Journey to Excellence

Release Time for Professional Development

Teachers will be given release time for planning and to pursue professional development opportunities.

Adventist educators are under tremendous time pressure. This pushes the typical teaching assignment beyond the prescribed school day. In fact, time is often the primary obstacle to participation in worthwhile professional development activities and effective planning. Yet, access to professional development opportunities and collaboration with other educational professionals is vital to the educator and school that is on a Journey to Excellence.

The expectation that teachers will continue to acquire and implement new innovative teaching strategies requires that time be available for inservice training and curriculum planning. The school and educational system must provide the time and resources to support effective planning and professional development. If educational excellence is a shared vision and priority all stakeholders, parents, teachers, and school leaders, must support plans to provide release time for educators. Such release time within the school calendar and school schedule demonstrates the value of professional development activities and the high priority placed on collaboration for educational planning.

To continue to expect teachers to find time outside of the school calendar and school schedule for involvement in professional development and planning undermines educational excellence and communicates a mixed message about educational priorities.

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