Involvement in Decision-Making

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[ProfessionalDevelopment] Discussion of State PD Systems
Janet Isserlis Janet_Isserlis at brown.edu
Fri Feb 10 14:13:46 EST 2006

"A question for other states: Do you have PD advisory boards to help guide the direction of your PD efforts? If so, what process or what activities have you used with your board members to involve them in your PD work?"

Mary-Ann and all

A tentative answer from Rhode Island (and a hope that others in the state might jump in).

As mentioned earlier, RI has been engaged in a two-year process of re-visioning its adult ed system generally, including PD. The PD work group has met regularly for most of that time and as it continues to meet is grappling with this very question. For now, the work group constitutes a form of an advisory board to PD work overall, (including the development of a PD center). It is also one of several working groups under a larger advisory council umbrella, addressing a range of issues across adult ed throughout the state.

Our challenges - and they're interesting ones - include finding ways to be as inclusive as possible when practitioners (teachers and administrators) have limited time and to find meaningful ways of including learner input.

This is really a bare bones answer, largely because we're building the bridge as we cross it.

Janet Isserlis


Subject: [ProfessionalDevelopment] Discussion of State PD Systems
From: Kestner, Sandra (KYAE) Sandra.Kestner at ky.gov
Date: Fri Feb 10 16:08:25 EST 2006

Kentucky uses a Professional Development Practitioner Advisory Team (PDPAT). We meet about three times each year and the 20 member team is composed of instructors and program directors representing all areas of adult education (ESL, Workplace, Family Literacy, ABE, etc). Members rotate off after two to three years so we constantly have fresh ideas. The members have assisted us in creating the professional development model we use in Kentucky and they provide valuable input into what works and what needs to be changed. They also represent the voice of professional development to colleagues in the field. The members offer suggestions and represent the "voice" from the field to the PD policy decision makers. They are a valuable asset to our PD system.

Sandy Kestner, Professional Development