McDowell County Schools Hold Professional Development Day to Grow District

McDowell County Schools convened a professional development day on November 20, 2025, designed to build capacity across the district and reinforce collaboration among teachers and staff. The district published the announcement on its website on November 20, authored by Amanda Fragile Peyton, and invited staff to engage with a schedule intended to support instructional growth.

The district message stated, "We are excited to announce the schedule for our upcoming professional development day, themed “Growing Our District”. This day is designed to provide meaningful learning experiences, foster collaboration, and support the growth of our schools and staff." The announcement thanked employees for their work, adding, "Thank you for all that you do to improve the lives for our students!" Those lines framed the event as part of a broader effort to raise instructional quality and student outcomes.

Professional development days serve as a practical lever for improving classroom practice and for retaining educators in places where budgets and population trends create ongoing challenges. For McDowell County this type of investment matters because teacher preparation and collaborative planning can reduce turnover and improve student learning without large capital outlays. The district did not publish a detailed public breakdown of session topics in the notice, but emphasized learning experiences and collaboration as central goals.

Local school staff and administrators were the primary participants, and the district provided contact information for follow up at the central office located at 900 Mount View Road, Welch, West Virginia 24801, phone 304 436 8441. Community members and families seeking more details about session content or future training were directed to the district office.

The professional development day fits into longer term priorities for McDowell County Schools to strengthen instruction and support staff. In a region where fiscal pressures and workforce constraints influence education policy choices, focused professional learning can be a cost effective strategy to improve classroom practice and strengthen the district workforce over time.