Northwest Trends | Professional Development

a teacher at work
Northwest Trends

Although all five states in the Northwest scored poorly in Quality Counts 2000 on efforts to improve teacher quality, there are plenty of spots in the region where promising approaches are underway. No one model is being used consistently to develop teachers' classroom skills. The district in Edmonds, Washington, winner of a 1999 professional development award from the Department of Education, doesn't use a model at all. Instead, the district's teachers approach staff development more philosophically, as a way of working together to improve instruction.

Around the region, professional development efforts — whether organized at individual schools, by districts, states, or regional consortia — share an underlying belief in teachers' capacity to grow and learn throughout their careers. Other hallmarks include:

Collaboration — In Montana, three districts located within the Flathead Indian Reservation have overcome the challenge of geography by pooling resources for professional development. The Mission Valley Consortium is built on the premise that conversation, reflection, and continuous improvement are essential for effective staff development, Novick reports in Actual Schools, Possible Practices. Teams made up of representatives from each school review research in such areas as cognition, school culture, and leadership. The consortium has sponsored study groups, workshops, and courses for credit. Similarly, in Salem, Oregon, 13 school districts and the Willamette Education Service District have formed a consortium for professional development and school improvement. The Willamette Curriculum Coalition recruits teacher leaders from throughout the region to provide collegial, interactive professional development related to Oregon's standards-based learning and assessment system.
Teachers of teachers — Teachers from all corners of Alaska have a chance to deepen their understanding of technology and share their learning with other teachers through an ambitious program called ARCTIC (for Alaska Reform in the Classroom through Technology Integration and Collaboration). The five-year professional development project, a Technology Innovation Grant Project funded by the U.S. Department of Education, is designed to improve the way teachers teach and students learn by using technology as a tool for classroom change. Montana, also through a Technology Innovation Grant, has launched a collaborative project between a dozen schools and the University of Montana. Montana TALES (Teaching and Learning in Every School) trains teams of teachers to integrate technology into classroom instruction. Teams then use technology with students, K-12, to research and relate multimedia "tales" that reflect local culture, history, legends, and traditions. Having teachers lead projects in their own buildings is having a snowball effect, with staff interest in integrating technology expanding across all disciplines.
Growing professionalism — In Washington, the Northwest Initiative for Teaching and Learning (NWIFTL) is attempting to build a collaborative, reflective school culture through long-term professional development. A partnership that includes four school districts, two universities, the state superintendent of public instruction, and organizations such as the Washington Education Association, NWIFTL is researching the relationship between professional development and student learning. Creating time for teachers to reflect and collaborate at the building level boosts professionalism through such building-based projects as faculty study groups, peer coaching, and grade-level teams focusing on specific content areas.

At a Washington school, one teacher remembers how she felt the first time a peer coach asked to visit her class. "I wondered, was she coming in to judge me? Would she think I couldn't do my job? I was pretty reluctant. We older teachers were used to closing our classroom doors and doing our own thing. But I took a chance, invited her in, and watched her model a reading lesson with my kids. She had such high energy and was so knowledgeable. I saw my kids respond. I was so excited — and suddenly, eager to improve myself. She and I wound up team teaching, sharing ideas and building on each other's strengths. Teaching has become so much more fun. I'm not alone anymore."