What Makes Professional Learning Stick?

NIET CEO Dr. Joshua Barnett Highlights Research-backed Strategies for Meaningful PD in ASCD EL Magazine

 What makes professional learning impactful for educators - and what doesn’t work? As schools work to improve student outcomes, new research is showing the key characteristics of professional learning that make an impact. ASCD’s latest Educational Leadership issue explored what works through an article by NIET Chief Executive Officer Dr. Joshua Barnett.

In the piece, “When PD is Applied, Teacher Satisfaction Grows,” Dr. Barnett shared insights from more than 1,400 educators across eight states on what professional learning experiences are most valuable and make an impact that extends into the classroom. The article appeared in ASCD Educational Leadership’s May 2026 issue, “Putting the ‘Professional’ Back in PD,” which focuses on strategies for making educator learning more relevant, engaging, and impactful.

In the article, Dr. Barnett outlines three ways schools can strengthen professional learning outcomes:

1. Invest in teacher leaders who can model and reinforce strong instructional practices
2. Connect professional learning with evaluation and feedback systems
3. Reinforce learning through ongoing one-on-one support and coaching

“Across NIET’s partner schools, we have experienced that when professional learning targets teachers’ needs as identified in their evaluations and is applied and reinforced through regular classroom support, it can lead to exponentially greater satisfaction and better application of learning in the classroom,” Dr. Barnett says in the article.

Read the ASCD article and check out more about NIET’s findings on professional learning in our latest research summary.