Databus Issue: 2008 3 07/31/2008
President's Message
Warren Williams Director, RetiredThe Manifest Need for Staff Development
PDF
Staff development is one of the most important services an organization can provide to its employees to assure the completion of its goals and objectives. No other investment has such long-term consequences and the impact on employees creates a respect for an organization that is willing to invest in their future. It also generates more effective practices and policies to better serve the public and educational institutions. Teachers, classified and administrative staffs strive to create environments that optimize the performance of students. Staff development is the best way to share new ideas, promote growth and cause the necessary change to improve California’s schools.
Staff development in technology is essential. New programs, systems and equipment can be daunting to even the most sophisticated of users. It is imperative to provide training sessions for those tasked with using technology to achieve organizational goals. Teachers have an understanding that the interactive Internet and new personal technologies like PDA’s and social networking sites profoundly impact the interaction of students; they likewise intuit that these new tools could positively affect teaching and learning. District, County Offices and schools need to offer staff development that emphasizes the incorporation of these new methods and gear to keep classrooms relevant and engaging for today’s millennial learners. The interaction between teacher and student must reflect the modern “always connected” milieu that envelops today’s student population. Teachers must also cope with a plethora of new systems that diagnose and prescribe educational strategies for classroom instruction, monitor student attendance, communicate with parents and collaborate with peers. Without staff development, veteran and even new teachers will struggle to maintain relevant classroom atmospheres while also delivering just-in-time instructional interventions.
Classified and administrative employees must increasingly rely on sophisticated “systems” to maintain workflow and to deliver services to schools, districts and county offices. Even the best of these systems requires hours of staff development to learn the extent and functionality of various software packages. Student systems, transportation, food services, human resources, financials, purchasing, Special Education, substitute calling – the list is endless. In Capistrano, the district uses and must support over ninety applications. Most districts have similar support requirements. At the operational end of those systems are humans who must maintain a quality of data entry and retrieval that protects the public’s investment in education and assures the integrity of student and institutional information. The work is difficult and cannot be done without sufficient attention to staff development.
CETPA is dedicated to providing resources to assist today’s technology leaders in developing strong staff development programs for their institutions. The annual conference will have many sessions on this topic. The listserv frequently addresses issues regarding training for staff. The connection with CoSN fortifies resources dedicated toward improving staff development design and providing opportunities for personal growth. The CTO Mentor Program has as its main function the development of prospective Chief Technology Officers. And, if I might take an aside, the ultimate staff development, a college education provided by the “Student Bridge To The Future” scholarship program.
