In trying to find the balance of having teachers take advantage of needed professional development opportunities but also in front of their students consistently, a DeWitt County school district is trying some new things. 

Susan Wilson is the Superintendent of the Blue Ridge district and says they found their teachers were out of the classroom so much and felt it was providing inconsistencies to their students.

Because a before and after school training requires paying teachers extra, Wilson says the trade-off is not having to bring in subs to cover their classroom time. This implementation started last year and Wilson feels it has gone really well to date. 

Professional development in the district has started to be taken care in-house thanks to the hiring of a curriculum coordinator. Wilson adds partnerships with other districts have started to become a popular form of professional development.

Traditional professional development seminars are still an option as well. Wilson says they still send teachers to various conferences throughout the state bringing back great ideas for their various campuses. 

Wilson believes the approach they have been using has had real benefits for their students by providing continuity they need.