The ACE Effect: Evidence-Based Revolution in K-12 Professional Development

In today’s rapidly evolving educational landscape, the need for effective, impactful professional development has never been more critical. K-12 leaders are faced with a pressing question: How can they create professional development strategies that not only enhance teacher effectiveness but also boost retention while aligning with district’s goals?

The $18 Billion Challenge: A Call for Change

The K-12 professional development market is a staggering $18 billion industry. Yet, despite this massive investment, districts continue to grapple with teacher shortages, burnout and a disconnect between professional learning and classroom impact. Research paints a concerning picture:

• Only 29% of teachers are highly satisfied with current PD offerings.
• Nearly half of new teachers leave the profession within their first five years.
• Traditional PD shows limited impact on student achievement.

It’s clear: There needs to be a paradigm shift in how we approach educator growth.

Outcomes-Driven, Research-Backed Professional Development

Imagine a world where every educator feels valued, supported and excited about their professional growth. A world where teacher retention isn’t just a goal, but a reality. This vision is within reach and the key lies in reimagining PD as something that can be tailored toward your goal outcomes. It’s possible at American College of Education (ACE).

How ACE Helps You Reach Your Desired Outcomes

1. Personalized learning: Research shows that personalized learning opportunities is a big factor in raising teacher satisfaction and improving teacher effectiveness. ACE creates tailored pathways, meeting educators exactly where they are in their careers and helping districts move toward specific goals. To make the learning as accessible as possible, coursework is designed to be flexible and online so it can fit into busy schedules.

2. Credit-bearing programs: Teachers want PD that’s meaningful. A report from the Learning Policy Institute found that credit-bearing PD increased teacher retention and efficacy. From graduate courses and certificates that can count towards advanced degrees to micro-credentials that stack toward larger qualifications, ACE gives teachers an opportunity to leverage their PD toward something bigger if they so choose.

3. Alignment with district goals: Research shows that for districts to systemically improve their student outcomes, district goals must align with their PD. When ACE partners with a school district to offer PD, the partnership is a collaboration, where both sides ensure the proposed solutions align with district objectives and meet the unique needs of their community.

Case Study: Improving College Readiness

Let’s dive deeper into how the ACE professional development helps schools achieve their goal outcomes.

Imagine a high school English teacher, Sarah, who wants to enhance her expertise in integrated science and make a bigger impact on her students. Sarah’s school predominately serves low-income populations. Her school also has a goal of boosting their students’ college readiness.

For Sarah and her school, ACE’s Certificate in Content Area Instruction is a great solution on a variety of levels. First, research has shown that the type of content-specific PD this certificate offers can significantly improve student achievement, able to increase it by about 20 percentile points.

Next, the certificate will satisfy the development that Sarah is looking for:

• Sarah will be able to personalize her learning by choosing courses specifically focused on the key elements necessary to upskill and enhance her teaching, applicable to her school and students’ needs.
• Because the certificate is credit-bearing, Sarah will also accumulate 18 graduate-level credits. This not only could advance her on the salary scale, but these credits also count towards a future master’s degree if she decides she wants to deepen her expertise.
• Overall, Sarah will walk away with more skills and strategies for how to better teacher integrated science to her students, helping her make a bigger impact in her student’s education.

Finally, the certificate will contribute toward her school’s goal of boosting college readiness:

• With her 18 credit hours, Sarah could be eligible to teach dual enrollment courses, which would allow her students to earn college credits while still in high school. Her enhanced knowledge of the subject matter will also help her develop more challenging, college-level content for her students.
• Many states have specific regulations about the number of credit hours required for dual enrollment programs. The 18-credit hour structure of ACE’s certificate aligns well with common state requirements.
• State regulations often emphasize making dual enrollment opportunities available to all students, including those from underrepresented groups. Schools with high percentages of low-income students can use Title I funds to support dual enrollment programs.

The ACE Effect: Achieving Your Organizational Goals

When districts partner with ACE to create solutions targeted toward their desired outcomes, they experience what we like to call the ACE effect. For Sarah and her school, the ACE effect they experienced by having Sarah complete the ACE’s Certificate in Content Area Instruction involved:

• Teacher growth: Sarah gained deep, subject-specific knowledge, reinvigorating her passion for teaching and improving her instructional strategies.
• Student benefits: Sarah’s students, including those from low-income backgrounds, engaged with more challenging, college-level material, better preparing them for higher education.
• District advantages: Sarah’s school can now offer dual enrollment courses, attracting high-achieving students, potentially improving district rankings and providing valuable opportunities to underserved populations.

Cost-effectiveness: With certificate tuition being $4,230, the district invested far less than traditional professional development programs while gaining a more qualified teacher and expanded course offerings. If the district was able to make use of Title I funds, the cost could have been even lower.

The ROI of an ACE Partnership

When districts invest in educators through ACE, they’re investing in research-backed results:

1. Improved teacher effectiveness: Credit-bearing PD correlates directly with enhanced classroom practices and student performance.
2. Better student outcomes: High-quality teacher PD can boost student achievement by as much as 21 percentile points.
3. Increased retention: Teachers who receive ongoing, high-quality PD are two to three times more likely to stay in the profession.

Strategic alignment: Aligned PD initiatives lead to more coherent and effective school improvement efforts.

• Culture of continuous improvement: Schools with strong professional learning communities see significant gains in student achievement over time.

This goes beyond traditional professional development. It’s about creating a culture of continuous improvement where educators are excited about their growth and its impact on students. By staying at the forefront of educational research and innovation, ACE helps educators implement best practices in their classrooms every day.

Transform Your District’s Future With Transformative PD

It’s time for K-12 leaders to critically evaluate their PD strategies. Are your current approaches truly meeting the needs of your educators and district? Are they creating an environment where teachers feel valued and excited about their growth?

The future of education is in our hands. Let’s build it together, one empowered educator at a time. Because when we invest in our teachers through personalized, credit-bearing and strategically aligned pathways, we invest in our students, our communities and our future.

Ready to experience the evidence-based impact of ACE’s education solutions in your district? Let’s start the conversation about transforming your professional development approach by emailing [email protected].