The Changing Nature of Professional Development Programs for Teachers: The University of Minnesota Experience

This paper discusses how the University of Minnesota's College of Education and Human Development (CEHD) is meeting challenges related to the changing nature of professional development programs, focusing on programs featuring a system of shared decision making on matters of design and governance of program elements. After a commentary about CEHD and its goals, the paper describes the many programs intended for inservice populations of students. The balance of the paper offers comments about the two basic kinds of masters programs at CEHD. Traditional programs are controlled by CEHD faculty who decide what the course requirements will be and how the program will be governed. Innovative programs are controlled by faculty, students, and school districts, who make shared decisions about courses and governance. Two successful innovative programs with differing delivery and governance systems are examined. The Teacher Leadership Program is offered jointly by two CEHD departments. This program builds leadership skills and facilitates analysis of school culture, policies, research, and practice. The program has a reflective focus on leadership. The other program, Improving Practice Through Applied Classroom Training, is a collaboration between CEHD, a school district, and five participating school district members. This program helps enable participants to transfer knowledge into classroom reality successfully. (Contains 13 references.) (SM)