To overcome challenges like budget cuts and dropout rates, the Glynn County School System needed a way to effectively arm its teachers with the tools and knowledge to help them handle any issues that come up in (or out) of the classroom. Find out how they used PD 360 to achieve their goals.

1. Case Study
School Improvement Network
HENRICO COUNTY ARTESIA Lamesa ISD HENRICO COUNTY ARTESIA
Lamesa ISD HENRICO COUNTY ARTESIA Lamesa ISD HENRICO COUNTY
Midsized GA District
ARTESIA Lamesa ISD HENRICO COUNTY ARTESIA Lamesa ISD HENRICO
PD Experts Maximize
COUNTY ARTESIA Lamesa ISD HENRICO COUNTY ARTESIA Lamesa ISD
HENRICO COUNTY ARTESIA Lamesa ISD HENRICO COUNTY ARTESIA
Differentiated Instruction
Lamesa ISD HENRICO COUNTY ARTESIA Lamesa ISD HENRICO COUNTY
ARTESIA Lamesa ISD HENRICO COUNTY ARTESIA Lamesa ISD HENRICO
COUNTY ARTESIA Lamesa ISD HENRICO COUNTY ARTESIA Lamesa ISD
GLYNN COUNTY SCHOOL SYSTEM, GEORGIA
“I am a big proponent of PD 360. It is not a generic,
one-time resource, but instead allows teachers
unlimited access to easily find answers to their
individual questions.”
FOCUS
Charlotte Lawson
Director of Professional Learning
Glynn County School System, GA GCSS remains focused on supplying every student with
the best educational opportunities to succeed despite
challenges.
PROFILE
• A 48% economically disadvantaged population and
Glynn County School System (GCSS) is located in Bruns- approximately 6,000 students eligible for free or
wick, GA and serves approximately 13,000 students in 17 reduced price lunches.
schools. Originally chartered in 1788, GCSS early on began
a tradition of providing excellent education. Recent district • Limited funds and continued budget cuts have affected
highlights include: professional development programs.
• GCSS is fully accredited by the Southern Association of • Continued focus on lowering high school dropout rates
Colleges and Schools (SACS). with a comprehensive approach that has already
reduced it from 10% to 6%.
• Glynn County Board of Education has been named a
“Board of Distinction” by the Georgia School Boards • English Language Learners (ELL) comprise 4% of GCSS
Association. students.
• GCSS is improving test scores and high school gradua- • Ten percent of GCSS students have an Individualized
tion rates with rigorous grade-level promotion require- Education Program (IEP).
ments, ending so-called “social promotion.”
• During the 2008-09 school year, GCSS student sub- SOLUTION
groups met performance objectives in 266 of the 272
areas that were measured under No Child Left Behind Charlotte Lawson, GCSS Director of Professional Learning,
(NCLB). wanted an online, job embedded, and cost effective PD that
would regularly meet the individual needs of all teachers
and improve learning in the classrooms. While attending
a Title II A conference, she listened to Curtis Linton speak
about PD 360 and knew she had found the answer.
www.schoolimprovement.com | www.PD360.com

