• Professional Development

    Monroe Memo

    In UCS, professional development is deeply embedded in our strategic planning process.  Our UCS Empowered Strategic Plan emphasizes giving staff the tools and resources to drive achievement, including meeting their needs when it comes to training and development, empowering them to make decisions that lead to positive change.

    A recent survey demonstrates overall satisfaction from our staff on professional learning teams, but there is still work to be done.  Through our ongoing training, we will ensure that we remain a district where our graduates are competitive leaders who are empowered for their future.

    Throughout the year and during the summer, our staff engages in professional development activities.  These activities allow staff to share information on new curriculum initiatives that give teachers an opportunity to collaborate, reflect and learn in discussion with their grade level colleagues.

    Recent professional development has taken place for all major subject areas and departments. This includes such as new chemistry and physics courses, visual arts offerings, our continued educational leadership in elementary literacy, mathematics and future changes to our elementary report cards.

    Professional development ensures that we have consistency across our 41 schools and specialty programs and that Utica Community Schools is an innovative leader when it comes to teaching and learning.

    This type of learning is essential for every serious organization - whether you are in education, law enforcement, the health field, manufacturing, small businesses or Fortune 500 corporations. Organizations that are leaders in their fields invest in their employees, especially a large K-12 school district like ours that puts a priority on lifelong learning.