Giving Compass' Take:

• Shifra Adler argues that the professional development cuts in Trump's proposed education budget would be detrimental for student outcomes. 

• What makes effective professional development for teachers? How can funders help to ensure that teachers receive professional development? 

• Learn how leadership support for administrators makes a difference for kids


President Trump has proposed cutting over $2 billion in funds for professional development and career growth and replacing them with vouchers for trainings that go directly to teachers, thereby circumventing district- and school-level bureaucracies.

While this proposal may make for some positive headlines, it won’t actually help teachers grow professionally or better meet their students’ needs. In fact, that’s exactly what Education Secretary Betsy DeVos heard from me and five of my colleagues from around the country when she first proposed this idea to us in a meeting four months ago.

Connecting teachers to excellent professional development opportunities takes more than money. Rather than just handing us a check, the Education Department must fully fund Title II in a manner that encourages teachers and administrators to work as teams to master the best practices that meet their students’ needs.

Read the full article about President Trump’s proposed education budget by Shifra Adler at The Hechinger Report.