New study of 500+ rural educators reveals 80% receive professional development in one-time sessions outside school hours, while teachers want hands-on, collaborative learning during the school day to better serve the 12+ million rural students nationwide.
By Anna Lasek, Communications Assistant at Rutgers CESP
In the heart of rural school districts, where educators wear many hats and professional isolation is often the norm, meaningful professional learning and development is a necessity to better equip educators with the knowledge and skills they need and promote student success.
A study from the 100k in 10 initiative, featuring co-author Dr. Cynthia L. Blitz from the Center for Effective School Practices, Exploring Job-Embedded Professional Learning in Rural Schools, sheds light on how rural teachers experience and percieve professional development (PD). The full report, which also explores what changes are needed to make PD more effective and sustainable, is available freely online.
Why Job-Embedded Professional Learning Matters
Rural educators frequently report feeling disconnected from broader professional networks. Unlike their peers in urban and suburban schools, many rural teachers lack access to broader departmental structrues, instructional coaches, or even colleagues who teach the same subject. Standalone PD workshops—often delivered as one-time “sit-and-get” sessions, do not adequately address the ongoing, real-time challenges teachers face in the classroom over the span of a school year and beyond.
As an alternative model, the study explores the role of job-embedded professional development: learning that happens during the school day, in context, and collaboratively. This type of professional learning is grounded in classroom practice and supported by peers and instructional leaders. It can be a game-changer for improving instruction and student outcomes and is particularly relevant for rural eduators.
What the Study Found
The study surveyed over 500 educators across 22 states in late 2020, the majority representing rural communities. Here are key takeaways:
One-Time Events Still Dominate: Over 80% of teachers said most professional learning occurs outside of the school day and is delivered in one-time sessions.
Limited Collaboration Time: While 71% said they collaborate with peers, only 38% reported having dedicated time in their schedules to do so.
Discrepancy in Perceptions: Administrators rated the quality and embeddedness of professional learning more favorably than teachers did—highlighting a potential disconnect in how professional learning is experienced vs. how it is perceived by leadership.
Barriers Are Significant: Teachers identified a lack of scheduled time, financial resources, and relevant learning opportunities as top barriers to effective professional learning.
Teachers Want Relevant, Practical Learning: Hands-on implementation, curriculum-aligned strategies, and time to collaborate with peers were named as the most impactful forms of professional learning. They want to be involved in the decision making process and provide their input to what feedback and professional development often looks like.
Moving Toward Solutions
To address these gaps, the authors call for systemic changes that prioritize professional learning as a core function of rural schools. Recommendations include:
Rethinking school calendars and staffing to make time for embedded learning and professional development.
Leveraging technology to connect rural educators with coaches, experts, and each other to improve experiences for students and instructors in the classroom.
Providing financial support so rural schools can afford high-quality, subject-specific PD.
Fostering networks and partnerships that reduce isolation and share resources across districts.
Over 12 million students attend rural schools in the U.S., many in which communities face deep economic and educational challenges. Ensuring that their teachers have access to effective, embedded professional development is not only a matter of equity but key to success for students.