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Woodrow Wilson Elementary School
Manhattan, KS
School Type: Public
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School Setting: Rural
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Level: Elementary
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School Design: Traditional
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Content Presented By:
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National Awards Program for Model Professional Development
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Summary
The practice: Professional development should be primarily school-based and built into the day-to-day work of teaching.
- 100% of teachers, Kansas State University student-helpers, and some substitute teachers perform peer observations
- 100% of classrooms use instructional innovations
- Voluntary after school clubs in math and problem solving that develop teachers' imagination and leave room for practice
- Clinical Instructor coordinates field experiences and mentors preservice and inservice teachers
As a part of the professional development school partnership between the school district and Kansas State University, teachers from Woodrow Wilson Elementary School serve as clinical instructors with part-time responsibilities at both the university and school. Clinical instructors mentor in-service teachers, coordinate field experiences for pre-service teachers, lead seminars, coach their colleagues, and conduct training for both pre-service and in-service teachers.
Ongoing weekly seminars are organized and led by many people on the staff; monthly professional development days offer teacher opportunities to explore topics in greater depth; the Learning Laboratory, established by a team of stakeholders including teachers, parents, administrators, and university faculty, is a time for teachers to study student work, collaborate, inquire, coach, and support one another's learning. The frequency of opportunities and the available time for professional development within the school day have accelerated student achievement results. Teachers have two 90-minute blocks per month for professional development. This time results from reducing faculty meetings from four to two per month and using substitutes and pre-service teachers to release teachers for learning and collaboration.
This site also exemplifies the following practice(s):
- Professional development should be based on analyses of the differences between (a) actual student performance and (b) goals and standards for student learning.
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