Teachers Model Life-Long Learning

What We're Reading

As part of the PDS faculty and staff professional development for 2008-09, we are reading the following:

Social and Emotional Health:



Boy Specific:


Curricular:



Project Zero:




Global Insights:



Spiritual Renewal:


Read more

At PDS, teachers and administrators lead by example. Instilling a life-long love of learning is not just something you hear at PDS; it is something you see as teachers continue to grow professionally through a variety of professional development opportunities.

Part of being a life-long learner is participating in a variety of professional growth opportunities. According to Pat Bassett, President of the National Association of Independent Schools, there is a direct and strong correlation between a school’s commitment to professional development and student achievement. At PDS, the commitment to support professional development is significant and can be seen in all areas of the school.

“We invest very aggressively in the on-going training of our teachers,” says Headmaster Lee Burns. “Whether through summer grants, conferences, consultants, reading, visits to schools, or our committees and task forces, we spend a lot of time and energy carefully reflecting on and designing what we do. Our teachers attend workshops, seminars, and conferences around the country. As we talk to our colleagues at other schools, they are amazed and envious of our commitment to professional development.”

In the summer of 2010, Debbie Isom, Early Childhood Head, joined 12 PDS teachers attending Harvard’s Project Zero, bringing to 80% the percentage of teachers having attended this world-renowned institute. Project Zero focuses on five areas: teaching for understanding, multiple intelligences, critical and creative thinking, assessment of learning, and learning in and through the arts. It is a fast-paced and intense program of plenary sessions, mini courses and study groups where researchers shared their most current findings with educators from twenty-five countries and thirty-one states.

PDS teachers travel around the country to gain perspective and expertise. “We are very active and intentional in seeking a national and global perspective on education and best practices,” says Burns. National experts and consultants from New York, Washington, New Jersey, Connecticut and Canada have worked with PDS teachers to promote student success, student achievement, and promote higher-level thinking skills. The President of the National Association of Independent Schools and the President of the International Boys’ School Coalition have visited PDS.

At home, throughout the year, teachers participate in one of several committees or task force groups as they explore what current research says about teaching and learning. Teachers and administrators meet monthly to review and discuss research and how it impacts what is happening in the classroom. Findings are shared with the larger PDS community at division and all-school meetings and implemented in the classrooms.

In collaboration with the Early Childhood Head or the Assistant Headmaster for Teaching and Learning, each teacher sets a professional development goal that is measurable and relates directly to classroom instruction and student learning. Teachers also participate in a professional learning community by joining a book discussion group where teachers meet to discuss how their reading impacts teaching and learning in the classroom as well as individual impressions and insights.  “We find that this goal setting process provides a venue for creative expression and the pursuit of a passion for improving teaching,” says Early Childhood Head, Debbie Isom, who also coordinates the professional development program.

Some of the books read and discussed include the following: Extreme Pursuits, The Last Child in the Woods, The Thinking Classroom, How to Really Love a Child, If You Want to Walk on Water You Have to Get Out of the Boat, Intellectual Character, Five Minds of the Future, Five Love Languages Of Apology, Microtrends, The Elephant And the Dragon, Developing More Curious Minds, and Smart Schools.

In keeping with our commitment to pursue a more global perspective, Assistant Headmaster for Teaching and Learning Susan Droke participated in a yearlong action research study investigating the impact graphic organizers have on reading comprehension in boys. She collaborated with six other school leaders from the United States, Australia, South Africa and Canada. In June 2007, they presented their findings at the International Boys’ School Conference in Johannesburg, South Africa. In June 2010, 3rd grade teacher Sherry Creasman presented her international action research in Philadelphia, and Spanish teacher Jessica Chandler is currently serving on an international action research team that will present their research in London in 2011.


PDS teachers and administrators pose at Harvard in the summer.

Early Childhood Head Debbie Isom attended a nine-day Harvard Principal’s Institute entitled Leadership: An Evolving Vision. The institute was designed to help leaders assess the effectiveness of their leadership and strengthen their skills and abilities to meet current and future challenges. Thirty-seven countries were represented with 150 school leaders in attendance. Presenters included such well know experts in the field of education as Lorraine Monroe, Irma Tyler-Wood, John Collins and Clifton Taulbert. At this institute, school leaders participated in interactive plenary sessions and group discussions. “Delivering a world-class education means we have to learn from the best around the world,” says Isom.

Summer reading isn’t just for boys. In the summer of 2009, all of PDS faculty and staff read The Global Achievement Gap by Tony Wagner, The Prodigal God by Tim Keller, and Ephesians. They also watch and comment on 11 videos on the schools NING, our on-line professional learning community.  Nearly all teachers received summer grants to develop their curriculum. PDS is very intentional about living out our mission to educate boys.

At PDS, we know that our students will likely attend the most prestigious colleges and universities and may well go on to earn advanced degrees. The teachers at PDS are certainly leading by example in this area. Currently, over 60% of the teachers and academic administrators hold a Master’s degree.  “It’s wonderful to be at a school that is so committed to giving me the absolute best tools and training,” says Molly Beard, a Junior Kindergarten teacher. “It’s remarkable how PDS invests in me.”

At PDS, we strive not only to touch the minds of boys but the hearts and souls as well. This commitment extends to the entire PDS community. This summer faculty and staff read the book of Ephesians in The Bible. At faculty meetings throughout the year, a faculty member or guest speaker will share insights from this book. Each teacher is encouraged to keep a spiritual journal and is given a spiritual growth days to use for prayer, reflection and study.

“The funding of such a progressive and aggressive professional development program is costly,” says Burns. “We believe, though, that every dollar spent on professional development directly impacts the future for the boys in a positive way.”

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