Level 3: Organization Support & Change

According to Guskey, "Lack of organization support and change can sabotage any professional development effort, even when all the individual aspects of professional development are done right." This is key to any professional development plan.
I wanted to go through the questions that Guskey posed in the article and answer them according to the aspects of the Bridgeton Professional Development plan.

Did the professional development activities promote changes that were aligned with the mission of the school and district?
Bridgeton's Mission Statement is as follows: "The mission of the Bridgeton Public Schools is to have all pupils meet the Core Curriculum Content Standards and graduate from high school as lifelong learners who will make positive contributions to the community, act with the highest moral and ethical standards, promote equal opportunity, and participate in the advancement of our democratic society." As far as the Bridgeton Professional Development Plan states their professional development appears to support the mission statement of the district. These professional development opportunities, while not incredibly detailed, support the students meeting the core curriculum content standards. I do not believe the plan states how they are going to help the children act with high moral and ethical standards as the mission states.

Were changes at the individual level encouraged and supported at all levels?
I have not seen many opportunities for change at the individual level. There are small group opportunities in grade-level meetings, but no prevalent opportunities at individual levels.

Were sufficient resources made available, including time for sharing and reflection?
The district provided lots of resources for the teachers and schools to be successful in the professional development plan. Teachers participate in professional development during the course of the year in workshops, committees, and collaborative team meetings. These along with a long list of opportunities in a bullet point list in the plan show the district allowed many resources to support change.
"In 2010-2011, three schools received SIA and SIG funds that support professional development. In 2011-2012, four schools received SIA funds that support professional development." This shows that there was increase in schools in the district using funds to support change.

Were successes recognized and shared?
This question is difficult to answer without seeing meeting minutes or interviews with the team members. It appears the district provided lots of opportunities to share their successes but a completely positive verdict cannot be delivered without all the applicable evidence and data.

The district highlighted its priority for the school year, with a focus on supporting teachers. “The district recognizes the need to constantly evaluate the effectiveness of its professional development program by classroom observations, analysis of test data, teacher, student and parent feedback. The district supports the development professional learning communities by providing diverse opportunities for staff including professional development days, after school sessions, summer workshops and college courses” (p 13). Surveys were used to gather data that was then used to determine the needs of teachers in the district.