From Classroom Curiosity to Continuous Growth

When I first started teaching, I didn’t know professional development would become one of my lifelong passions. Back then, I was just trying to be the best teacher I could be.

I was lucky to have a principal who believed in feedback and growth. Even in my first district, which was tucked in the middle of the Mojave Desert, we were ahead of the curve. We went to national conferences, read professional journals, and shared what we learned. That culture of learning became my foundation.

Because here’s the truth: you can’t do better unless you know better.

Moving Beyond “One-Size-Fits-All” PD

Somewhere along the way, professional development started getting a bad reputation. Too often, it became a one-size-fits-all presentation: two district-wide PD days where everyone, regardless of experience or interest, heard the same exact thing.

That approach doesn’t work for students, and it doesn’t work for teachers either.

When professional learning feels top-down and disconnected, it becomes compliance instead of growth. What I’ve learned, whether as a teacher, principal, or superintendent, is that meaningful PD is rooted in collaboration, rather than direction.

It starts when teachers identify where they want to grow, paired with data that shows where students need support. When those two pieces meet, real change happens.

Let Data Lead the Way, Without Losing the Human Connection

One of the most effective ways to design PD from evaluations is to begin with student data, not teacher ratings.

When you focus on the students first, it takes the defensiveness out of the room. Teachers stop hearing “you need to improve” and start asking, “how can we help kids succeed?”

We often brought student work to the table, sorted it by mastery level, and discussed what the learning revealed. From there, we built professional development that targeted those exact gaps.

That’s when growth feels purposeful, not punitive.

Building Buy-In Through Trust and Choice

Professional learning only works when teachers trust the process. That means giving them a voice in what they learn and how they learn it.

We used tools like pineapple charts, where teachers could post open classroom times for colleagues to visit and see new strategies in action. Over time, that created a culture where peer observation wasn’t intimidating.  

Learning from your peers is incredibly impactful, and an important tool.

We also built PD “menus” based on teacher goals, using evaluation data to guide but not dictate. The idea was never to use evaluation as a hammer; it was to use it as a flashlight, one that illuminates opportunities for growth.

When teachers have autonomy, ownership follows. And when ownership takes root, growth becomes contagious.

A Story That Stuck with Me

I’ll never forget one middle school math teacher who was hesitant about trying personalized learning. Math teachers are often sequential thinkers, one step at a time, and detours can be hard to accept.

But we started small. I asked her to have students explain their rationale out loud. Within weeks, she discovered misconceptions she wouldn’t have seen otherwise. That one change led her to group students by need and tailor lessons.

By the end of the year, she had created a completely personalized learning plan for every student in her class. The next year, she was training other teachers on how to do it. It was amazing.  

That’s the power of pairing data with trust, and the right kind of PD.

Lessons Learned Along the Way

After 35 years in education, I’ve seen what makes professional development thrive, and what causes it to stall.

What works:

• Starting with student data instead of teacher blame
• Aligning PD topics with evaluation rubrics so growth feels connected
• Building systems for peer collaboration and reflection
• Giving teachers autonomy and choice
• Keeping the focus on impact, not compliance
• Fostering a culture where principals and teachers work as equals, learning side by side, not in hierarchy
• Creating space for open dialogue, trust, and listening so leaders can “come alongside” teachers instead of directing from above

What doesn’t:

• Top-down mandates with no teacher voice
• Evaluations used as punishment instead of guidance
• “Flash-in-the-pan” sessions with no follow-up or support
• Lack of feedback or follow-through after Evaluations
• Launching too many initiatives at once without clear priorities

When districts connect evaluation data directly to PD planning, clearly, transparently, and consistently, it creates momentum across campuses. Teachers feel supported, not singled out.

Keep the Student at the Center

At every stage of my career, teacher, principal, superintendent, and now at Education Advanced, I’ve held onto one core belief: the student must stay at the center of every decision.

When I was superintendent, I even kept an empty student desk in our boardroom as a reminder of who we serve. Every policy, budget, and initiative came down to one question: How will this help students learn?

Professional learning is no different.  

When teachers grow, students grow.  

When leaders listen, cultures shift.  

When evaluation becomes a bridge instead of a barrier, everyone moves forward together.

So, if you’re designing PD from evaluations for the first time, start small. Start with data. And never stop putting people, teachers and students, at the heart of every decision.

Because in the end, the goal isn’t just professional development.  

It’s professional growth, for all of us.