Cumberland County Schools Staff Development for 2008-2009

Cumberland County Schools
2008-2009 Staff Development

In any vocation, it is imperative that professionals keep abreast of current knowledge and skills essential to effective job performance. You would expect a doctor, a pharmacist, a hair stylist, or an auto mechanic to be competent with the latest and most effective practices when delivering services to you. This is also certainly true for educators.

When discussing education, teacher’s duties, and school calendars, you may have come across the term “staff development.” Staff development can be defined as those activities teachers participate in that assist them in gaining knowledge and skills to more effectively perform their duties. Staff development opportunities include conferences, workshops, and meetings where teachers and staff may gain specialized knowledge on various topics.

Some examples of staff development activities for Cumberland County School System educators for 2008-2009 include the following opportunities:
· Differentiated Instruction and Inclusion
· How to Work with Children of Poverty
· New Curriculum Standards (which our students will be held to beginning in 2009-2010)
· Practical Strategies for Accelerated Reading and Accelerated Math
· Practical Strategies for RTI (Response To Intervention-identifying and assisting students who are academically struggling in the primary grades)
· One Team, Many Hands, Great Accomplishments: School Counselors and Administrators Academy
· Southeast Regional International Reading Association Conference
· Kindergarten, 1st Grade and 2nd Grade Conferences
· Smoky Mountain Renaissance Coalition Conference
· Framework for Evaluation Training
· How to Increase Value Added Scores
· How to Increase Writing Assessment Scores
· Key to Dropout Prevention

The professionals in Cumberland County are dedicated to being well-informed and well-equipped to deliver quality educational services to the children of our county. Our students certainly benefit from the skills learned in these sessions.