Professional Learning

• IF we develop a comprehensive professional learning plan derived from our vision, THEN staff will be better prepared to equitably address the needs of our students.

• IF regular effective communication and collaboration between district departments occurs, THEN it will support the development of a cohesive district plan for professional learning.

• IF we develop and invest in partnerships with credible outside organizations, THEN we will be able to develop a train-the-trainer model to utilize the expertise within the district to strengthen and improve the professional capacity of our staff.

• IF we develop career ladders and job sharing within the organization and provide professional development and career planning for all staff, THEN we will equip our staff with the skills and experience to take on more varied roles with more responsibility. 

• IF staff are provided professional learning and experiential opportunities outside of their specific role, THEN there will be improved personal capacity, greater communication, and cohesion throughout the district.

• IF staff are provided time, space, and resources to participate in professional learning, THEN we will see an increase in participation and implementation.

• IF we adopt an improvement science approach to professional learning, THEN we will develop a system that is focused on data, research, results, feedback, and best practices to improve performance.

• IF all CJUSD schools develop a culture of open, transparent, collaborative classrooms and workspaces with a focus on growth and building personal capacity, THEN the consequent conversations and collaboration will lead to improved outcomes. 

• IF we develop and implement transparent accountability metrics for professional development, THEN there will be evidence that the learning is being implemented and data on its effectiveness to feed into the continuous improvement cycle.

• IF we clearly explain the relevance (the why?) of the professional development and demonstrate how it improves student achievement, THEN we will have more buy-in for implementation of the learning from the staff and teachers.

• IF staff are given options and agency in professional learning experiences being offered, THEN they will keep their enthusiasm, increase their expertise, and have opportunities to pursue a higher leadership role at their sites.

• IF all education partners adopt a growth mindset, THEN we will be willing to continually challenge ourselves and grow toward meeting our goals and benchmarks.

• IF all parents/caregivers are able to access (time, location, language, culture, communication, etc.) opportunities such as parent committees, site councils, and other district-sponsored groups, THEN they will be able to learn and contribute to relevant discussions that support academic and SEL needs promoting overall student growth and success. 

• IF parents/caregivers are able to access relevant district-sponsored learning and leadership opportunities, THEN parents/caregivers will be better equipped to support academic and SEL needs for overall student growth and success. 

CJUSD will develop and implement a comprehensive Professional Learning Plan (PLP) derived from and guided by the CJUSD Vision.  The PLP will be based on improvement science (a problem-solving approach centered on continuous inquiry and learning) so we can develop a system that is focused on data, research, results, feedback, and best practices to ensure that we have success in our implementation.  To implement our PLP, we will ensure that adequate time, space, and resources are made available to create an environment that is conducive to learning.  Our staff and education partners will be provided with clear, transparent data to guide the plan for their professional learning.  In addition, they will have access to data and metrics specific to improvement following the implementation of their professional learning.  CJUSD will leverage external expertise and partnerships in our professional learning to build a train-the-trainer model.

Action Steps:

• We will develop a PLP team (certificated, classified, site admin, and district staff) who will study the improvement science model (PDSA, Action Learning, Appreciative Inquiry) and review research on successful PLPs to design a comprehensive plan for CJUSD.

• The PLP team will:

• Establish a process to identify the needs of each school site, department, and education partner group.

• Review calendars, bargaining unit contracts, and so forth, to design a comprehensive schedule for annual and weekly professional learning and collaboration opportunities. 

• Look for opportunities within employee calendar for nonstudent days or time within the school day to allow  professional learning to take place.

• Develop a clear set of data and metrics to be used to guide and inform the decision-making process for professional learning.

• Routinely seek out, research, and go through an established vetting process, identify and maintain a readily accessible list of internal and external expertise to provide high-quality resources for professional learning.

Obstacles:

• The PLP team will need to develop schedules that allow for time to plan for professional learning.

• There will need to be funding to support costs associated with planning. 

• The PLP team will need knowledge of what is available and access to those data

• There will need to be an environment where “expert” team members have a motivation to share information and teach others.

• Best practices need to be identified for each division/department.

• A safe environment needs to be created for people in various roles so they do not feel vulnerable for stepping away from their primary duties as outlined in  their job description.

• District staff who may be opposed to or uncomfortable with change will need to be motivated and engaged in professional learning.  

• The PLP team will need to demonstrate follow- up and consistency with behavior of valuing staff time and commitment.

The PLP team will form a working group focused on the structures necessary for promoting a professional learning environment.  A key feature of this plan will be the development of open, transparent, and collaborative workspaces and classrooms that promote conversation leading to improved outcomes and achievement.  Collaboration, coaching/mentoring, and modeling will be used as part of professional learning practices to promote growth and increase implementation of new learning.  The workgroup will identify how to use the revised structure for professional learning and create time for collaborative teams to meet regularly to review student data and plan for instructional and behavioral improvements.

Action Steps:

• The workgroup will develop a collective theory of teaching and learning that is based on research.

• The workgroup will decide on a common school improvement model to be used throughout CJUSD that incorporates an ongoing cycle of conducting research, identifying strategies, implementing the strategies, evaluating results, and reviewing data to determine future actions.  

• The workgroup will develop a communication plan to inform all education partners.

• The workgroup will develop a training plan that includes follow through and dissemination of learning to engage all education partners. 

