Targeted Professional Development Is Critical

EDUCATOR TESTIMONIAL

Paul Hegre
Quality Compensation Official
Minneapolis Public Schools
Minneapolis, MN

Paul Hegre started his career in education as a middle school math teacher in Seward, MN. After receiving his M.Ed. in teacher leadership from the University of Minnesota in 2005, Paul went on to carry various roles within the Minneapolis Public School system, responsible for developing, training and supporting teacher quality and growth. In his current role as Q Comp, Paul has been able to use his own experience as a teacher to design tools which use video as an innovative means of improving teacher practice and driving student achievement.

What kind of professional development supports teacher growth?

Paul: I taught for 14 years in the public school and never was observed the whole time. The principal said, "Oh you're a good teacher." It's like how do you know? Do I not get complaints? Or what is the, what is the standard upon which you say that?

Having good solid, individualized, aligned, targeted PD for teachers is critical, and often in our system we have something called a professional development plan or IGP, which is common language, where I am charged as a professional to develop my own plan. And to some extent, I don't know what I should learn. Sometimes we don't know what we don't know. Having an evaluation model and a good set of teaching standards and evidence-based feedback protocols so that when we have the conversation, it's based on evidence collected from my room that I need and want to know that I might not know as a teacher because I'm teaching.

That if we can target professional development to that even if it's optional, like here are some areas that on our effectiveness rubric, consent standards are not proficient or exemplary, here are some offerings of PD or a coach that we can we can work with.