Professional Learning Landscape

Using data from the Tennessee Educator Survey, this brief examines teachers’ overall experiences with professional learning and whether teachers across the state have access to regular and helpful professional learning opportunities.

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Published:

July 2020


Authors:

Susan Kemper Patrick

Grace Shelton


Key Findings

  • While most teachers regularly engage in collaboration, many do not regularly participate in other learning activities that they rate as instructionally helpful.  

  • Professional learning experiences vary across grade-level and subject-area assignments with self-contained elementary and English Language Arts teachers reporting the most frequent, most helpful, and most content-relevant professional learning activities. 

  • Teachers often have limited choice over their formal professional development, but those with more choice rate it more helpful. 
Susan Kemper Patrick

Susan Kemper Patrick

Dr. Patrick is a Senior Researcher on the Educator Quality team at the Learning Policy Institute

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Grace Shelton

Grace Shelton

Grace Shelton is the Deputy Chief of Staff at the Tennessee Department of Education