• The workgroup will identify a mentoring/coaching model for all employees.

• School sites and departments will identify facility needs for professional learning.

• The workgroup will identify specific, ongoing professional learning needs, by employee group, for the onboarding process.

• The workgroup will train working groups on the process of collecting common data.

• The workgroup will train working groups on the practice and process of collaboration with feedback (lesson study, coaching, peer-to-peer feedback, etc.).

• The workgroup will train employees on the coaching process for improving individual skills.

• The workgroup will develop a system of support to assist with implementation of the PLP. 

• The workgroup will revise its evaluation methods to incorporate professional learning.

• There will be clear messaging/shared understanding on growth mindset and clear outcomes.

Obstacles:

• The workgroup will need to develop flexible schedules that allow for time to plan and implement professional learning.

• The workgroup will identify funding to support costs associated with planning and implementation in an equitable manner.

• The workgroup will need to develop an understanding of and training on improvement science.

• The workgroup will need to develop a positive mindset regarding coaching.

• The workgroup will need knowledge of what data are available and access to them.

• The workgroup will need space conducive to professional learning.

• There will need to be collective bargaining agreements.

• The prevailing culture within CJUSD will need to be open to change.

• There will need to be incentivizing for participating (this could take various forms).

• The workgroup will need to provide subs and time for staff to take part in the professional learning.

CJUSD will have a comprehensive PLP that allows for growth opportunities outside of specific roles.  Employees will have options within the offerings to allow for their experiences to support their professional growth interests.  Creating a professional learning environment that cultivates a growth mindset will support employees in the continuous pursuit of skills to enhance their effectiveness.

Action Steps:

• CJUSD will develop career ladders with increased levels of responsibility and leadership.

• The district will collaborate with HR to define job descriptions and pay for subject leads, and department chairs (classified and certificated).

• The district will recruit and Identify certificated and classified employees who are willing to serve as mentors to help others grow professionally.

• The district will develop processes and structures for employees to gain experiences outside of specific roles for possible interests in career advancement.

• The district will develop procedures to document steps to explain needs and follow up to professional learning.

• The district will implement processes that are focused on professional growth. 

• The district will develop procedures and implement processes that focus on professional growth and follow up to professional learning. 

Obstacles:

• The district will need to develop schedules that allow employees time to participate in professional learning.  This will need to be balanced with job requirements and having the employee feel safe that they can step away from their regular duties. 

• The district will need to provide funding to support costs associated with participating in professional learning.

• District staff will need to be connected to district/site goals and vision.  This includes helping district staff see what opportunities are available within this district goal that are meaningful to them.

• There will need to be collective bargaining agreements.

• Some job descriptions may be too rigidly defined to allow for growth.

• There will need to be evaluation processes.

• There are various levels of willingness to participate.

• There are extrinsic and intrinsic motivators.

As part of our PLP we have identified that our parents, guardians, and community play a vital role in our students’ success and have specific and unique learning needs of their own.  Our parents, guardians, and community members will be provided accessible learning opportunities (taking into consideration time, location, language, cultural norms, communications, etc.) within our school and district-sponsored committees, councils, and groups to promote, encourage, and elevate their voices and participation in our combined efforts to meet the academic and social/emotional needs of our students.  CJUSD will work to build our parent/guardian and community members leadership capacity within the committees, councils, and groups they participate in to help ensure they have confidence to express themselves, share their opinions, and contribute to our collective work.

Action Steps:

• We will survey parents, teachers, administrators regarding their professional learning needs.

• We will develop a clear plan to build our parent/guardian capacity to contribute to the collective work.

• We will provide explicit community/district/and site building opportunities.

• We will develop a clear roadmap for all education partners to access learning opportunities.

• We will ensure all education partners are involved in developing the professional learning plan.

• We will develop standards, structures, practices, and outcomes for each group (i.e., by-laws, agendas, minutes, meeting calendars, etc.)

• We will develop a task sheet to ensure communication through all available avenues (shows methods of communication, translation, times).

• We will seek out opportunities to develop capacity of families and community members specific to the needs of the sites, departments, and district.

• We will develop a calendar based on timeliness and need and leave opportunities to add current events, emergency needs,  and so forth.

• We will provide tools to measure the effectiveness of opportunities provided to families and the community.

• We will get district-level administrators to attend those parent/community workshops, not to guide or host, but to learn from and engage with nonemployee participants.

• We will provide incentives for continued participation.

Obstacles:

• We will need to develop schedules that allow for participation in learning opportunities.

• We will need to provide funding to support costs associated with learning opportunities.

• We will need to provide the space needed to support learning opportunities.

• We will need to promote and maintain engagement.

• We will need to find focus and common purpose.

• We will need to identify and meet the actual needs of the community.

• We will need to ensure staff is available to participate and guide.

• We will need to maintain credibility with education partners if our expressed values do not match our actions in other settings.

• We will need to engage members of staff and community (parents, guardians, education partners, etc.) who are not usually involved.

• We will need to provide support (transportation, childcare, etc.) to community members who may want to be involved but need additional support.

• We will need to receive ongoing support from the community (consistency of member participation). Life happens, and people may lose interest when it does.

• When people drop out of committees, councils, and groups, we will identify replacements and bring them up to speed.