One of my favorite aspects of being a district leader is providing opportunities for our teachers to develop their craft as educators and to deepen their content knowledge. I’m the high school curriculum and instruction specialist for social studies in Fairfax County public schools. Fairfax is the largest district in Virginia and the eleventh largest in the United States. The bulk of my work focuses on guiding the social studies program in our 30 high schools and alternative programs, which employ nearly 500 social studies teachers.

The landscape of professional development has changed dramatically over the 13 years I have been in this position. Most recently, the traditional practice of providing centrally funded substitute teacher days, which removed educators from the classroom, was significantly disrupted. In turn, the use of cohort models, school-based events, and on-demand opportunities scheduled on professional workdays became the norm. Regardless of the PD’s format, my own professional dispositions when it comes to working with social studies teams and teachers are rooted in five motives. I believe that working with teachers:

• Keeps me informed so that I can speak intelligently about the social studies program.
• Introduces opportunities to celebrate great teaching and learning.
• Identifies areas or practices that can benefit from support.
• Manifests unexpected opportunities.
• Develops relationships that are trustworthy, valuable, and reliable.

This past school year, nearly 30 social studies teachers volunteered to be part of a cohort dedicated to improving teaching and learning through the use of historical thinking skills in their courses. This was made possible through a generous grant from OER Project. Over the course of the school year, participants’ feedback on the experience was distinctly positive. I would like to share the five principles and practices that I live by as I support and lead professional learning in my district.

1. Targeted application: It’s important to cast a wide net when these opportunities arise. To avoid getting a cluster of teachers from a few schools, I worked with department chairs and assistant principals, asking them to nominate teachers who would benefit from the experience and who would frame it as a leadership opportunity. 
2. Ask to be involved:  Although the professional development sessions were to be led by staff from OER Project, I asked to have a part in each session. What resulted was a five- minute opening segment that afforded me the opportunity to be visible, present, and involved, and to be able to frame the learning within our district’s context.
3. Seek feedback: After each session, I asked participants to complete a short survey. Feedback informed me of the quality of the experience, how they could use what they learned with their students, and what they were excited to share with colleagues. Moreover, I provided that input to our OER partners.
4. Require application of learning:  As part of the cohort, participants agreed to invite me to a class where they used the historical-thinking activity they created with their students. Additionally, the historical-thinking resource was made available to me so I could share it with all our schools.
5. Reserve funds for the future: I expected that some teachers would flourish in the cohort more than others. I set aside funds from the grant to harness that expertise for future curriculum projects. In this instance, five teachers continued to craft historical-thinking activities that can be used by any teacher in our district. That’s a powerful outcome!

We’re all busy, and with workloads getting heavier it can be a challenge to devote time to provide these opportunities and to hold teachers accountable for their learning during the sessions. But I believed in this support, and I intentionally made time to be involved in this partnership. Being involved as an administrator and taking an active interest in what the teachers are learning contributed to the success reported by our teachers. What’s more, I hope my insights can be used to support your district experiences as you begin your school year and professional learning implementation.

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About the author: Craig Perrier is the High School Social Studies Curriculum and Instruction Specialist for Fairfax County Public Schools in Fairfax, VA. and an adjunct professor of education for multiple universities.  Previously, he taught at American Schools in Brazil for six years and for six years in public schools in Massachusetts. In addition, Craig has served on advisory boards for the American Historical Association, the National Humanities Center, the Organization of American Historians, and Teachers Without Borders. He frequently presents at conferences and is the creator of the free online resource “U.S. History in a Global Context.” 

Header image: Teachers and staff from UCLA Community School meet with UCLA professors to discuss the various research projects happening at the school. Photo by Allison Shelley for EDUimages, CC BY-NC 4.0.