In “City teachers rate training as ineffective” (Metro, Feb. 7), Michael Martinez calls attention to one of the most important challenges facing Chicago Public Schools: the need to provide effective professional development for its teachers. As a new study by the Consortium on Chicago School Research, which was commissioned by the states, “About three-quarters of teachers in the system experience professional development with deficiencies in quality.”
Mr. Martinez did an excellent job in summarizing the study, which was drawn in part from surveys to which 10,000 teachers responded. As one of the foundations in Chicago now investing in professional development programs for teachers, we know that effective professional development programs are possible, and that they make an enormous difference in teaching and, therefore, learning.
