Conversations with Educators

A+ is pleased to present a conversation with Jeanne Payne, Supervisor of Elementary Education and Staff Development at Decatur City Schools. (view biographical sketch)

What are your responsibilities as a staff developer?

Meeting the unique learning needs of each child is a difficult task! Teachers understand that continuous reflection on their teaching strategies and continuous learning are paramount to meeting those needs. I have the privilege to assist in data analysis, goal setting, leadership development, personal development, curriculum development, specific area development (such as reading, writing, math, safety) and numerous specific needs as identified by individuals and schools.

Our goal is to do whatever it takes to continuously improve teaching and learning. That responsibility falls on everyone in our school system, including me. Our staff development may be geared to the individual employee, specific group, school, or to the system.

Have you ever learned something new but when you tried out that new technique you weren't sure if you were doing it right? Well, I am also able to insure that teachers have coaching, follow-up, opportunities to dialogue about staff development with other teachers, and opportunities to teach each other.

Recently, we asked teachers what training they needed the most. An overwhelming number replied that phonemic awareness is a need. We set up an all day phonemic awareness workshop on a Saturday and 151 teachers requested to attend. I was expecting 50!

When teachers wanted information on National Teacher Certification, we were delighted to set up a workshop. Again we were amazed when 72 teachers attended and several are applying to become nationally certified teachers. We plan to offer a "support group" for those attempting to be certified.

Teachers and principals are hungry for quality staff development. It is an honor for me to facilitate the opportunities to improve teaching and learning. I perceive myself to be a life-long learner and as a support system for teachers, principals and other staff.

How do you determine staff development needs?

Our research-based staff development opportunities are derived from each school's Effective Schools goals as well as the needs of teachers and students. Each year schools conduct a staff development needs assessment. We are available to assist if individual staff development needs crop up anytime during the year.

I feel it is important to discuss three general needs in detail. Teachers examine data, diagnose needs, and develop strategies to enhance student learning.

1) Teachers examine student data when establishing professional development needs. For example, teachers give and get results from the Stanford 9, S.T.A.R. Program, Quantitative Reading Assessment and other sources. Teachers may look at surveys, report cards, absentee reports and many other sources of data. We have learned through the Effective Schools training how to analyze data.

2) Using the data provided, the teachers are able to diagnose students' needs. An example might be the teacher who asks, "Is the child a struggling reader because he is having difficulty decoding words, or is it because of the lack of comprehension, or are there other reasons?" Teachers know it takes sharp skills to find gaps in learning.

3) The teacher wants to be equipped with a variety of strategies to meet student needs. This part might be called putting tools in the teachers' toolbox. Teachers want to have a variety of tools and want to be proficient in using each one. Teachers sometime reflect on a strategy that is being used to meet a student's needs and discover it isn't working. The keen teacher knows that it is time to put that strategy aside and pull another from the toolbox.

What are characteristics of an effective staff development program?

I have paraphrased the following answer from Teaching and Learning, a publication from A+ Foundation.

The most successful professional development is:

• Sustained over time (with follow-up)
• Focused on problem solving and analysis of student work
• Based on research about successful teaching practices
• Discussed by teachers planning together

Professional development should address:

• Instructional improvement goals of the school
• Individual needs of students and teachers

In making decisions about professional development, schools should rely on:

• Student achievement
• Research on effective teaching strategies
• Examination of student work and teacher practices

We should reflect deeply on our current teaching, refining what works and abandoning or changing what does not.

Continuous reflection and improvement are important.

Teachers become true professionals through experience, personal growth, and continuous study.

Tell us about some of the staff development opportunities in Decatur City Schools.

I believe that quality staff development is a tremendous part of the heart and soul of our school system. Staff Development is a positive, energizing element that promotes enthusiasm.

In Decatur City Schools we understand that quality staff development is an investment in student success. Beginning with the school board president and superintendent, we are all believers in strong professional development. I have often heard them say, "If you are not moving forward, then you are going backward." We are responsible for the learning and growth of each other.

We have a Professional Training Center that was formed about six years ago after we visited the Gheene's Academy started by Philip Schlechty in Louisville, Kentucky. The PTC houses two computer labs, a Reading Recovery lab, Hands-On Science Program, and a New Teacher Academy (30 hours and coaching). Technology workshops abound. Well-stocked teacher work rooms and meeting rooms are buzzing with staff development activity.

The foundation of our staff development activities is our effective schools process. In this process each school has a Building Leadership Team which develops a mission statement, analyzes data, sets goals, conducts surveys and needs assessments. This process has proven to be our most important vehicle for getting things done.

4MAT by Bernice McCarthy celebrates the diverse ways students learn. It provides strategies for teachers to develop lesson plans that honor each learner's strengths.

The basis of our leadership program is the Seven Habits of Highly
Effective People. We offer this course to every employee in our school system. It takes 24 hours to complete this personal development course. We have seen a tremendous amount of personal and professional growth because of this program.

Reading improvement is the primary focus of our school system. We have "stayed the course" with our reading program. We are very proud to say that we have six schools that are literacy demonstration sites. Each of these six schools faculties trained two weeks in the summer (I was thrilled to train with them.) and committed to having all students reading on grade level. We have had numerous reading workshops and have implemented some new reading assessments. We also initiated an intensive middle school reading program for struggling readers and provided Reading Recovery and Reading Renaissance training.

We are working hard to improve the writing skills of our students. We have hired Rick Shelton, Laurel Griffith, and Margaret Greer to work with teachers and students on writing. Teachers have looked at samples of good writing, watched our consultants work with students, then met together to discuss strategies. Again, we are "staying the course" with writing and we will continue to reflect and provide follow up.

Marilyn Burns Math - A few years ago we invited Marilyn Burns and her team to work on strategies with 250 teachers. We now provide follow-up for new teachers in these strategies.

Arts - We are the first school system in the state to form a partnership with the Kennedy Center to provide professional development in the arts. We also provided staff development in the arts when we began a violin program that gives ten violin lessons to every third grade student and armed teachers with strategies for preparing the children for the violin lessons.

We believe that an important part of staff development is providing time for teachers to observe other classes and schools. We also offer discussion times in the local school and across the system. This brainstorming, reflecting and sharing of ideas is vital for an effective staff development program. Also, we are all teachers when it comes to staff development.

Do you have anything else to add?

In Decatur City Schools we are willing to prepare ourselves and to take some research- based risks to ensure our student's success. We are committed to going beyond the status quo. This attitude is best exemplified by Dennis Sparks, executive director of the Staff Development Association, which I feel embodies Decatur City Schools. He describes an environment in which students "are in the daily presence of adults who are passionately committed to their own lifelong learning within organizations that are continually renewing themselves."

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