District leaders often manage teacher learning and classroom coverage separately—but aligning these efforts could reduce disruption and improve planning.
GUEST COLUMN | by Jennifer Duvall
VECTORS LAB
Across K–12 education, district leaders are balancing two urgent priorities: ensuring classrooms remain staffed while also supporting educators’ professional growth.
Reliable absence management helps districts maintain stable learning environments for students, while professional development systems allow teachers to strengthen their skills and stay current with evolving instructional practices.
Yet despite recognizing the importance of both functions, many district leaders still struggle to connect them. When absence management and professional development strategies operate separately, communication gaps can emerge and coordinating resources becomes more difficult.
‘When absence management and professional development strategies operate separately, communication gaps can emerge and coordinating resources becomes more difficult.’
A more unified approach can help districts better support teachers, improve employee satisfaction, and ultimately strengthen student learning outcomes.
Reducing Errors and Mitigating Risks
Despite advancements in technology, many districts still rely on outdated methods for managing educator licensure and credentialing requirements, often depending on spreadsheets and paper-based processes. These approaches increase the likelihood of human error and can complicate planning when classroom vacancies arise during professional development days.
Even a small oversight—such as a teacher forgetting to submit an absence request before attending a professional development workshop—can create significant challenges. Administrators may suddenly need to fill a vacancy with little notice, leading to rushed decisions and limited substitute options. In some cases, substitutes may not be familiar with the students or curriculum, disrupting learning continuity.
When professional development management (PDM) and absence management systems operate independently, teachers often find themselves entering the same information in multiple places to secure both Continuing Education Units (CEUs) and classroom coverage.
In many districts, different departments oversee professional learning and absence management, adding another layer of complexity. This lack of coordination can lead to missed information—for example, a teacher may register for a professional development workshop but fail to request absence approval in a separate system. As a result, multiple teachers may attend the same workshop while no substitutes are scheduled to cover their classrooms.
Better coordination between absence management and professional development processes can help districts manage requests, approvals, and classroom coverage more effectively. Reducing reliance on manual steps also lowers the risk of errors and saves time for teachers and administrators alike.
A More Seamless User Experience
On a typical school day, educators are balancing lesson planning, student needs, and professional learning opportunities. For many teachers, enrolling in a professional development workshop can feel more complicated than it should be, requiring multiple logins, approvals, and manual steps.
When professional development systems are coordinated with absence management, the process becomes far simpler.
For example, when a teacher registers for a professional development course, an absence request can automatically be generated, alerting HR staff and administrators. School leaders receive the information they need to review and approve the request while also allowing time to arrange qualified substitute coverage.
This type of coordination reduces administrative friction for teachers and helps school leaders plan ahead, allowing everyone to focus on what matters most: supporting student learning.
It also has a direct impact on one of the most persistent operational challenges districts face—ensuring every classroom has a qualified educator when teachers are away.
Improving Substitute Coverage and Classroom Stability
When absence management and professional development systems operate separately, inefficiencies can make it harder to respond quickly to teacher absences. This can result in lower substitute fill rates and disruptions to classroom continuity.
With better coordination between these processes, administrators can address vacancies caused by professional development attendance more efficiently. Greater visibility into scheduling needs allows schools to plan ahead rather than scrambling to fill last-minute gaps.
The benefits may also extend to substitutes themselves. Nearly 35 percent of substitutes nationwide aspire to become certified teachers, and coordinated systems can make it easier for them to manage availability while also participating in district professional learning opportunities. This engagement helps substitutes gain experience and prepare for future teaching roles.
A Path Forward for Administrators and Educators
The greatest benefit of aligning professional development management and absence management may go beyond simply meeting compliance requirements. It lies in creating a more cohesive infrastructure that reduces complexity, administrative burden, and risk across district operations.
For district leaders facing ongoing staffing challenges and educator burnout, professional learning can become a strategic tool for attracting, supporting, and retaining talented educators.
Thoughtful coordination between these systems can make teaching more manageable, learning more consistent, and the broader work of educational improvement more achievable.
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Jennifer Duvall is Principal Advisor at Red Rover and works with school districts nationwide on strategies related to substitute coverage, educator workforce support, and professional learning coordination. Connect with Jennifer on LinkedIn.
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