But this school district brought up the sustainability of Professional Development. The light bulb went off in my head.
Here's a possible sustainability list:
1. Funding (hardware, software, applications, infrastructure, resources, support, people)
2. Professional Development - most schools/districts will have an initial "let's get going" PD plan with all attention on teachers and the classroom - but how is this maintained/refreshed year after year? If after say 4 years the school/district has 25% new teachers and maybe another 10% teaching something different - can the remaining 65% of teachers who benefitted from the initial PD carry it forward? Without a plan - doubtful.
3. Leadership - again after several years leaders will move on or move to other spots - do the administrators and teacher leaders still have the initial goals still clearly in focus?
4. Goals - do the initial goals still work and are they sustainable as it or do they need a refresh, update, clarification
5. Measurement - if the goals need refreshing so will the metrics
6. Tech support staff - skills, goals, etc. Has there been turnover in the people supporting the program and if so how have they been brought onboard?
Many schools/districts get high grades on the rollout because so much attention, time, resources, and money is involved. Sustainability needs to also be considered. Your rollout plan ought to also have a Sustainaibility Plan.
