It had a positive impact. It came out on television also. It was positive for me and for my community. I even heard that our arch rival down the street wants to participate next year. Connections are made to curricular and instructional reform.
Staff development is redefined as an active form of developing staff talents and capacities.
All of the participating teachers that IDRA interviewed agreed that their past experiences with staff development training had, for the most part, been unsatisfactory. They also reported that they enjoyed being able to actively expand their awareness and examine their professional values and commitments. The walk served to enlighten new as well as experienced teachers. Even a former resident profited from the experience by learning that changes had taken place in the area. Knowing where students live and what areas must be crossed in order to get to school enlightens teachers as to what might endanger students, and thus explains to the teachers why students sometimes do not care how well their assignment is done when they are kept after school.