Small school districts like that in Humansville, Missouri often don't feel that they have the budget for professional development. Other problems they face are time constraints, diverse teacher needs, and high turnover. Read about how they found PD 360 to solve each of those concerns and more.

1. Case Study
HENRICO COUNTY ARTESIA Lamesa ISD HENRICO COUNTY ARTESIA
School Improvement Network
Lamesa ISD HENRICO COUNTY ARTESIA Lamesa ISD HENRICO COUNTY
ARTESIA Lamesa ISD HENRICO COUNTY ARTESIA Lamesa ISD HENRICO
Small, Rural, High
COUNTY ARTESIA Lamesa ISD HENRICO COUNTY ARTESIA Lamesa ISD
HENRICO COUNTY ARTESIA Lamesa ISD HENRICO COUNTY ARTESIA
Poverty MO District
Lamesa ISD HENRICO COUNTY ARTESIA Lamesa ISD HENRICO COUNTY
Achieves Goals with PD
ARTESIA Lamesa ISD HENRICO COUNTY ARTESIA Lamesa ISD HENRICO
COUNTY ARTESIA Lamesa ISD HENRICO COUNTY ARTESIA Lamesa ISD
HUMANSVILLE R-VI SCHOOL DISTRICT, MO
“PD 360 is the most powerful and diverse
professional development program available. Schools
cannot afford to NOT implement it.”
Janice Hogan “As a small district in a high poverty area, we
Mentor/Mentee Coordinator have very specific needs and to meet them, we as
Humansville R-VI School District, MO educators must keep growing. PD 360 is a perfect
partner in achieving our goals. I’m sold on it!”
DISTRICT PROFILE Janice Hogan
Mentor/Mentee Coordinator
Humansville R-VI School District, MO
Humansville R-IV School District is a small, rural district in a
high-poverty locale of Polk County, Missouri. It serves 400
students in grades K-12 and 37 preschool students. District SOLUTION
data includes:
• 40% of its 36 teachers have a master’s degree or Ms. Hogan searched the Internet and found PD 360,
higher an online, on demand PD resource for teachers. She
• Fully accredited by the Missouri State Board of immediately signed up for a free 30-day trial and was so
Education impressed with its ability to address all of their challenges
• 80% of students are qualified for free or that she knew it was right for Humansville Schools.
reduced-price lunches
• 10% of students have an Individualized Education Small districts often feel that they do not have enough
Program (IEP) budget money for PD. Humansville administrators studied
the costs of hiring classroom substitutes, sending teachers
CHALLENGES to a workshop or conference, and the effectiveness of
those options compared to the cost of PD 360. The answer
Professional development (PD) is a high priority in was obvious—PD 360 was a better solution. The district
Humansville Schools and, though practiced consistently, redirected that money rather than looking for new money
District Mentor/Mentee Coordinator Janice Hogan had within the budget. Now when they look at PD monies at the
concerns and was anxious to find a program that would first of each year, PD 360 comes first.
deal with them. Its challenges have been:
• Budget cuts ABOUT PD 360
• Time constraints
• Diverse teacher needs
• Small teaching staff PD 360 is an on demand library of professional teacher
• High teacher turnover development resources that leverages technology to make
professional learning more effective, convenient, and
www.schoolimprovement.com | www.PD360.com | 800.572.1153

