One-shot workshops will not do the job, no matter how good the workshops are. People need to focus their efforts over time until new behaviors become internalized. While it is interesting to learn new information, if it is not directed toward improving student performance, we won't have the time or resources for focused professional development. The job then, whether it is in the classroom or in central offices, becomes the source of the professional development, so that people are applying what they learn directly to their responsibilities. For teachers, this also means using the classroom as a learning lab for building professional knowledge.
Teamwork is very important.
Our efforts are doubled when we work together to bring about improvements in student learning. That's why we have an emphasis on whole school professional development. If you have played any video games on Nintendo 64, or tired to solve a computer application problem, you know firsthand that a new kind of learning is on the horizon. Let's take a video game, for example. The skills for using technology to your advantage are not unlike those needed for teaching to standards, and having students meet those standards.