Two important tools for shaping such professional development have emerged in recent years. One is the professional development school. The other development is teacher networking. Teachers of like minds often find ways to get together, such as the North Dakota Study Group for progressive educators or Vermont's Bread Loaf network for rural educators. In recent years, spurred by a foundation-funded collaborative in math and the humanities, teacher networks have become a major force for professional growth.
Telecommunications make networking even more accessible and flexible.
The district provides whatever professional development teachers need to accomplish that goal. The district has put together a package of professional development opportunities which schools are allowed to tailor to their special needs. Uniform professional development would not work in a system like San Francisco, where the 64,000 students speak 39 different languages and the enrollment covers the spectrum of family income and academic abilities. The district also faces a special challenge in the turnover rate of its teaching staff. This initiative designs professional development for individual teachers and for individual schools.