One common problem that many of the school-based professional development
programs face is the lack of teacher input regarding content, context, and relevance. As noted
16 The Qualitative Report 2014
previously, a number of the policies and perspectives shaping 21st century learning are situated
outside of schools walls. These individuals leading this movement are, for the most part,
politicians, privately funded policy organizations, and the corporate sector; teachers and
teacher educators have, unfortunately, been left out of the discussion. This marginalization has
led to an atmosphere of mistrust among educators, who argue professional development that is
detached from practice and does not reflect the specific needs of teachers or involve them in
the decision-making practice, will be much more difficult to authentically implement. Hence,
a professional development program intended to emerge from a grassroots approach must
directly involve teachers in the development, implementation, and evaluation phases