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In an episode of The Best of Us, Kaya Henderson sat down with KickUp CEO/Co-Founder Jeremy Rogoff to share her experience transforming professional learning at DC Public Schools. When Henderson became Deputy Chancellor in 2007, she inherited a familiar challenge: millions of dollars spent on professional development with little to show for it. Teachers selected their own PD from a marketplace of vendors, with no connection to what they actually needed or what the district expected them to do in the classroom.
Her response was bold: she stopped all professional development spending until the district could build a coherent system.
Henderson's experience in DC reveals a critical insight for district leaders: effective professional learning isn't about offering more options—it's about creating alignment across your entire system.
The DC approach centered on three interconnected elements:
This wasn't just about better PD—it was about building a system where evaluation informed support, support improved practice, and improved practice was recognized through compensation.
Districts can't mandate their way to transformation. Henderson's team earned teacher buy-in by starting small: they offered just five model lessons throughout the year, built to such high quality that teachers asked for more.
The result? Within two years, 40% of teachers rated as minimally effective moved into effective or highly effective categories—and data showed they were the ones who followed their personalized professional learning plans.
1. Define roles clearly. Determine what professional learning decisions belong at the district level, school level, and individual teacher level. District-level decisions should focus on creating an "equity floor"—the consistent, high-quality instruction every student deserves.
2. Connect professional learning to what matters. When DC tied teacher effectiveness ratings to both professional growth opportunities and financial incentives, teachers had concrete reasons to engage with their development plans.
3. Build deep, not wide. Rather than outsourcing to multiple vendors offering disconnected topics, Henderson argues that developing educators is your core business. Focus your investment on fewer, higher-quality offerings that align with your curriculum and instructional priorities.
4. Commit to the long game. Real system transformation took DC 3-4 years, with continuous iteration along the way. The payoff? Seven years after Henderson left, the system still works because it was built to serve teachers, not just to satisfy administrators.
The most telling measure of Henderson's success isn't the student achievement gains DC saw during her tenure—it's that the system persisted long after she left. That's what happens when you build professional learning that actually works for teachers.
Listen to Kaya’s full episode of The Best of Us to hear more about Henderson's approach, or connect with the KickUp team to explore how to bring this level of alignment to your district.
Schedule a demo with one of our friendly team members.
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