George Lucas Educational Foundation
Edutopia

Professional Development

Educators must always hone their craft. Discover the many formal, informal, ongoing, and job-embedded professional-development programs keeping teachers at the top of their game.

  • For Teachers, Risking Failure to Improve Practice

    One teacher insists that failure isn’t an endpoint; it’s an opportunity for learning and improvement.
    Laura Lee, Stephen Merrill

  • Can 360-Degree Feedback Empower Students and Teachers?

    Student-teacher professional development can not only improve practices but also build trust and strengthen relationships.
    Laura Lee

  • Tapping Into the Expertise in the Building

    The triad model of peer coaching takes advantage of a powerful professional learning resource available to teachers—their colleagues.
    Kristin Rouleau

  • Learning Walks: Structured Observation for Teachers

    Brief visits to several classrooms give teachers a chance to reflect on a variety of practices.

  • 11 Habits of an Effective Teacher

    Carrie Lam

  • Using Video for Professional Development

    When teachers film themselves in the classroom, it helps them reflect on and improve their teaching practice.

  • A Mentoring Strategy for Preservice Teachers

    Teacher candidates at the University of Wyoming Lab School co-teach with veterans to learn about planning, instruction, and assessment.

  • Travel Grants and Fellowships for Educators

    Money is available to help fund teachers’ professional trips. Here are some resources to help you find and apply for grants and fellowships.
    Matt Davis

  • Teachers Learning From Each Other

    Educators can provide valuable professional development by opening up their classrooms to their peers.

  • 15 Characteristics of a 21st-Century Teacher

    A teacher reflects on our changing society and how change informs what teaching is like today.
    Tsisana Palmer

  • The Big Picture: Integrating SEL Across a District

    The 168 schools in the Nashville district collaborate to bolster school culture and instruction with social and emotional learning.

  • Personalized Professional Development

    Lesson study helps teachers improve by focusing on collaboratively planning and revising a single lesson.
    Adrienne Baytops Paul

  • A Teacher-Centric Approach to PD

    Micro-credentialing is a system that lets teachers choose their professional development—and pays them for it.
    Alyssa Voigt

  • Why Don’t We Differentiate Professional Development?

    PD could be more effective if we differentiated it by gauging teachers' readiness, utilizing their interests, involving them in the process, and providing continual assessment opportunities.
    Pauline Zdonek

  • No Teacher Is an Island

    Working in small teams, high school teachers offer each other support and feedback for improving in their work.