Organizing for Staff Development in the Cleveland Metropolitan School District

Abstract

In 2012 the Cleveland Metropolitan School District undertook a major reform effort known as the Cleveland Plan. The foundation of the Cleveland Plan is the transition from a traditional district structure to a portfolio management model. With this major change also came the new Teacher Development and Evaluation System (TDES). This system was designed as a tool for transformative staff development as well as evaluation, but as the early years of TDES implementation focused on understanding and using the new evaluation rubric, the developmental focus took a back seat. Now in the third year of TDES districtwide implementation, district leadership has established staff development as a priority. The portfolio model has unique implications for instruction, central office organization, and instructional leadership, all of which must be considered to create a comprehensive staff development plan. In this capstone I describe my residency in the Cleveland Metropolitan School District and my work with a cross-departmental design team to articulate a professional development strategy for the district. I explain the benefits and challenges of engaging teachers and central office staff in strategy development and execution. I conclude with recommendations to keep Cleveland schools on the path toward improved staff development and with lessons for other portfolio districts seeking to improve teaching and learning.