Dust Off Your Training Strategy: 5 Ways to Refresh Professional Development
/This week, many programs—especially school districts—are gearing up for spring break. But in my family, spring break has never just been about taking time off. When I was growing up, my grandparents called it "clean-up week," and let me tell you, that was not up for negotiation.
Everything in the house got dusted, washed, decluttered, and reorganized. We tossed out what was old and outdated, made space for the new, and reset our routines. Whether we wanted to or not, we got the house back in order. And now, with three daughters who are busier than ever, I’ve decided to keep that tradition alive in my own home—spring break is our chance to pause and refresh.
That got me thinking about an oldie-but-goodie blog I wrote about spring cleaning your early childhood program (linked here). While maintaining compliance and keeping paperwork in order is still essential, I’ve realized that professional development practices need some serious spring cleaning, too.
Before you shift into summer camp planning (and, let’s be real, before back to school starts creeping up on you), now is the perfect time to step back and assess your approach to professional learning. Are your PD efforts truly effective, or are you running on outdated systems? Is your team actually growing, or are they just sitting through trainings that check a box?
Let’s clean it up.
1. Dust Off Your PD Goals
Just like furniture collects dust when it’s not used, professional development plans can get stale when they aren’t regularly revisited. If you set PD goals at the start of the year, now is the time to check in:
Are those goals still relevant?
Have teachers made progress, or have they been too overwhelmed to implement what they’ve learned?
Are there gaps in knowledge that weren’t as obvious before?
Take a fresh look at the needs of your team and adjust your approach accordingly. If your staff has already mastered certain concepts, it might be time to build on them with advanced training. If they’re still struggling in key areas, maybe they need more support, not just another training session.
Spring Cleaning Tip: Schedule a short survey or one-on-one check-ins with teachers to gauge their PD progress. Let their feedback guide the next steps.
2. Declutter Your Training Calendar
Over the years, I’ve seen programs fall into one of two PD traps: either they overload their teachers with constant training sessions that leave them burnt out, or they do the bare minimum to meet licensing requirements and call it a day. Neither approach is effective.
Spring cleaning is about intentionality. Look at your professional development calendar with fresh eyes:
Are there too many trainings packed into short periods, leaving teachers feeling overwhelmed?
Are your PD sessions spaced out enough to allow for implementation and reflection?
Do the topics feel repetitive, or are they addressing current challenges?
If your training schedule looks more like clutter than a well-thought-out plan, it’s time to streamline.
🔹 Spring Cleaning Tip: Prioritize quality over quantity. Instead of filling the calendar with generic sessions, focus on targeted, high-impact training that aligns with what your teachers actually need.
3. Organize Your Approach to Implementation
The best PD isn’t just about what teachers learn—it’s about how they apply it. If your program has been treating training as a one-and-done event, you’re missing out on real growth.
Think of it like reorganizing a closet. If you just shove everything back inside without a system, it’s only a matter of time before it’s a mess again. The same goes for PD.
Do teachers have time built into their schedule to practice new strategies?
Are they receiving coaching, feedback, or follow-up support?
Do they have opportunities to reflect and troubleshoot challenges with their peers?
🔹 Spring Cleaning Tip: Pair every training with an action plan. After each PD session, create time for follow-up discussions, coaching check-ins, or peer mentorship to help teachers implement what they’ve learned.
4. Toss Out Outdated Training Methods
Some professional development practices just don’t work anymore. Sitting through hours of PowerPoint-heavy training with little to no engagement? Trash it. One-size-fits-all training that ignores individual teacher needs? Time to let it go.
The best professional learning is interactive, relevant, and aligned with adult learning principles. This means moving beyond passive workshops and incorporating:
Hands-on, experiential learning
Job-embedded coaching and mentoring
Collaborative learning communities
Self-paced, flexible learning options
Teachers are professionals. If PD isn’t engaging or applicable to their real-world challenges, it won’t stick.
🔹 Spring Cleaning Tip: Take an honest look at your training methods. If they feel outdated, switch things up. Consider incorporating more interactive elements, real-world problem-solving, or even a hybrid model that allows teachers to engage at their own pace.
5. Make Room for Growth
Spring cleaning isn’t just about getting rid of what doesn’t work—it’s about making space for what does.
If professional development is truly going to make an impact, teachers need to see a clear connection between their learning and their growth. This means:
Recognizing and celebrating progress
Creating leadership pathways for teachers who excel
Offering PD opportunities that align with teachers’ career goals, not just compliance requirements
When teachers feel like their growth is valued and supported, they’re more invested in professional learning.
🔹 Spring Cleaning Tip: Look at how your program supports ongoing teacher growth. Are you creating opportunities for career development, leadership roles, or individualized learning plans? If not, now is the time to start.
Ready to clean up your PD practices and make them work for your team?
Join the PD Makeover 10-Day Challenge, where you’ll streamline your training approach, eliminate ineffective practices, and build a professional development plan that actually drives results. I’m giving you the exact steps and resources to make it happen—from structured action plans to practical templates and tools that take the guesswork out of creating impactful PD.
No more wasted sessions. No more box-checking. Just professional development that works.