CREDO Survey Insights: Percentage of Schools Providing Professional Development Related to Remote Learning

In February 2022, The Center for Research on Education Outcomes (CREDO) at Stanford University released a report entitled “Charter Schools’ Response to the Pandemic in California, New York and Washington State.” Over the coming weeks, the Institute will share key snapshots and insights from the study, which included responses from 293 charter schools in New York – a 93 percent response rate. 

Charters demonstrated determination in maintaining professional development opportunities, especially in New York with 99% of respondents reporting to provide PD related to remote learning. As the CREDO report notes, less than half of district schools report doing the same.

Democracy Prep New York, a network overseeing five schools in NYC, is one shining example with teachers receiving three weeks of uninterrupted professional development every summer prior to the first day of school. Their new and early career teachers also receive calibrated coaching and mentoring based on both qualitative and quantitative data and all teachers have access to a repository of videos and shared unit and lesson plans.

Trainings on remote environments weren’t limited to teachers either. For the 2020-21 school year, Children’s Aid College Prep Charter School, which serves 648 students in Grades K-8 in Bronx CSD 12, instituted weekly meetings comprised of virtual workshops with 20 to 60 parents to support them with remote learning platforms, preview asynchronous lesson modules, and question and answer sessions with charter leadership – further demonstrating its commitment to family communication as well.