North Penn SD details expanded professional development plan emphasizing safety, equity and multilingual‑learner supports

District supervisors presented a comprehensive professional development plan to the North Penn School District Educational Curriculum and Instruction (ECI) Committee on Feb. 10, emphasizing sustained, collaborative and job‑embedded learning tied to district and building goals. Jackie Giamarco, supervisor of professional learning, said the goal is to “ensure what we’re offering actually qualifies for professional development” by focusing on ongoing, collaborative and data‑driven sessions.

Giamarco told the committee the district’s PD focus areas this year include school safety, cultural proficiency, equity and inclusion, curriculum and instruction, and support for new teachers. She described a recurring cycle of building‑level training and district‑wide sessions, cybersecurity training, recent Title IX training and annual emergency response team work to align administrators and teachers on protocols.

Rachel Early, supervisor of humanities and ELD, outlined a four‑session cultural proficiency and equity series scheduled across the year (fall, January, March and May) designed to pair data review with practice. Early highlighted a dedicated, standalone day on Oct. 20 focused on multilingual learners that featured keynote speaker Dr. Prakash Patel, 53 breakout sessions and a half‑day of application intended to help teachers translate learning into classroom practice. “Teachers received resources and they were able to take that time and apply it to their classroom,” she said.

The presenters described curriculum work that includes a K–12 STEAM cohort and a literacy symposium led by the district’s ELA supervisor. Vendor partnerships and a secondary resource showcase were used to give teachers hands‑on time with data and instructional tools, including the district’s LinkIt data warehouse.

Giamarco also described the induction program for new educators: a two‑day August orientation and a state‑required two‑year induction aligned to the state’s chapter 49 guidelines. Mentors are matched by content and level, and the program includes job‑embedded coaching coordinated with the district’s learning coaches; Giamarco named Ron Martiello as a staff member who helps run the program.

Looking ahead, the district listed role‑specific PD on March 20, a virtual session on March 30 focused on universal design for learning and artificial intelligence in K–12, and a May 19 reflection and planning day. Giamarco explained a seven‑hour flexible PD option that teachers complete on their own by about June 1 and noted staff collect feedback after every session via Google forms to shape future offerings.

Board members praised the presentation and sought clarifications about how PD hours are determined. Dr. Taylor asked how many professional development hours teachers have yearly and how collective bargaining and state requirements affect that total; Giamarco said total PD time is guided by the collective bargaining agreement and that the seven flexible hours are one part of a larger PD timeline. The board also requested follow‑up on the district’s approach to AI after the March 30 session.

The committee did not take formal action on the presentation; presenters said they will continue to collect feedback and refine the calendar.