Professional Learning that Matters
Editor’s Note
Editor’s Note: This article was originally published on December 5, 2019, via NHLInsights as part of the research and field implementation series for the New Hampshire Learning Initiative (NHLI). It has been revised and updated to reflect current practices.
When you think about professional development in education it is reasonable to picture what most of us have experienced; full day workshops of “sit and get” and a “hope” that what was communicated in five hours will somehow miraculously change our practice. Or perhaps it is the “Wild West” professional learning approach, where one struts out on their own to pursue what they are personally interested in, only to find that alignment to district and school goals, or even educational strategies, proves problematic.
It is challenging to plan professional development experiences that matter. Money, time, perceptions of success, and competing priorities often push the planning toward the most expedient delivery, but it may not result in the most beneficial learning for adults. Furthermore, completely ‘personal interest-focused’ learning experiences, which can also be laudable and ambitious, often result in unproductive directions for educators.
It is important to strike a balance in professional learning that acknowledges personalized learning goals and that captures the priorities and goals of a school or district. A professional development system needs to balance approaches, strategies, formats, and directions to adequately support professional learning that matters. A balanced approach should target the following:
Learner Driven and School/District Guided:
Adult learning should offer meaningful choice and autonomy while staying grounded within clear district guardrails, vision, and mission.
Job-Embedded and Goal Oriented:
Teachers refine their craft within authentic classroom settings, balancing daily practice with explicit goals for instructional transformation.
Experts and Practitioners:
Educators thrive when partnering alongside experts and facilitators who guide the learning process—not when being lectured to.
Measures and Experiences:
Meaningful PD relies on formative and summative evidence that directly tracks student progress and classroom shifts, rather than administrative metrics.
Graduate Credit and PD Hours:
Offering pathways that turn standard PD hours into graduate credit fuels teacher morale and produces classroom-based research that elevates the entire school.
Shared and Individual Professional Learning:
Professional Learning Communities build collective efficacy while honoring individual teacher growth—especially when extended across district lines with grade-level or subject peers.
Leaders and Peers:
Teachers learn best from one another. Recognizing educators as both leaders and co-inquirers creates a culture of shared expertise and psychological safety.
Student and System Centered:
Professional development must help teachers stay nimble with individual student pacing while remaining clearly aligned with larger competency targets.
Information and Coaching:
Information sharing is only the first step; real transformation requires follow-up coaching, iterative practice, and feedback over time.
Teacher Goals and District Priorities:
District goals should never be driven by short-lived trends. High-impact PD balances reflective teacher-identified needs with evidence-based district priorities.
Professional learning that matters balances approaches, strategies, formats, and direction so that teachers emerge with secure skills and the confidence to implement them in new ways, with students at the center. And, in the end, this is what you want from PD – real transformation that honors teaching as an art, a science, and a skill. This creates meaningful and enduring innovation in education.
Article Attribution & History
Author: Ellen Hume-Howard, Executive Director at New Hampshire Learning Initiative (NHLI).
Original Publication: December 5, 2019, via NHLInsights (Revised & Updated).
Citation: Hume-Howard, E. (2019/Revised). Professional Learning that Matters. Building Essential Skills Today (BEST) Research Library.