Summer professional development gives district leaders a rare opportunity: focused time to build educator capacity without the daily pressures of the school year. But even with strong planning, it’s easy for summer PD to fall short of its potential—feeling rushed, disconnected, or unsustainable.
Here are five common missteps districts make with summer PD, along with smarter, more strategic alternatives to drive lasting impact.
Even well-executed summer sessions can lose their impact if they aren’t connected to ongoing learning. When follow-through is missing, teachers struggle to apply new ideas in meaningful ways.
Smarter move: Build summer PD into a year-long learning arc. Use coaching, PLCs, and progress checks to extend and reinforce summer takeaways throughout the school year.
When PD topics feel random or disconnected from district priorities, teachers can struggle to see the value—or how it fits into their daily practice.
Smarter move: Design every session to align clearly with district-wide goals. Whether it’s strengthening Tier-1 instruction or implementing new curriculum, make the “why” visible and relevant.
It’s tempting to pack the schedule with sessions, but nonstop content delivery can lead to burnout before the year even starts. Teachers need time to absorb and reflect—not just sit and listen.
Smarter move: Prioritize quality over quantity. Leave space for application, collaboration, and recharge time so that the most important learning really sticks.
When teachers have no voice in the process, PD can feel like a box-checking exercise. Relevance drops, and so does engagement.
Smarter move: Use teacher input to shape offerings and provide choice where possible—through differentiated sessions, role-specific tracks, or opt-in workshops.
If there’s no system for gathering feedback, leaders miss out on valuable insights—and teachers miss the chance to help shape the experience in real time.
Smarter move: Use quick pulse surveys or reflection tools to gather input during and after sessions. Then, act on that data to make agile improvements and show educators their feedback matters.
Great summer PD isn’t about cramming content into a few days—it’s about sparking momentum for the year ahead. By avoiding these common pitfalls and focusing on connection, clarity, and continuity, you can create a PD experience that educators value and carry forward.
Planning your summer PD and want to avoid the guesswork?
KickUp partners with districts to help manage, measure, and maximize professional learning. If you'd like to chat about how to streamline your summer PD planning and get real-time insights into what’s working, reach out to us to start the conversation.
Schedule a demo with one of our friendly team members.
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