Professional development as the pursuit of professional standards: the standards-based professional development system

This paper outlines an emerging system for professional development based on profession-defined standards and values. These standards indicate that the profession can lay down long- term professional development goals and priorities for its members. With this capacity, the teaching profession now has the credentials to run its own infrastructure for professional learning, directed to enhancing and rewarding attainment of professional standards. The emerging system has the potential to overcome major limitations in traditional systems of in-service education for teachers.