PD 360 Case Study:
Lamesa Independent School District

District Needs
As an Assistant Superintendent at Lamesa Independent School District in Lamesa, TX, Scott Davis knew something was missing in how he administered professional development to nearly 200 teachers and administrators.  Lamesa ISD took part in a curriculum audit that helped them establish a staff development framework.  Says Davis, “Although the framework was a big step in the right direction, its downfall was that it emphasized “one size fits all” training.  I thought there must be a better way to do this.”

To determine how he could more fully meet professional development needs, Davis surveyed teachers and administrators.  Lamesa educators responded that they wanted time for and access to professional development materials of their own choosing.  Although the district provides internal staff development activities and is well served by its regional service center, individualized training was a gap in Lamesa’s program.

The high cost of professional development activities was an additional worry.  To bring in an expert consultant and hire substitutes for teachers cost thousands of dollars and did not meet the need for ongoing professional development throughout the school year.

In addition, Davis felt frustration about the difficulty of integrating a new hire into Lamesa’s culture.  As the administrator over personnel, Davis shared this frustration with the district’s principals, who often did not know where to begin training a new teacher.

The Solution
In the fall of 2006, Davis began looking for a method of providing professional development that could meet the individual needs of Lamesa’s teachers.  In January 2007, Keith Bryant, Superintendent of Lamesa ISD, attended a conference where he learned about PD 360, the School Improvement Network’s on-demand professional learning tool.  Bryant passed on the information to Davis.

Davis called the School Improvement Network and received a demonstration of PD 360.  Immediately impressed by the flexible and comprehensive nature of PD 360, Davis knew he had found a fit for his school district.  “PD 360 provides flexible professional development that fits within our existing framework and enhances it,” says Davis.

PD 360 is the leading on-demand professional learning resource for schools and districts.  With over 110 hours of video content, PD 360 is the most comprehensive web-based library of professional development resources available.  Teachers, administrators, professional learning communities, coaches, mentors, instructional leaders, and paraprofessionals have available at their fingertips hundreds of indexed and searchable video segments that present real, best-practice classroom examples and feature top experts, such as Michael Fullan, Rick DuFour, Doug Reeves, Rick Stiggins, and many others.  Educators can instantly find the help they need on nearly every topic, including differentiation, minority achievement, assessment, leadership, and more.  PD 360 bridges the gap between training and classroom implementation with job-embedded follow-up, tracking, and reflection tools.

The Benefits
Since March 2007, teachers in Lamesa ISD have used PD 360 to log 41,452 professional development minutes – or more than four hours per teacher.  Davis is pleased with the way PD 360 supports and enhances the district’s existing efforts, as well as the training provided by the regional service center.

Cost-Effective Professional Development
PD 360 has saved Lamesa ISD thousands of dollars, while at the same time giving the district more for what it spends.  The cost of PD 360 for an entire year for all of Lamesa’s staff is comparable to one day of onsite training by a professional consultant.  Even better, PD 360’s content features the most recognized and respected experts in education.

In addition, PD 360 has saved the district money by allowing teachers to do professional development without leaving the classroom.  The cost of hiring substitutes if the professional development hours logged on PD 360 had taken place out of the classroom would have been $2,500 per school.

Individualized, Flexible Learning
“It meets our need to individualize staff development at a department level, vertical team level, school level, or individual teacher level.  Because PD 360 is hosted on our server, teachers can access it from school or home, making PD 360 the most flexible and pervasive method of professional development delivery available,” says Davis.

“I like PD 360 because I can sit down at the computer for a few minutes when I have time and learn something new,” says Lynn McKinney, a third grade reading specialist at Lamesa ISD.

Adds Jaci Earnest, a middle school Dyslexia teacher, “I particularly like that I can set my own timeframe for learning.  Being able to go back and review the things I miss or did not quite understand keeps the information fresh in my mind, which is something traditional professional development has not done for me.  I have found I implement what I have learned more fully in the classroom.”

Improved Assimilation of Newly Hired Teachers
With PD 360, Davis can quickly activate a newly hired teacher, as can principals when a new teacher begins at their school.  Principals can immediately begin training teachers in the most critical areas, even if the school’s other teachers have already been trained and without waiting for the next workshop.  Says Davis, “PD 360 is a tremendous help in the process of assimilating newly hired teachers.”

Reliable Content and Technology
Davis did not want to invest resources in a company with little experience or in technology that was not reliable.  Founded in 1991, the School Improvement Network has been producing high-quality, research-based video content that has been used with great satisfaction in thousands of districts in every state and around the world.  The School Improvement Network has been providing web-based video since 1998 and is currently using its third platform.  This experience, combined with expertise, assured Davis that PD 360 would yield reliable, positive results.

For Lamesa ISD, PD 360 is the solution to providing both systemic and individualized professional learning.  When asked why he chose PD 360, Davis says, “PD 360 meets the needs of our teachers and meeting their needs helps us meet the needs of our kids.  Period.  It’s as simple as that.”

For more information, contact:
School Improvement Network
800-572-1153
www.schoolimprovement.com