2. ABOUT PD 360 School 45-Day Action Plans
To improve achievement and increase AYP subgroup
PD 360 is an on-demand library of professional teacher
performance, administrators meet with each school
development resources that leverages technology to make
leadership team in 45-day intervals to assess student
professional learning more effective, convenient, and
progress and make a plan that will frequently be reviewed
sustainable. With over 200 hours of research-based video
and revised as needed.
content, plus tools for follow-up, tracking, reflection, and
group training, PD 360 is the most comprehensive solution
School 45-Day Action Plans must include PD 360
to professional teacher development needs.
implementation and schools are visited by district
administrators who observe how it is being put into action.
More than 700,000 educators across North America
already use PD 360 to access individualized support on Differentiated Instruction Implementation
the most relevant topics, like differentiation, minority
student achievement, English language learners, classroom
GCSS is encouraging teachers to view and implement PD
instruction that works, leadership, assessment, and many
360’s Differentiated Instruction programs. Ms. Lawson feels
more. PD 360’s content is divided into hundreds of indexed
that teachers as well as students are profiting from this.
and searchable segments that make it easy for teachers,
administrators, aspiring leaders, coaches, mentors,
“A handful of good teachers used Differentiated
paraprofessionals, and professional learning communities
Instruction in their classrooms even before it was
to find the answers they need. New content is continually
called by that name. With PD 360, it is now being
added to keep educators up to date. See a demonstration
defined, understood, and supported so that we can
at www.pd360.com.
expect it from all teachers. And the bottom line is
that teaching with differentiation increases student
DRIVING USAGE AND IMPLEMENTATION success.”
Charlotte Lawson
GCSS established PD 360 by training principals and Director of Professional Learning
instructional coaches who then took it back to their Glynn County School System, GA
schools. Apprehensive teachers were resistant to adding
one more thing to their already full plates and the coaches
had the job of making sure that each one got into the BENEFITS
resource to see what was available. They were surprised to
find themselves drawn in by the easy accessibility and wide
range of topics. Now the district is incorporating PD 360 As Ms. Lawson foresaw, GCSS is benefitting from the many
usage in a variety of ways. advantages PD 360 offers.
Teacher Certification Educator Enthusiasm
GCSS requires teachers to earn one Professional Learning Though originally unsure of adding it to their PD, teachers
Unit (PLU) per year by completing 10 hours of approved PD have since embraced PD 360. Many have commented that
earned through participation in school-based or system- while researching a topic, they often become distracted by
wide courses. Watching a PD 360 program and answering so much excellent information and forget their original goal.
the follow-up questions is used toward the mandatory PLU. Usage has skyrocketed in a short amount of time.
Individual Professional Learning Plans Glynn County School System, GA
PD 360 Usage Data
Occasionally a specific need arises with a struggling Jun 28, 2010 to Jan 21, 2011
teacher. An Individual Professional Growth Plan is
Total Users: 1,080
developed by the teacher and school principal to determine
the needed improvements. The plan is then submitted by Registered Users: 894
the teacher to explain how he or she will use PD 360 to Registered Users Who Have Viewed: 825
correct the difficulty. Minutes Users Have Viewed: 52,184
Average Minutes Viewed Per User: 63.3
% Registered Users Who Have Viewed: 92%
Ms. Lawson plans to survey teachers for PD 360 feedback
at the end of the school year. Their usage is an indicator
www.schoolimprovement.com | www.PD360.com

3. that responses will be very positive. Excellent Customer Service and Training Support
Ms. Lawson has been very happy with the support GCSS
Cost Effective
has received from the Professional Development Advisor
PD 360 is cost-effective for GCSS as the expenditure is who consistently takes a personal interest in their needs
much less than traditional PD and can be purchased with a and from the trainer who came to coach educators in the
variety of funding sources available to districts and schools. many ways PD 360 can make teachers more effective.
For example, GCSS has been able to pay for PD 360 with
Title I and Title II A funds.
CONCLUSION
Recognized Education Experts
With the same resolve that began 223 years ago, GCSS
GCSS teachers have access to over 120 top education carries on its long-standing tradition of providing an
experts without waiting for conferences or paying the high exceptional education for all students and with PD 360’s
costs associated with them. teacher improvement capabilities, it will continue to do so
for many years to come.
“The cost to send whole teams to hear the experts at
conferences is unaffordable but with PD 360, I can ABOUT SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT NETWORK
have teachers watch authorities like Robert Marzano,
Doug Reeves, Rick Stiggins, and Michael Fullan at
any time. PD 360 gives us unrestricted accessibility School Improvement Network is the leading provider of
to the best experts in education.” teacher education and teacher training, specializing in
on-demand, research-based professional development
Charlotte Lawson anytime, anywhere. As the home of The Video Journal
Director of Professional Learning of Education, PD 360, and the Leadership and Learning
Glynn County School System, GA Framework, School Improvement Network’s education
training resources focus on the most relevant topics, such
Accessibility as classroom management. The resources also feature
top experts such as Michael Fullan and Douglas Reeves,
As an online and on-demand solution, teachers access PD and show how to put theory into practice. With its focus
360 anytime and anywhere they have the Internet. They log on long-term improvement, sustainability, and greater
on at home as well as at work, which encourages taking internal capacity, the School Improvement Network helps its
charge of their learning on their own time schedule. This clients close achievement gaps, meet high standards and
has provided a solution for GCSS, because it has been increase student learning for both elementary education
difficult to get educators together often. The high school and secondary education. To learn more about School
teachers in particular do not have time for many PD days. Improvement Network’s dynamic resources, visit
www.schoolimprovement.com.
Large Library of Content/Relevant Topics
GCSS educators can immediately find the help they need
in the 1500 fully indexed, professional development video
segments that address the most pertinent topics and have
easy search ability. In addition, PD 360 continues to add
up-to-date programs. To read more case studies, scan this QR
code with a smartphone or visit www.
schoolimprovement.com/casestudies
“The PD 360 library offers quality and quantity with
an extensive list of topics that cover all the hot but-
tons in education today. Teachers who struggle with
classroom management can find proven strategies
to help them with student achievement. It is a great
resource!”
Charlotte Lawson
Director of Professional Learning
Glynn County School System, GA
www.schoolimprovement.com | www.PD360.com