The New Definition of Professional Development 

Why PD Must Address Both Academic and Non-Academic Barriers to Student Success 

Professional development has always been a cornerstone of educational improvement. But in today’s classrooms (where social, emotional, and behavioral factors often shape learning as much as academics) the traditional model of PD no longer fits the realities teachers face. 

This article is the first in a five-part series exploring how schools are reimagining professional learning and instructional design to better serve educators and students. Read more from The Power of Comprehensive PD series here.

A Shift from “Training” to Transformation 

For years, PD was synonymous with one-day workshops, binders of strategies, and the hope that new ideas would somehow find their way into everyday practice. The next generation of professional learning looks different: it’s ongoing, holistic, and rooted in the whole-child perspective. 

Educators across the country are expanding PD to include not just new instructional techniques but also approaches that help teachers recognize and respond to students’ non-academic needs: behavioral patterns, emotional well-being, and engagement levels. When teachers have tools to support the whole learner, academic outcomes improve too. 

Why Academic Success Starts with Non-Academic Support 

Students bring their whole selves into the classroom. Factors like attendance anxiety, emotional regulation, and sense of belonging directly influence academic performance. Professional development that acknowledges these layers, such as training in trauma-informed practices, restorative conversations, and inclusive classroom culture, creates conditions where academic growth can actually take hold. 

Districts that weave these elements into PD have seen stronger engagement and more sustainable instructional change. Research from the Learning Policy Institute has long shown that high-quality, sustained PD correlates with improved student achievement, but it also boosts teacher confidence and retention, two critical indicators of school health. 

Building PD Ecosystems, Not Events 

Forward-thinking districts are replacing “drive-through” PD with ecosystems of professional growth: a combination of workshops, peer collaboration, coaching, and reflective practice. In these systems, teachers experience PD as part of their professional rhythm, not an interruption to it. 

Some practical structures gaining traction include: 

• Weekly learning communities where teachers analyze student work and reflect on strategies. 

• Peer observation rounds focused on feedback and shared accountability. 

• Integrated wellness learning for staff, helping educators build self-regulation and empathy skills that translate directly to students. 

This shift positions professional development as continuous nourishment rather than occasional maintenance.

For ideas on how schools are sustaining these models through ongoing coaching and collaborative learning, explore our PD resources.

Leadership’s Role in Sustaining the New Definition 

School and district leaders play a critical role in redefining PD. Their actions (protecting time for collaboration, modeling vulnerability as learners, and connecting PD goals to student data) signal that professional growth is not optional, it’s cultural. 

Leaders who create psychological safety for teachers to experiment, fail, and iterate cultivate teams where PD becomes embedded in daily practice. The result? Instructional improvement that lasts beyond the next initiative cycle.

See more examples of leadership-driven insights.

The Bottom Line 

The new definition of professional development is both simple and profound: support the teacher as a whole person so they can support the student as a whole learner.

When PD connects academic strategies with social-emotional and behavioral understanding, schools don’t just raise test scores; they build environments where educators and students thrive together. 

Next in the Series: From Workshop to Impact: How Coaching Sustains Real Change

Read more on this topic in our whitepaper.