Professional Development

View/download Professional Development chart (15KB)

WHAT YOU ARE LOOKING AT

This table shows how much each of the state’s school districts has spent on professional development – training for the professional staff – both averaged over the past three school years and in the most recent school year (2004-05). The expenditures are listed as per-pupil expenditures; the districts are ranked by average per-pupil expenditure over the past three years.

The four columns to the right-hand side of the table show teacher responses to various questions on the SALT Survey regarding their teaching history and their views on the efficacy of teacher training in their district.

WHAT YOU ARE LOOKING FOR

You are looking to see not just how much districts are spending on training their teachers, but also to see whether this training is helping the district to recruit, support, and retain a highly qualified teaching staff.

The four columns on the right-hand section of the table will show you whether teachers believe that lack of training is a problem in their school. You can also see which districts employ a large percentage of veteran teachers and which are employing many first-year teachers. If a district employs a high percentage of veteran teachers, most likely that district has been successful at retaining teachers over time.

Teacher mobility can be a significant factor regarding the efficacy of professional-development expenditures. Some districts may be spending money to train teachers, but high turnover prevents the investment from taking root and improving the culture of teaching and learning.