Step 3.4.  Describe the connections between the professional development you are planning and other professional development.

            Individual professional development activities and programs can have greater impact if they are connected to and reinforce other professional development.  For example, a series of workshops and follow up that is intended to support implementation of a new reading program can be followed by a second series that focuses on more complex or challenging implementation tasks.  The advantage of these back-to-back series is that they can greatly extend teacher engagement in the implementation effort and provide ongoing support for their work.  In addition, this longer period of support often reflects the realities of how long full implementation takes. 

            A second way to think about connections between activities is to think about activities that may parallel each other, while at the same time addressing different professional learning needs.  Continuing with the example of introducing a new reading program, it is possible that new and inexperienced teachers will require different kinds of professional development and support than more experienced teachers.  Therefore, parallel programs can address these differences, while helping to maintain the overall schedule for implementation of the new program.  In the end, professional development that complements other professional development is likely to have a greater impact than activities that are not connected.

Is the professional development that you are planning explicitly connected to other professional development?

Note to readers:  If the answer is yes, the planner will be prompted to indicate which activity the one that is being planned is connected to or aligned with and to provide a brief description of the connection and/or the rationale for it. 

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