Comparing teachers', administrators' and instructional coaches' perceptions of personalized professional development

The purpose of teacher professional development is to enhance teacher quality so that students may achieve at high levels. Many times, professional development is too general or not connected to teachers’ needs or learning preferences. The purpose of this study was to investigate and compare the perceptions of teachers, administrators, and instructional coaches on personalized professional development (PPD) practices in the Metropolitan School District (MSD) of Warren Township. MSD of Warren Township is a large, mostly urban school district located in central Indiana. After reviewing the literature, the need for this specific research became evident as there were limited quantitative findings available regarding PPD at the national, state, or district levels. Therefore, this study sought to provide research to inform current practice in the district of the study as well as other districts looking to implement PPD. Data for this study were collected using the second version of Learning Forward’s Standards Assessment Inventory (SAI-2). The SAI-2 is an online, anonymous Likert-scale survey tool that was developed based on the seven Learning Forward Professional Learning Standards. The standards are: communities, leadership, resources, data, learning designs, implementation, and outcomes. The results of this study suggested that in most cases, teachers, administrators, and instructional coaches were in agreement regarding the quality of the PPD being delivered in MSD of Warren Township. Although no statistically significant differences in perceptions about PPD were revealed between the groups, the results still provided important information for those in MSD Warren charged with creating high quality, effective, PPD. Implications for practice included recommendations for planning and improving PPD programs at the district and school level.