Professional development providers across the state were asked to respond to the following article, The Problem with, "Show Me the Research" Thinking. After reading the article, refer to my response below.
I would like to think that I approach change with an open mind; however, I am not living the overwhelmed teacher lifestyle at this point in my career. Teachers, in my experience, who embrace change are, unfortunately, viewed by colleagues as "Pollyanna" or "do-gooders".
One key component, that educational leaders miss, is allowing teachers to research and bring new practices to the school themselves. Time to research is not an expectation or supported by the system, so changes are introduced by either the selected few or the administrators. We need to build a culture of continuous research, build time to do so in the PD plan, and educate teachers on how to research best practice and propose change as a group. We (state, regions, districts, schools) focus too much on triage measures, reactive planning, and survival, and in my opinion, that is why change is ALWAYS dreaded.