Remaining active in your career development is vital to maintaining employment in all professional positions, teaching is no different. Employment in the technical fields meant education and training plans were developed by managers to achieve the corporation’s vision for the future. I worked for large highly technical organizations literally on the cutting edge of technology throughout the 1980 and 1990’s before moving to public education in 2000. Professional development in corporate environment for technical staff included conferences and tradeshows attendance for exploring processes that assisted work flows in all departments. Every major technical conference or tradeshow would require corporate representation to collected material and network with competitors and vendors on new equipment and software. Corporations saw in technology, means to improve customer service, reduce operating costs, and a stairway to the top of their industry which provided the greatest rewards. Corporations were actively involved learning and acquiring cost cutting technology. Top management created the vision of the future then took the steps to make it a reality by training current staff and hiring both new and temporary staff to meet deadlines and milestones. Education could learn something from the private sector in that area.
In 2008 Yale University hired Michael Peel as Vice President responsible for Human Resources and Administration. Peel had plenty of experience as Vice President of General Mills Corporation for 17 years, impressive yes. However, even more impressive is GM’s consistent appearance on the “top 100 companies to work for,” according to Fortune Magazine annual list. Peel identifies important qualities that companies must have to be great workplaces and acknowledges Yale as a positive environment. Peel understands how important employee development plans are to employee job satisfaction and uses surveys to identify areas for improvement. Kansas State researchers, Thomas Wright and Jon Wefald, found that happy employees perform better and are less likely to leave their jobs. Wright goes on to state that happy employees are essential to achieving corporate outcomes.
Education has had more a mishmash approach to professional development. My district’s idea of professional development is more the one size fits all approach used by schools without success. The district has failed to unite staff, students, and parents with short and long term district goals and a plan to achieve them. Yes, educators do develop both annual and 3 a year goals that must include a method of measurement. Shouldn't district goals contain the same elements? We are all rowing the boat but not really going any place. This true tale explains why graduate classes are my most valued means of professional development. I can count on Plymouth staff to do as Yale has done in focusing for the long range.
Professional development page within the above link cannot be directly referenced and is provided below for your convenience.
Personnel 119 PROFESSIONAL STAFF DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIES
A program of in-service training shall be established to provide an opportunity for the continuous professional and technical growth of the professional staff.
Staff members shall become knowledgeable about new developments and changes in their specialized fields, and shall utilize any new and/or improved methods in their work.
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