Date of Award
Fall 2025
Document Type
Open Access Dissertation
Department
Educational Studies
First Advisor
Kathleen Cunningham
Abstract
The problem of practice focuses on how to improve professional development. Using improvement science, a team of individuals at the school engaged in problem solving techniques to discover the underlying root causes of the problem. The improvement team was composed of administrators, instructional coaches, and teacher leaders who worked in different areas of the school. Collectively, these individuals felt passionately about growing the staff members through effective professional development. Exploring the professional development sessions teachers were attending on campus, there were visible indicators that teachers were not engaged nor were they participating. Unpacking the issue further, the improvement team uncovered that meaningful and relevant professional development was impacting the lack of engagement of the participants. Change ideas centered on impacting the system that was causing the problem while seeking the most optimal avenue to learn while doing. The improvement team set forth to create a process for analyzing, assessing and implementing the needs and wants of teachers when developing relevant and meaningful professional development. The intentional planning of professional development would provide the environment for teachers to be engaged and participate in their own learning. The information collected would be used to make decisions to tailor the professional development and lead to the development of a roadmap for growing the educators on campus. Ultimately, a process for engaging teachers in continuous improvement by advancing their knowledge and skill levels could be utilized each year.
Rights
© 2025, Jo R. Wright
Recommended Citation
Wright, J. R.(2025). Creating Meaningful and Relevant Professional Development Using Improvement Science. (Doctoral dissertation). Retrieved from https://scholarcommons.sc.edu/etd/8651