LCPS is committed to attracting, training, and retaining quality educators, because we truly believe that qualified and competent faculty and staff provide the best learning opportunities for our students.
With more than eight Virginia universities and community colleges close by, our teachers have many numerous opportunities for continuing education and professional growth. In addition to campus access, we provide a comprehensive professional development program for all staff members that includes district-wide and school-based workshops, college and university courses on-site, and conferences.Supporting teaching and learning in and out of the classroom is our top priority, and it starts from day one. In addition to the professional support in the classroom, each school designates instructional money to pay for classroom materials.
National Board Certification
National Board Certification is the ultimate recognition of a teacher's skills. In Virginia, it also equates to a bigger paycheck. If you plan to apply for this prestigious ranking, we'll provide an experienced mentor to help with the application process and preparation.
James Madison University Literacy Master's Program
We currently offer a school-based Master's degree program from James Madison University. Teachers can receive a Master's of Education in Literacy from JMU, while completing much of their course work in Louisa County. The program is a hybrid model where staff members complete course work virtually and face-to-face. Upon completion of the program, participants will earn an endorsement as a Reading Specialist.
Orton-Gillingham Training
Elementary and Middle School English teachers participate in 30 hours of Orton-Gillingham training and receive a certificate of participation once complete. Orton-Gillingham is a highly structured approach that breaks reading and spelling down into smaller skills involving letters and sounds, and then building on these skills over time. It was the first approach to use explicit, direct, sequential, systematic, multi-sensory instruction to teach reading, which is not only effective for all students but essential for teaching students with dyslexia.
Teachers are encouraged to participate in a wide-variety of professional development opportunities that are offered from the Virginia School Consortium for Learning (VASCL) and SURN through the College of William and Mary.
In addition, the Louisa County Public School's Instructional Department has created a robust professional development plan that offers teachers voice and choice in selecting optional learning opportunities. The plan includes workshops centered around Artificial Intelligence, Math Fluency, Reading Comprehension, The Science of Reading, Instructional Technology, and other high impact and high interest subjects.
In 2024 the LCPS Instructional Team received the Professional Development award from the Virginia Association of Elementary School Principals (VAESP) for their outstanding work providing PD to faculty, staff, and administrators.