States can use funds provided under the federal No Child Left Behind (NCLB) act to underwrite implementation of the National Humanities Center's Teacher Professional Development Program. The law stipulates that NCLB funds can be applied to initiatives that improve teacher knowledge in one or more of the subjects they teach, and the Program comports with NCLB provisions for improving teacher quality.

The act sets forth some very specific guidelines for professional development it will support. The Department of Education has emphasized that one-day or short-term workshops or conferences are no longer acceptable. While other formats may be used, a typical Center seminar spans five full days and includes preparation time and follow up. Thus it is no short-term workshop. Beyond this guideline, the Department has identified eight key elements that define the sort of professional development it seeks to promote. (They can be found at http://www.ed.gov/admins/tchrqual/learn/tqstr/edlite-slide009.html). In one way or another, the Center's Program embodies them all.

1. All professional development activities are referenced to student learning.

The Center's approach to professional development helps teachers "work on the work." It focuses teachers on the task of upgrading the quality of the work they put before students with the expectation that challenging students with more rigorous and engaging lessons will evoke higher performance from them.

2. Schools use data to make decisions about the content and type of activities that constitute professional development.

The Center's model requires teachers to reflect upon their own work to isolate weaknesses in lesson and unit plans and upon the work of their students to identify concepts or texts students find especially difficult. They then design a seminar to address the needs they have identified.

3. Professional development activities are based on research-validated practices.

The Center's model embodies principles and practices that research has shown to characterize superior professional development. For an analysis that compares the Center's approach with the best current thinking on research-validated professional development standards, please visit: nationalhumanitiescenter.org/pds/npdstandards.htm.

4. Subject matter mastery for all teachers is a top priority.

The Center's model promotes subject matter mastery by enabling teachers to study primary documents of American culture under the leadership of experts in American literature and history. While it includes a consideration of pedagogy, it is firmly rooted in the study of academic content.

5. There is a long-term plan that provides focused and ongoing professional development with time well allocated.

It is, of course, up to a school or district to formulate a long-term professional development plan. However, the Center was careful to design a model that would easily fit into a large, comprehensive strategy. The model is easy to administer and sufficiently flexible to accommodate varying school or district calendars and budgets.

6. Professional development activities match the content that is being instructed.

The Center's program requires teachers to develop and participate in a seminar that emphasizes the collaborative exploration of texts through the face-to-face exchange of ideas under the guidance of content experts. Thus in the very implementation of the program, participants model one of the most effective ways to teach the content of text-based disciplines like history and literature.

7. All professional development activities are fully evaluated.

With the help of professionals in the field of program evaluation, the Center has developed a three-step assessment protocol that schools and districts can use to judge the effectives of a seminar. The assessment documents are available in each toolbox, and the Center's training covers how to implement the protocol. In the Center's model evaluation is not an after-the-fact add-on but rather is an integral part of the seminar implementation process. It not only yields data about a seminar's impact but also promotes reflective practice on the part of the seminar participants.

8. Professional development is aligned with state standards, assessment, and the local school curriculum.

The toolboxes, which are the foundation of the Center's program, are based on content common to state standards across the nation. Thus they can be used in all schools and districts. However, they are not canned programs. The Center urges participants, both teachers and consulting scholars, to supplement toolbox resources with their own text selections and thereby customize their seminar to meet the demands of local curricula. In addition, the Center recommends raising the issue of assessment in a seminar's pedagogical discussions to link it directly to the content under consideration.