develop an administrator as teacher program, by encouraging school administrators to be educational leaders, i.e. master teachers. The top criteria for an educational leader should be teaching prowess and achievement. As administrators are reviewing lesson plans, they occasionally may choose a lesson in a content area of comfort, and teach the teacher's lesson for the day. The administrator should talk with the teacher about the lesson and the needs of the students, e.g. which student might require differentiation of instruction. Have the teacher be an observer for the lesson, and provide critique and feedback to the admin Don’t just give the teacher a period off, or the objective is lost. Always accept feedback graciously regardless of the nature. If time permits, conduct pre- and post-conferences to discuss and reflect upon the lesson.  That educational leader immediately develops “street cred.” with teachers and students. Not only might you inspire a teacher to try something new, this will make all your dealings with staff and students more effective, because they will respect you as an educator, not just a manager.
8. Add a valuable step to the observation cycle, even if you only do it once per year or semester with targeted teachers. Conduct a “pre-pre-conference” identifying an area of pedagogy in which the teacher would like to focus. The school leader then develops a lesson consistent with the teacher's unit/plan, and teaches the lesson for the students utilizing techniques consistent with the teacher’s stated focal area(s). The teacher observes. You are modeling. After the administrator lesson, conduct a “post-pre-conference,” to reflect on the administrator’s lesson and how he/she used strategies. Have the teacher identify what he/she learned. This “post-pre-conference” will then smoothly transition into a pre-conference on the teacher's lesson for the administrators to formally observe, and how the teacher will incorporate the new techniques. Conduct the teacher observation, and then a post-conference. This process sounds onerous, however, really adds only two steps to the observation process; and, it is extraordinarily powerful, adding value, professional dialogue, and learning to what is often a rote observation process. It frames the administrator as a real educational leader, and a teacher leader. Every new administrator should consider doing this. Word will spread like wildfire that he/she can actually teach, and this develops “street ” for the administrators instantaneously. Of course, this is provided the administrator is actually a good teacher.
9. Develop a teacher shadow program, in which an administrator shadows a teacher for the entire day –including lunch, preparation, hall passing, etc. This ensures that administrators constantly remember what it is like to walk in a teacher’s shoes. It demonstrates to teachers that you value their experience, and are attentive to their needs. Don’t wander off to your office or take phone calls or texts, unless there is a true crisis. Make it voluntary. Visa versa, you can develop an administrator shadow program, in which teachers do the same with a school leader. Encourage administrators and teachers to report out publicly at a faculty meeting regarding their experience. 
10. Use Management by Wandering Around (Peters, T., & Waterman, 1982). Get out of your office. Tour the school with a personalized post-it or note-pad in hand. Visit classrooms and observe for five to ten minutes in each class. Don't be a stiff suit. Talk with the kids and teachers. Announce your entry and don't be afraid of interrupting. They love to have you there, and see you care, are interested, and are a real person. Say, "Good morning folks. It's great to see you all today. What are you working on?” Allow a few students to respond, and then ask the teacher. Say, "Ok, carry on...let's see what you've got?" This only takes 1-2 minutes, if that. You’ve engaged them; they will remember and may tell Mom and Dad at night. Then, observe for a few minutes, and leave a brief note for the teacher AND students for the teacher to share with the students. Something like: "Class, I enjoyed popping in. I was impressed with your understanding of least common  This is an important concept to understand the manipulation of fractions. You’ll use this concept for your entire math career, and maybe beyond. Great job everyone. Have a great day! Dr. M." 

Effective Professional Development is not simply coordinating an outside presenter to provide a workshop to staff, while administrators sit in the back of the room; or worse, go to their office to get “work” done. Professional development is the “work.” Effective Professional Development is about leadership, modeling, and nurturing a culture of love of learning, growth, collaboration, and innovative risk-taking amongst the adults in your school and districts. This, in turn, translates into a culture of lifelong love of learning for students.

Dr. Manno has been a Superintendent of Schools for ten years, a school leader for eighteen years, and was the 2013 NJ Superintendent of the Year. He is a graduate and doctoral instructor of educational leadership for Delaware Valley University, Gwynedd Mercy University, The College of New Jersey, and Rutgers University.