Most Professional Development Doesn’t Change Practice—Here’s What Does
Let me say something that most people in education already know… but we don’t always say out loud.
A lot of professional development doesn’t actually change what people do.
People show up. They listen. They take a few notes. And then they go back to their classrooms or their meetings… and things mostly stay the same.
It’s not because people don’t care. They do.
It’s not because the content isn’t good. Often it is.
It’s just that change is harder than that.
You don’t change how you lead a meeting, respond to a student, or handle a tough conversation just because you heard a great idea.
Something else has to happen.
There’s a body of research from Bruce Joyce and Beverly Showers that I keep coming back to. They looked at what actually helps teachers take something new and use it in real life.
Hearing about a strategy helps a little. Seeing it modeled helps a bit more. Practicing it helps even more.
But the real shift happens when there’s coaching and follow-up. That’s when implementation jumps.
So what actually makes professional development stick?
In my experience, it’s a few things. And they’re not complicated, but they do require intention.
First, people have to feel something. Not in a forced or performative way. But in a real way.
When something lands emotionally, when people laugh, reflect, recognize themselves in a story, or feel seen, it sticks differently. Emotion helps encode memory. It makes things more likely to come back later, when it actually matters.
Second, people need a chance to try it. Not later. Not “when you get back to your classroom.” Right there in the room.
That might look like practicing a conversation. Trying a different response. Stepping into a scenario that feels a little uncomfortable but real. Because thinking about doing something and actually doing it are two very different things.
Another big one is relevance.
If someone leaves a session thinking, “That was interesting,” but they’re not sure how it fits into their day tomorrow, it probably won’t go very far.
The best PD makes it obvious.
You can see exactly where it shows up. In your next class. In your next meeting. In that moment when a student pushes back or a conversation gets tense.
You don’t have to translate it. It’s already in your world.
And then there’s the part we don’t talk about enough.
Change is social.
It’s really hard to do something new if you’re the only one doing it.
But when a team shares language, when people are trying things together, when leaders are reinforcing the same ideas, it starts to become part of the culture instead of just an individual effort.
And finally, it has to continue. A quick check-in. A follow-up conversation. A moment to reflect on what worked and what didn’t.
That’s where things start to take root.
Without that, even really powerful experiences fade.
So maybe a better question for us, as we think about professional development, is this:
Not “Was it good?” But “What will actually be different because of it?”
Because at the end of the day, the goal isn’t just to inspire people for a few hours.
It’s to help them show up differently in the moments that matter.
If your school or district is thinking about professional development for next year and wants something that actually translates into daily practice, not just a good session, I’d be happy to connect and explore how I can support your team and staff. You can reach me at roni@eqschools.com or schedule a time to chat at calendly.com/eqschools