The Yonkers Public Schools District is committed to providing high quality, research-based professional development to all administrators, teachers and pupil support staff. High standards and statewide testing continue to inform our instructional and professional development opportunities. We recognize that successful professional development which respects individual differences is both collaborative and empowering. Professional development must prepare and support educators to help them apply strategies to reach every student and to create an environment where teaching and learning are at the highest levels. When school districts become learning centers for teachers and leaders, profound change and improvement occurs. 

As teachers' and leaders' responsibilities gain complexity, it is the role of professional development to provide them with the tools necessary to address the expectations we have for all students. Using teacher and leader identified needs and student achievement data, our mandate is clear: administrators and teachers require high quality, differentiated, data-driven and readily-accessible professional development. 

The following Professional Development Plan (PDP) begins with the individual administrator and teacher, but will ultimately relate back to improvement in the learning process and the achievement of high standards for all students. The plan was created in a collegial and supportive atmosphere made up of a committee of administrators, teachers, parents, Institutions of Higher Education, and community members. The committee’s philosophy is that professional development be targeted, continuous and sustained, providing professional growth which results in enrichment of knowledge, skills and strategies for the school community’s stakeholders at all levels of experience. The overriding goal is the implementation of research-based best practices to improve student achievement.