Building Effective Professional Development in Elementary School: Designing a Path for Excellent Teaching

Learn the principles of comprehensive professional development and motivate elementary school teachers to be more effective in the classroom! In Building Effective Professional Development in Elementary School, Judy Johnson presents a career-long and comprehensive approach to professional development that gives teachers the support they need to improve instruction and raise the levels of student achievement. Her book not only explains how to create and lead a successful PD program; it also offers practical advice for establishing a school culture that will encourage teachers to collaborate and self-motivate in an effort to improve instruction. Other topics include:

• Training to deepen content knowledge and expand the teaching repertoire;
• Identifying high-performing educators and helping them build upon their strengths;
• Using teaching demonstrations to enliven and diversify classroom practice;
• Creating an effective mentorship program that brings out the best in faculty members, regardless of experience level;
• Resolving problems with recruitment, dealing with disgruntled teachers, assessing teaching quality, and overcoming other obstacles preventing implementation of a comprehensive professional development program;
• And more!

Judy Johnson is a consultant and former teacher. She served as executive director of the Cotsen Foundation for the Art of Teaching in Los Angeles, CA from 2001-2013. Prior to that role, she was vice president of the Los Angeles Education Partnership, where she directed all programs, including professional development of K-12 teachers.