2. sustainable. With over 200 hours of research-based video Walkthroughs
content, plus tools for follow-up, tracking, reflection, and
group training, PD 360 is the most comprehensive solution
Principal walkthroughs are formally required twice a year
to your professional teacher development needs.
but occur more often on a casual basis. Having principals in
the classrooms has a huge impact on teacher training. They
More than 700,000 educators across North America
can email specific PD 360 segment links that are relevant
already use PD 360 to access individualized support on
to the instructional needs of the teachers, while providing
the most relevant topics, such as differentiation, minority
easy and effective, job-embedded follow-up. Being able
student achievement, English Language Learners,
to provide instant remediation on many issues has been
classroom instruction that works, leadership, assessment,
beneficial to both principals and teachers alike.
and many more. PD 360’s content is divided into hundreds
of indexed and searchable segments that make it easy Professional Growth Plans (PGPs)
for teachers, administrators, aspiring leaders, coaches,
mentors, paraprofessionals, and professional learning
As part of walkthroughs and the evaluation process, all
communities to find the answers they need. New content
teachers have an individual PGP that is developed by the
is added continually to keep educators up to date. See a
teacher and principal. It includes identified areas for growth,
demonstration at www.pd360.com.
action plans, and progress-reporting procedures. Watching
PD 360 segments relating to areas of difficulty while
DRIVING USAGE AND IMPLEMENTATION tracking what they learn and how they implement it in the
classroom is becoming a large part of their PD procedure.
PD 360 was introduced to Humansville administrators who
were very pleased with the product’s possibilities and, in Struggling Teachers
turn, passed it on to teachers.
Principals help teachers who struggle by suggesting specific
PD 360 segments that show what best classroom practices
Interactive Communities/Groups
look like in needed areas. Each teacher’s usage, as well as
their answers to reflection and follow-up questions can be
As a small staff, Humansville teachers are delighted with
tracked by the administration to follow growth.
the ability to share support and ideas with teachers around
the country through PD 360’s interactive communities
When there is an issue in their classrooms, they can
and groups. Teachers and administrators can share best
be directed to sections of programs such as Classroom
practices, learn from one another, and eliminate classroom
Management, Differentiated Instruction, and many more.
isolation. Ms. Hogan feels that the communities are
excellent and she encourages teachers to reach out and
BENEFITS
start their own groups. They can be created as public or
private domains.
Humansville is experiencing many benefits since putting PD
360 into practice, including:
Professional Learning Communities (PLCs)
Improved Student Achievement
PD 360 is used in Humansville PLCs for specific needs and
goals. It supports PLCs and gives them a solid resource
PD 360 is having a positive impact on student achievement.
to study. PLCs can watch a PD 360 video segment and
In the Missouri Assessment Program, Humansville’s Math
discuss how to apply the practices in their classrooms.
proficiency scores have progressed from 26.9% in 2007 to
40.1% in 2010. And the Communication Arts proficiency
New Teacher/Mentor Program scores have advanced from 32.2% in 2007 to 40.6% in
2010.
New teachers are given a one-week orientation to
understand the district objectives and focus. They are also Real Experts
introduced to PD 360 and trained in its uses.
Over 130 respected education experts are available at
The Mentor/Mentee Program is a mandatory two-year plan
each teacher’s fingertips whenever they need them. Now
for all new teachers. PD 360 usage is required with an
Humansville educators do not have to attend expensive
emphasis on Learning 360 Framework, a comprehensive
conferences to be trained by acknowledged authorities
learning system centered on research-based principles of
such as Michael Fullan, Doug Reeves, Richard DuFour, and
instructional strategies, paired with powerful teaching and
Gayle Gregory.
student learning.
www.schoolimprovement.com | www.PD360.com | 800.572.1153

3. Real Classroom Examples CONCLUSION
It is a plus for teachers in Humansville to see real
classroom examples showing how the strategies are Humansville School District has found that PD 360 is
implemented. Having an example of a variety of classrooms cost-effective and offers a wide selection of professional
from across the country is essential for teachers to actually development opportunities. The teachers love its benefits
see how to incorporate the practices into their own classes. and Ms. Hogan is a true proponent, often serving as a
spokesperson to other districts that want to talk to someone
“Teachers participating in PD 360 are not just who is using it. She tells them, “PD 360 works!”
hearing about best practices, they are learning
from the most renowned experts and watching how
it’s done within successful real classrooms. Every ABOUT SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT NETWORK
educator is awed when first experiencing PD 360.”
Janice Hogan
Mentor/Mentee Coordinator School Improvement Network is the leading provider of
Humansville R-VI School District, MO teacher education and teacher training, specializing in
on-demand, research-based professional development
available anytime, anywhere. As the home of The Video
Journal of Education, PD 360, Observation 360, and the
Relevant Topics
Learning 360 Framework, School Improvement Network’s
education training resources focus on the most relevant
New content that is applicable and up to date is continually topics, such as classroom management, minority student
being added to PD 360. Humansville educators can achievement, English language learners, and more.
quickly find the help they need in the 1,500 fully indexed The resources also feature top experts such as Michael
video learning segments that address topics pertinent to Fullan and Douglas Reeves, and show how to put theory
them, such as Block Scheduling, Differentiation, Special into practice. With its focus on long-term improvement,
Education, etc. sustainability, and greater internal capacity, School
Improvement Network helps its clients close achievement
Job-embedded
gaps, meet high standards, and increase student learning
for both elementary education and secondary education. To
PD should not be identical for every teacher but should learn more about School Improvement Network’s dynamic
be responsive to individual day-to-day school practices resources, visit www.schoolimprovement.com.
and student needs with a focus on job-embedded
responsibilities. As questions and situations arise in
classrooms, teachers can instantly find answers in PD 360
to improve instruction when needed instead of waiting for
district training that might not address those needs.
Differentiated Instruction for Teachers
Ms. Hogan believes that professional development for
educators should meet an assortment of needs and not
be a one-time, one-size-fits-all event. The large assortment
of content in PD 360 ensures that teachers of every
experience level can find individualized support to improve
their classroom management strategies. To read more case studies, scan this QR
code with a smartphone or visit www.
schoolimprovement.com/casestudies
“We are so impressed with the scope of PD 360
and its ability to speak to the diverse needs of all
educators. No longer do teachers need to sit through
training meetings that have nothing to do with
them.”
Janice Hogan
Mentor/Mentee Coordinator
Humansville R-VI School District, MO
www.schoolimprovement.com | www.PD360.com | 800.572.1153