For years, I believed in the power of professional development. And I still do—just not the way it’s always been done.
When I first started facilitating PD, I was leading 4- and 5-day trainings. The sessions were full of energy, research-backed strategies, and real classroom tools. And the educators? They were incredible—thoughtful, engaged, hungry to grow.
They’d leave those sessions buzzing with ideas. And yet… two weeks later? Almost nothing had changed. I couldn’t shake the question: If the teachers were this committed, and the content was this strong… why weren’t things getting better?
Then it hit me: It wasn’t the teachers. It wasn’t even the content. It was the model.
The Model Is Broken—and We’d Never Accept It Anywhere Else
Think about this: Would you see a doctor who said they attended a 6-hour workshop on a new surgical technique that you need… two months ago, but they didn’t get a chance to try it? I know I would be finding another doctor who experienced on-the-job training, coaching, and opportunities to try out new learning immediately!
In every other profession, people learn in real time. They get support. They practice. They grow on the job. But in education? Often times, teachers are given a binder and a pat on the back and told, “Hope you get a chance to try this next school year.”
That’s when I knew: We had to build something different. So We Did. When we started Positive School Solutions, our mission was clear: We’ll create PD that actually leads to professional growth.
We ditched the one-and-done model.
We built bite-sized, on-demand learning that teachers could access anytime. We made it practical, joyful, and deeply relevant to the real challenges they face—in that moment, not months later.
And as educators and entire schools started using it, something magical happened: teachers started implementing their learning immediately, leaders started seeing culture shift, and schools began building momentum that didn’t fade a month later!
Educators have been telling us the same thing over and over again—through surveys, conversations, and coaching calls—
“I want PD that fits into my life.”
“Give me something I can use right away.”
“Make it relevant to my role and what I’m experiencing right now.”
And they’re right.
Year-round, bite-sized PD isn’t a preference—it’s a necessity.
What Happens When You Change the Model
When we stopped asking educators to absorb it all at once…
When we gave them space to learn when they were ready…
When we trusted them to apply just one thing at a time…
That’s when the growth stuck.
That’s when the joy came back.
That’s when schools really started to change.
One-and-done PD is a thing of the past. It doesn’t match today’s teachers—and it certainly won’t serve tomorrow’s teachers, who are sitting in classrooms right now, watching how we model learning and growth. When we empower educators with easy access to high-quality professional development, they respond the way we hope every learner would–with curiosity, deep engagement, and a spark to try something new.
It can feel risky to leave behind the old model. But we’ve seen what happens when school leaders take that leap. We’ve seen schools across the country shift their culture, build momentum, and reignite joy—not just for teachers, but for students too. We’d love to partner with you to show just how powerful professional development can be—when it’s designed for the people who need it most.
Written by Sarah Fillion 2025
