Teachers Know Best: Teachers’ Views on Professional Development

Every teacher has strengths and weaknesses—so what happens when teachers who are weak in some areas pair with teachers who are strong in those areas to share their skills? Findings from an initiative developed by the Tennessee Department of Education (TDOE) suggest that when teachers work together, everybody wins—and grows.

Teaching is complex. Understanding effective teaching requires a careful look at how a variety of skills and practices work together to inspire learning among diverse students.

Last month, we looked at how distributed leadership teams can create the conditions for positive change within schools. One of the key ways they do this is by studying data and using insights from that data to drive their improvement efforts.