Teachers give District's training mixed reviews
by Jessica Oliff
This year, students in the School District of Philadelphia won't be the only ones learning lots of new things. As the District continues to implement new components of its standardized core curriculum, teachers are participating in an array of classes and workshops designed to improve their instruction.
So far the District has drawn mixed reviews regarding its professional development offerings for teachers in grades K-9 who have been working with the new core curriculum since last year.
Some teachers interviewed by the Notebook report that the training they received last year was better organized and more meaningful than in prior years, particularly the training outside of the school day.
Others have said that the District's training is not the type of support that they need to succeed in the classroom. In some cases, these teachers have turned to outside organizations to develop skills that will improve their instruction.
District professional development criticized
One criticism of previous professional development programs has been that the time is not used for activities that will directly improve classroom instruction.
Allie Mulvihill, acting co-director of the Philadelphia Education Fund (PEF), pointed to the poor quality of some of Philadelphia's past professional development opportunities.
"In 2000 and 2001, PEF collected the agendas and professional development calendars from across the 22 clusters. You cannot believe the variability - and downright nonsense in some cases - that was being sponsored," Mulvihill said.
Some teachers expressed concerns about the time set aside Friday afternoons last year for professional development. In 2003-04, the District arranged for early dismissal of students two Fridays a month so that teachers would have time to learn about the new instructional programs.
Kelley Collings, a fifth-grade teacher at Central East Middle School, said, "If we're going to use all this time for professional development on Fridays, then it has to be more school- based and meaningful to teachers. It has to be created around our needs.. Otherwise, I'd rather be teaching."
Some teachers reported that many Friday sessions were "scripted," "slow-moving," and "boring."
Others were dismayed that the District's workshops did not encourage teachers to be creative in their classrooms.
Teacher Ashley Hayman, also at Central East Middle School, explained, "Any thought I'd had of coming up with lessons on my own was gone.. [The District's] message was this is how you do it - this one way."
Some positive feedback
Despite criticisms of the content in many professional development sessions last year, some teachers did find it helpful to have regular sessions in school every other Friday.
Judy Starr, a veteran first-grade teacher at Greenberg Elementary School, said she felt that last year's professional development was an improvement over previous years because the meetings were held regularly.
"It allowed us to hear everything at one time, and everyone had the chance to hear other people's concerns and voice their own in a more uniform and connected fashion than my other experiences with professional development," said Starr.
Starr also spoke highly of the professional development available on Saturdays during the past school year, where trainers focused on the best ways to use the District's elementary school Everyday Math curriculum.
The District also provided one-on-one professional development through coaches designated for each region and lead teachers at each school, which many teachers, especially new ones, appreciated.
Jonathan Williams, a third-year teacher at Blankenburg Elementary school, said, "I've had some coaching, and it's been helpful, but I'll say I could've used more . especially when there are different strategies coming at you from different directions, and you're trying to figure out what to do."
Williams and other teachers at restructured schools have been particularly positive about the training and coaching available from the Office of Restructured Schools.
Other teachers said they benefited from the professional development held over the summer to introduce teachers to the changes planned for literacy, math, and science instruction for this school year.
Alyssa Austin, a fifth-grade teacher at Hopkinson School, said this summer's trainings were helpful because teachers "could sit and think more constructively and critically about their instruction."
But only a small percentage of Philadelphia teachers attended the Saturday and summer professional development opportunities due to space constraints and lack of funding to pay for additional trainers.
Outside professional development
While teachers have had mixed experiences with the School District's programs, many of the teachers interviewed by the Notebook were enthusiastic about professional development experiences that were provided by organizations other than the District.
Erica Young, a second-grade teacher at Morris Elementary, was one of several teachers who praised the professional development they had received through the Philadelphia Writing Project (PhilWP). Young stated that PhilWP training provides opportunities for teachers to share ideas, learn from one another and dig deeply into issues that they face in the classroom.
Starr praised the literacy instruction provided in past years by the Philadelphia Education Fund, saying, "It taught you how to present the components of literacy effectively to your class."
The Fund no longer trains Philadelphia teachers in literacy because the School District now provides literacy training. Starr said the District's new literacy professional development focuses too narrowly on how to use the textbooks purchased by the District.