There is planning for staff development throughout the school system. Activities and planning are primarily school focused, not district focused. Staff development is not driven by adult needs, but by student needs and outcomes. GISD is dedicated to the continuous improvement for everyone who affects student learning. Rather than focus on generic instruction, staff development is a balance of generic instruction and content-specific skills.
Staff development is the function of all administrators and teacher leaders.
Since the current director of Staff Development and Fine Arts was hired in October 1998, the district has developed a series of programs provided by a combination of internal staff and outside companies. The campus site-based committees receive information from central office personnel on required staff development. One of GISD's peer districts, Port Arthur, has an excellent, well-defined staff development policy, which includes sections on the district's philosophy regarding staff development, how needs will be determined, compensatory time for training, special programs training development, administrator training development, requirements and professional and college credit. Develop a comprehensive staff development policy that includes mechanisms for monitoring and evaluating GISD's training programs. The policy should include a process by which the district can monitor the implementation of the training, the success of training programs in meeting district and individual needs, and a feedback mechanism to the director of Staff Development and Fine Arts to facilitate future program modifications.