With the dawn of the Massachusetts Reform Act of 1993 and with the increasing technological and pedagogical demands of the teaching profession, the Boston Public Schools has sought an integrated and comprehensive solution to meet the growing professional development needs of instructional and professional staff. In order to do this, the BPS attempts to maximize professional development benefits by building on the strengths of internal departments and community partners, by attracting funds and expertise into the Boston Public Schools and by building capacity throughout the system to better meet the needs of students.
Many departments work to ensure a comprehensive, responsive professional development effort.
They include the Center for Leadership Development, the Office of Curriculum and Instruction, the Office of Bilingual Education, the Office of Special Education, the Office of Technology, the Office of Research, Assessment and Evaluation, the Student Support Services Team, and the Parent Support Services Team. The first schedule identifies four broad categories of professional development funding. The Boston Public Schools has been successful in leveraging private resources to support the goals of A Focus on Children. Examples of these include Boston Plan for Excellence and Annenberg Challenge. Examples of this would be substitute teachers, stipends, instructional materials, consultants.