Align PD
Building educator capacity is an essential condition for a successful implementation. Professional development can and should be both aligned to and integrate Employability Skills. Modeling for your teachers will provide clarity and inspiration for how it can be leveraged with students.
Tools to get started
Ask yourself:
How are you designing PD?
Are you modeling for teachers what they will do with their students?
How might we include workforce stakeholders in professional learning for educators through conversations about how to design and provide experiences for students that will results in the outcomes employers are looking for?
Use this PD Planning Tool to get started.
Examples
Batesville, IN
Educators at Batesville HS first developed Employability Skills as a staff before introducing them to students. Their PD was specifically designed to expose them to the SkillsLine curriculum and develop their own collaboration, communication, and work ethic skills.
North Carolina
In North Carolina, educators will soon earn microcredentials for professional development.
Laguna Beach, CA
Laguna Beach Unified School District in California reimagined professional development based on their Portrait of a Learner. Read this article to learn more.
Resources
Sample from Pennsylvania's Hampton Township School District -beginning on page 3 - explicitly makes connections between PD sessions and their Learner Portrait (their terminology for Employability Skills)
Sample PD Choice Board - add a column for Employability Skills
Educator's self-assess their own Employability Skills as they did at Macedonia Middle School