Planning Effective Professional Development

Before shifting AEII’s focus to working directly with teachers, AEII consultants worked with early childhood leaders to plan effective professional development (PD) to best support teachers.

Enhancing Effective PD Offerings

AEII evaluated six elements of effective professional development to help programs enhance the quality of their PD. Consultants worked with early childhood leaders to identify strengths and areas for growth among these six research-supported elements.

This video provides an overview of the six elements and describes how AEII evaluated PD offerings. Learn more about each element in our mini modules below.

Six Elements of Effective PD

The following mini modules provide 3-5 minute video overviews of each of the six PD elements, as well as documents with strategies and resources to help leaders effectively incorporate each element in their PD offerings.

Data-Driven PD Mini Module

Data-driven PD ensures your offerings are relevant, sufficient, and effective. Find out how it works.

Specific, Articulated Objectives Mini Module

Learn why it’s important to clearly outline what teachers should get out of their PD experience.

Practice-Focused PD Mini Module

Find out how actively engaging teachers in the PD process is an effective way to build their skills.

Feedback & Analysis Loops Mini Module

Learn how teachers can benefit from a PD process that includes doing, analyzing, and reflecting on feedback.

Coherence Mini Module

Find out why an integrated approach to PD that aligns your curriculum, assessment information, and observation data makes a big difference.

Access Mini Module

Teacher PD works best when everyone working in the classroom has an opportunity to be part of the process.

Evaluating PD Offerings

AEII evaluated the quality of PD offerings using a rubric to assess each of the six elements of effective PD. Elements are scored on a four-point scale, from Not Yet to Exemplary. 

Review our PD rubric to evaluate the effectiveness of your PD.

Know, See, Do PD Planners

Our Know, See, Do planning templates provide targeted supports for improving teacher practice related to children’s school readiness skills, including self-regulation, social skills, thinking skills, math, language, and literacy.

Find PD planners to help you align data with possible PD topics using practice-focused formats.