Models of Professional Development: A Celebration of Educators

"This book serves as a very useful resource to those who develop, organize, and research staff development for teachers. The authors understand that it is important to describe the models we use as well as to consider their application and improvement in the future. The authors′ call to engage in research about staff development is a very significant challenge to professionals in the field."
―Jim Jutras, Director of Education
Saskatoon Public Schools, Saskatchewan, Canada

"The flowing finesse of writing style, blended with historically relevant theories and contemporary examples of action research, makes this a soon-to-be classic text."
―Dixie Keyes, Director, Arkansas Delta Writing Project
Assistant Professor of Middle Level Education, Arkansas State University, Jonesboro

An in-depth resource for designing and implementing effective professional development!

A successful school is one in which the learning of educators is as highly valued as the learning of students. Professional development nurtures and encourages such growth, maximizing educators′ professional effectiveness. Written by nationally recognized experts, this comprehensive resource identifies five major contemporary professional development models that can be implemented and tailored to meet the diverse needs of any school or district.

With emphasis on the essential connection to student outcomes, this volume provides an in-depth analysis of each approach, plus concrete guidelines for effective implementation and program evaluation. Based on the belief that all models can succeed if properly implemented, the book examines:

• Models to support individuals
• Collaborative personal/professional direct service models such as mentoring and coaching
• Collaborative and cooperative models
• Models designed to achieve curricular and instructional change
• The traditional workshop model and how it can be improved

Staff developers, principals, and other education leaders will find Models of Professional Development a valuable and insightful road map for successfully navigating the field of professional development and growth.

Emily Calhoun currently focusses on school improvement and professional development, where she combines practice and research. She specializes in the language arts, particularly the teaching of reading and writing in the elementary grades and literacy development K-12, including programs for struggling readers.

She writes and consults on action research, The Picture-Word Inductive Model of Teaching, and ways of incorporating digital technologies into K-12 learning environments through the development of hybrid courses.

She lives in Saint Simons Island, Georgia.