Administrators can have a dramatic impact on the quality of professional learning teachers experience in their buildings and they typically control decisions related to school spending. Supporting a culture of professional learning within the school and setting priorities for beginning educators’ professional learning can be accomplished by:

• Establishing a school culture that supports the ongoing professional learning of educators. When administrators send clear messages to faculty in support of their personal development and the development of collective efficacy for student learning, educators know their efforts to improve are valued. Establishing expectations and providing fiscal support for all educators to engage in learning experiences that will further school improvement and student achievement goals will help establish the school as a place where students and teachers learn together and from each other.

• Offering individualized support and thought partnership with beginning teachers regarding participation in professional learning opportunities. Asking beginning educators where they see the need for improvement in their own work and what kinds of learning opportunities would be beneficial signals administrative support for providing individualized growth opportunities. Administrators can rely on formative observations to inform their understanding of educator needs and seek support from district or school personnel regarding learning opportunities that can support educators in areas of identified need.

• Establishing fiscal support for beginning teachers to participate in learning opportunities. Educators who want to improve may lack the financial resources to seek out needed learning. This is particularly true for those on the lowest rungs of the salary ladder. Designating funding pools that can be drawn upon specifically by beginning teachers for participation in learning opportunities allows administrators to support beginning educators’ growth and establish a learning culture within the school.

• Developing and providing cohesive and focused faculty-wide training aligned to school goals and priorities. In determining what goals to include in school improvement plans, administrators should be cognizant of developing sustained efforts at building capacity to meet goals. When administrators jump year to year to a new “flavored” learning initiative, faculty learn that sustained effort at improving is less important than biding time until the next thing comes along. Consistent and focused efforts to improve faculty-wide, even when the effort spans multiple years, provides faculty opportunity to define, implement, and refine instructional practices that support school improvement.

• Providing support for implementation, decision-making, prioritization, and facilitation of impactful professional learning. While administrators may not design or directly facilitate professional learning, they do have a duty to ensure that the systems they oversee are ones where there is administrative effort to ensure accountability for collective efficacy among faculty aimed at improving student learning. Ensuring that educators have access to high-quality learning experiences within the school building and supporting educators’ implementation of high-quality instructional practices are paramount to administrators’ responsibilities regarding professional learning.