How to Make Professional Development Actually Useful
- Joel Abel
- Jun 30
- 2 min read
It’s a common frustration in schools:
“We provide PD, but no one seems to use it.”
Or worse: “We offer training, but teachers dread it.”
The truth is, a lot of professional development doesn’t fail because it’s underfunded — it fails because it’s misaligned.
Too often, PD feels generic, disconnected, or forced. It’s driven by compliance, not curiosity. And teachers — the most over-committed professionals in the building — can spot the difference immediately.
“Teachers want professional development that respects their time, meets their needs, and actually improves their practice.”
— NEA Today, “How Can We Improve Professional Development?”
If you want PD that works, it needs to shift from events to experiences — embedded in goals, grounded in the classroom, and centered on actual teacher input.
In our work with schools and academic leaders, we help redesign PD around these core principles:
Why PD often fails:
It’s too theoretical and not rooted in classroom realities
It’s one-size-fits-all with little differentiation by role or skill level
It’s disconnected from school improvement goals
It’s designed for teachers, but not with them
“Effective PD is not a presentation. It’s a process — built over time with opportunities to reflect, collaborate, and practice.”
— Frontline Education
What great PD looks like:
Connected to the school’s actual instructional goals
Aligned to teachers’ current challenges and aspirations
Ongoing, not just one-day workshops
Collaborative — creating time for teachers to talk, try, and revise together
Practical and immediately usable
“The best PD provides teachers with tools they can implement tomorrow — and space to reflect on how it’s working next week.”
— Prodigy Education
Planning tips that make the difference:
Survey teachers before designing your PD calendar
Tie every PD session to a clearly stated schoolwide objective
Build in follow-up: coaching, check-ins, and reflection
Empower teacher leaders to help co-facilitate and personalize sessions
We help schools move from checkbox training to meaningful, embedded professional learning — PD that actually shifts practice and builds teacher confidence.
If your PD feels like a formality, it might be time to redesign it as a leadership tool — not just a compliance mechanism.
Let’s talk about how to create a development plan your staff will actually value — and use.
Visit our other pages or message me to get started.
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