Professional Development Process

QLR uses a train-the-trainer model to develop organizational capacity for continued improvement. Professional development is provided in vertical groups of 25-40, with participants mirroring the organization’s staff. The first group is led by a three-member QLR team with pre-identified, district/school-selected participants who assume a dual responsibility for both professional development content and process. Subsequent groups are guided by a team comprised of QLR and district/school representation with QLR staff transitioning to the role of coach and mentor. With each successive leadership group, the QLR role is diminished until district/school trainers/coaches/mentors emerge and assume full responsibility for ongoing training and support. Group training is continued until sufficient staff members can serve as group leaders and the continuous improvement philosophy, processes, and tools are organizationally internalized.

Guidelines for Institutionalizing an Improvement Effort

• Internal trainers equal the square root of the organization to be impacted.

• Formal training in content and process continues until 50-60 percent of the organization’s staff are consistently applying learning as
  evidenced through data study and can serve as mentors.

• Ongoing shared experiences, classroom observations, collaborative study, improvement conversations, and iterative improvement
  planning are standard practice.

• Structures and processes are implemented to ensure the acquisition of knowledge and skills by new staff members.

QLR professional development incorporates facilitation, direct instruction, real work application, modeling, coaching, mentoring, site observations, and cheerleading.