Professional Learning That Works

Abstract

Chapter 1 kicks off the introductory chapters and provides readers the opportunity to become familiar with current research on the state of teacher professional development in the United States. The authors present and provide commentary on the literature over the past two decades showing the prevalence of “one-and-done” professional development sessions and the lack of individualized and meaningful learning experiences for educators. The authors highlight some barriers systems face in providing the kind of professional development that research shows is best for educator and student learning, and invite readers to think about the state of professional development in their own systems. The authors also highlight and define key terms that are important for building an understanding of the VECTOR model and the challenges it addresses.