In April 1999, the Comprehensive Needs Assessment Report highlighted the State of Hawaii Department of Education's need for sustained support in terms of time, resources, and professional development for all educators. The Professional Development Support Center (PDSC) creates the Department of Education's vehicle for professional inquiry that institutionalizes best practices in education and standards for educators as well as students. In order for students to achieve, teachers must be competent and qualified to teach, and administrators must be able to organize and lead their schools to support the work of teachers and provide for their growth.

The professional development focus is on providing the professional development support in three areas: Teacher Development, Administrative Development and Systemic Development. PDSC facilitates, on a developmental level, accomplishment of the educational initiatives that are happening in our DOE system as well as initiatives that are happening nationally.

Teacher Development: The purpose of teacher development is to create a quality professional development program that:
1) Encourages potential candidates into the teaching profession.
2) Provides support for beginning and in-service teachers in learning and implementing effective research-based strategies that lead to high student achievement in meeting the standards.
3) Provides for the development of teacher leaders.

Administrator Development: PDSC's purpose is to provide professional development opportunities to build the leadership capacity of our educational administrators to successfully implement the direction of the Board of Education and the State Superintendent. PDSC also creates an institutional workplace where administrators along with their school teams can gain new knowledge and support the improvement of the schools, which results in promoting high student achievement.

The new millennium presents an increasingly demanding set of expectations for all educators. Teachers are being required to teach in ways for which they have not been trained and administrators must lead organizations that are complex and continually changing. The scope of responsibilities for both groups continues to grow.

PDSC is committed to providing system wide support to educators as they engage in educational reform. We must invest in our professionals if there is to be a genuine commitment to achieving excellence.

Documentation: Click Download to view the PDF Credit Guidelines Document: