Professional Development Survey

Each year, PD chairs across the province complete the Professional Development Survey, which tracks opportunities for Alberta teachers to pursue professional development activities. The collected data provides a snapshot of each of Alberta's 62 school jurisdictions regarding time provisions and local and district funding, as well as critical assessments of the school district efforts to support professional development initiatives. The survey results are divided into two parts. Section I provides comprehensive data for each school district and local in the following areas:

1. Total days allocated for professional development
2. Days allocated for districtwide professional development
3. School-based professional development days
4. Number of districts with school day/week modifications
5. District budgets for PD funding per FTE
6. Local ATA PD committee financial contribution per FTE
7. Sabbaticals and intermediate-term leaves

To develop a more complete picture of the depth and range of professional development opportunities across the province and to better understand the individual circumstances that PD committees work in, Section II provides a descriptive analysis of two key features:

1. An overview of current professional development issues (ie, impact of funding on PD)
2. Assessment of the overall effectiveness of school district supports and frameworks for PD

The ongoing monitoring of PD opportunities across Alberta continues to generate a comprehensive picture of professional development in Alberta schools that helps establish targets for improvement. Copies of the annual survey results can be obtained by contacting J-C Couture, at (780) 447-9462 or 1-800-232-7208 (toll free in Alberta).