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Time to get New Jersey’s teachers off the clock?
The recommendation is tucked deep into the report commissioned by Gov. Chris Christie, one of nearly 50 suggestions to ease the red tape tying up public schools.
But it may be one of the more significant or provocative recommendations made by the Education Transformation Task Force: rethink New Jersey’s decade-old requirement that its teachers rack up 100 hours of professional development every five years.
Headed by former state education commissioner David Hespe, the task force appointed with much fanfare by Christie earlier this year said it was time to move beyond “clock hours” in determining if teachers are getting enough professional development.
“The Department and the State Board should seek to amend this regulation to focus on student learning rather than on hours of professional seat-time,” the report read. “The goal should be on driving outputs, not mandating inputs.”
The report suggested more focus on teacher collaboration and support through “professional learning communities,” where teachers can learn from each other on a daily basis. (Mooney, NJ Spotlight)
