ABSTRACT
Once the implementation process of professional development has been completed, or at least the training has been completed, many coordinators will deem the project done. More often than not, reports are created, presentations made, and administrators announce the project complete and successful. Everything has been checked off the list! However, this does not mean the professional development should be determined complete or even effective. In order for professional development to influence instruction and have an impact on school reform, teachers must be both using their new skills and building on these skills. If the goals and objectives were aligned and planned well with the overall project, student achievement should become evident. In other words, there should be a measurable improvement. If there is no evidence of the implementation activities being modeled or the new skills being practiced in the classroom, it is time to revisit the technology plan. Review the original goals along with the evidence of their success. Review the short-term goals and activities to determine which were successful and which were not and why. Refer back to Figure 2.1, the Model for Effective Professional Development (page 11) and the checklists at the end of earlier chapters.
