Educators and policymakers have every reason to applaud AFT president Randi Weingarten's bold pledge to improve teacher evaluation systems. But this effort--which also calls for professional development to help ineffective teachers improve their practice--will address the needs of a very small percentage of the teaching workforce. It is time to also get serious about ensuring that the three million other teachers in our classrooms engage in regular, team-based, content-rich, and sustained professional learning that research shows helps improve student achievement. It's a good first step to take on cumbersome personnel procedures and provide support to low-performing teachers, but let's not let it stand in the way of taking on the bigger challenge.

We must ensure that all teachers have time and opportunities to participate in professional learning that promotes collaborative work and problem solving and strengthens teaching across grade levels and subject areas. The experience of high-achieving countries such as Finland, Singapore, and Japan reveal that this strategy works to improve learning in the long term, and reduces the number of struggling teachers in the first place.

I understand AFT's desire to bring attention to the need to revise the teacher evaluation system. And while professional development is a valued component of an effective teacher evaluation system, this effort should not deflect attention from what I view as the more important issue: improving professional development for all teachers so that all students succeed.

I support national efforts to improve teacher evaluation. Yet, in the national conversation, professional development as tied to the teacher evaluation process debate has become the target of extensive criticism. And while some teacher evaluation systems may be "broken," in many places the professional development system is not; it is actually responsible for producing higher results for students. In addition, I fear that the ongoing discussion of "fixing" teacher evaluation and professional development may lead people to believe that the only purpose for professional development is fixing poor teachers. How do we make sure educators and other stakeholders in the process recognize this is one small part of a much larger and more important professional development agenda?ﾠ ﾠ

Effective professional development is so much more than a remedial improvement process. In the best of circumstances, it serves all teachers, the school, and the community, and it ensures continuous improvement and higher levels of performance for all educators and all students. Let's not let the current attention toward teacher evaluation hijack our efforts to bring attention to what must happen to ensure every educator engages in effective professional learning every day so every student achieves.

Stephanie Hirsh is NSDC's executive director.