Tip:
Budgeting just the right amount of money for each professional development activity is difficult. Sometimes you develop an institute with a certain amount of money budgeted but it didn't account for special circumstances that put you over costs. Before you start professional development, do a little homework.
Break any professional development for any organization into four budget categories:
- Whole organization gaps where you look at the entire school, district, or your organization's professional development plan including services, products, and people.
- Individual gaps where each person in your organization has their own individual learning plan that shows the gaps between where they are and where they want to be.
- Turnover gaps involve new people on your team and how you will plan to orient or train them.
- Change gaps involve facilitating a new direction or change in what people need to be doing.
If you find out that a district has adopted a new reading program and you are planning project-based learning activities, make sure that what you do addresses any gaps you have found.
