What does the research actually tell us about effective teacher professional development?

In this featured segment from Education Upgrade, Dr. Derek Riddle explores the research on teacher professional learning, including six design features that shaped the field for decades: format, duration, collective participation, content, active learning, and coherence.

We also discuss research that challenged that traditional consensus and an important factor that can get lost when professional development is designed: the teacher. What motivates teachers? What intellectually engages them? What makes professional learning meaningful? And how much voice should teachers have in determining what they need to learn?

Featured segment from Episode 12 of Education Upgrade: Why Teacher Professional Development Fails, and What Works Instead with Dr. Derek Riddle.

What if professional development wasn't something teachers had to squeeze in after work, but was actually built into the job?

Dr. Derek Riddle and I discuss the time teachers need to learn, collaborate, create curriculum, and continually improve their practice. We compare professional learning in education with other fields, examine the limitations of traditional collaboration and in-service models, and consider what schools might look like if meaningful teacher development were treated as part of the work itself.

We also explore teacher-directed professional learning, four-day instructional weeks, the expectation that new teachers enter the profession already “complete,” and the role school leaders can play in creating a culture of continual professional growth.

Featured segment from Episode 12 of Education Upgrade: Why Teacher Professional Development Fails, and What Works Instead with Dr. Derek Riddle.

What are movies and television teaching young people?

In this episode of Reel Talk, Jake Schulke and Brett Barker discuss how films and television influence the development of values, ethics, and role models during adolescence.

Beginning with the enduring appeal of the rebel archetype and ending with a discussion of modern shows like Euphoria and Breaking Bad, they explore whether entertainment simply mirrors society or actively shapes the beliefs and behaviors of its audience. Along the way, they consider the influence of storytelling on identity, morality, and the choices young people make as they grow up.

This conversation invites educators, parents, and film enthusiasts alike to think more deeply about the cultural messages embedded in the stories we consume—and the values they pass on to the next generation.

What happens when schools trust teachers?

In this featured segment, Jake Schulke and Brett Barker discuss why trust may be one of the most important ingredients of effective school leadership. Drawing on lessons from education and Jocko Willink's Leadership Strategy and Tactics, they explore how empowering professionals, rather than micromanaging them, builds stronger schools and better outcomes.

This featured segment is part of Education Upgrade, a podcast exploring the systems, ideas, and research shaping the future of education through deeper conversations.

Why do certain movies become part of who we are?

In this episode of Reel Talk, Jake Schulke and Brett Barker discuss why films like Superbad, Mean Girls, Dead Poets Society, and other coming-of-age classics continue to resonate across generations.

Together they explore how memorable stories shape our understanding of identity, friendship, authority, purpose, and growing up. Rather than simply reviewing movies, they examine why certain films become cultural landmarks and what they reveal about adolescence, education, and the values of the societies that created them.

Why do we learn to write?

Most people would answer, "So we can communicate." But this conversation explores a much deeper idea: we learn to write so we can learn to think.

Inspired by a lecture from Dr. Jordan B. Peterson, Jake Schulke and Brett Barker discuss the relationship between writing, reasoning, mathematics, and critical thinking, and why writing instruction may be one of the most important parts of a student's education.

This featured segment is part of Education Upgrade, a podcast exploring the systems, ideas, and research shaping the future of education through deeper conversations.

What makes teacher professional development actually effective—and why does so much mandatory PD fail to meet teachers’ needs?

In this episode of Education Upgrade, Jake Schulke talks with educator and researcher Dr. Derek Riddle about teacher professional development, professional learning, and his research on self-directed professional development. They explore why even well-designed PD can fail when it overlooks one critical variable: the teacher—and what professional learning can look like when educators have greater ownership of their own growth.

In this episode:

• What research says about effective teacher professional development• Why traditional professional learning can fail• Self-directed professional development• Teacher autonomy and ownership of professional learning• Reflection, goal setting, and applying new learning• Barriers to continued professional growth• Differentiated professional development• The role of school and district leadership• Building a culture of lifelong learning for educators

Chapters

0:00 Introduction2:52 Why Teacher Professional Development?8:06 What Makes Professional Learning Effective?13:07 When Professional Development Works16:13 When Professional Development Fails21:40 The Missing Ingredient: The Teacher31:17 Taking Ownership of Professional Learning32:29 Self-Directed Professional Development56:04 A Model for Self-Directed Professional Learning1:04:49 Applying Learning and Overcoming Barriers1:07:14 Rethinking Professional Development Systemically

Education Upgrade explores the ideas, research, and experiences that can help us ask better questions about teaching, learning, and the systems surrounding them.

Deeper conversations, better education.

What can teen movies teach us about the generations that created them?

In this episode of Reel Talk, Jake Schulke and Brett Barker trace the evolution of teen films from the 1950s to today, exploring how each era's movies reflected changing cultural values and ideas about adolescence.

From Grease and The Breakfast Club to Mean Girls and Superbad, they discuss why certain films became defining stories for their generation, how portrayals of teenagers have changed over time, and what these movies reveal about society itself.

This conversation is less about nostalgia and more about understanding how popular culture shapes—and reflects—the way we think about growing up.