Letter from PREL’s Board Chair

Dear Fellow Educators:
On behalf of Pacific Resources for Education and Learning, it is my pleasure to introduce the first issue of our new magazine, Pacific Educator. We are fortunate to be working with Pacific Basin Communications in what we hope will become an effective, long-term partnership to serve the information needs of Pacific educators and children.

We have selected professional development as the theme for our first issue. Professional development is at the core of PREL’s work; it is by training all staff including teachers that we hope to better serve all the children in the region. It has been the driving force behind much of the change in teaching and learning that has occurred during PREL’s first 10 years.

I hope that you will not only read and learn from this publication, but will put into practice some of the ideas suggested.

Yours truly,
Henry Falan
Chairperson
PREL Board of Directors

To learn through professional development, teachers must have the opportunity to obtain information through modeling and demonstration, as well as the more traditional reading, lectures, and discussions. They need to practice the strategies and skills themselves, observe their peers, and participate in coaching and mentoring. It is important that they be given sufficient time, opportunity, and freedom to experiment – to see what works and what doesn’t work in the classroom – and to reflect on why.

In the Pacific region, it is also important to recognize and honor the diversity of cultures. To be successful, professional development will require a range of strategies to support different backgrounds, experiences, belief systems, and values.

Finally, it is essential that institutions support teacher professional development. Researchers have found that to be successful, professional development should do the following:

• be part of a broader, more extensive plan for the school or entity.
  
• coordinate responsibilities, so that everyone knows who is accountable for planning, delivery, and implementation.
  
• involve all school faculty.
  
• have full administrative support.
  
• be supported through clear and consistent information about school policies.
  
• be well focused.

This first issue of Pacific Educator covers many of these aspects of professional development. Five PREL programs – the Pacific Comprehensive Regional Assistance Center, the Pacific Regional Educational Laboratory, the Pacific Regional Mathematics and Science Consortium, PRELStar, and the Pacific Regional Technology in Education Consortium – offer their perspectives on this topic of utmost importance to educational progress in the Pacific region.

In addition, a research synthesis entitled Teacher Diversity: Implications for Professional Development is available on the PREL website at www.prel.org/products/products/Teacher-diversity.pdf.

Chief State School Officers

Mr. Henry Falan,
Director of Education,
Yap State Education Enterprising Department

Dr. Rita Hocog Inos,
Commissioner of Education,
Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands Public School System

Mr. Mario Katosang,
Minister of Education,
Republic of Palau Ministry of Education

Mr. Wilfred I.Kendall,
Minister of Education,
Republic of the Marshall Islands Ministry of Education

Mr. Henry Robert,
Director of Education,
Kosrae Department of Education

Dr. Sili Sataua,
Director of Education,
American Samoa Department of Education

Mr. Casiano Shoniber,
Director of Education,
Pohnpei Department of Education

Ms. Rosie Rivera Tainatongo,
Superintendent of Education,
Guam Department of Education

Mr. Kangichy Welle,
Executive Director,
Chuuk State School System

Constituent Representatives

Ms. Laborday Atanoa,
Teacher,
American Samoa

Fr. James P.Croghan,S.J.,
Director,
Xavier High School,Chuuk,FSM

Iroij Michael Kabua,
Marshall Island Mayor Association President,
Republic of the Marshall Islands

Ms. Helen Leebey,
Teacher,
Yap,FSM

Ms. Susan J.Moses,
Professor of Education,
College of Micronesia,Pohnpei,FSM

Ms. Malua T.Peter,
Representative,
Twelfth Commonwealth Legislature,
Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands

Ms. Lorena Taitano,
Teacher,
Guam

Mr. Laurence Vogel,
President & CEO,Y.Hata & Co.Ltd.,
Hawaii

Ms. Lynne Waihee,
President,Read To Me International Foundation,
Hawaii

Mr. Surangel Whipps, Jr.,
President & CEO,Surangel & Sons,Co.