They may request funds to have experts come in, or conduct their own action research, or create curriculum or alternative assessments appropriate for Hungerford students. One team's action research, for example, found that students in group homes gained more weight than other students. The result was a program to get Hungerford students actively participating in the community gym program where students had been placed for work-study. Parents are surveyed as well for ideas about professional development efforts that might help their children, and they are active members of the school-based management team. Teachers go into each other's classrooms.
Every student is everybody's student.
We're thinking constantly about preparing our students for life. Teachers' commitment to their students is documented in the professional development portfolios they keep. No matter how teachers choose to invest their professional development time and energy, the portfolio helps them reflect on everything they are learning and how it relates to the school's overall goals for students. The results include an increase in the number of Hungerford students able to use technology, placed in community-based work sites, achieving their individual educational plan goals, and participating in general education classes. We met regularly and they took ownership, surveying the rest of the staff about their interests in learning.