Professional Development

AVIRT / CPR Training
 

Participants will learn how to recognize medical and active‑violence emergencies, initiate an immediate and appropriate response, and apply core CPR and AVIRT techniques to stabilize a situation until professional help arrives. They will also develop greater situational awareness, practice effective communication under stress, and build the confidence needed to act decisively to protect themselves and others.  This training offers 1.0 CEUs, and JFT will process the application for you!

When:  Thursday, May 28, 2026 (9 AM - 11 AM) and Friday, May 29, 2026 (8 AM - 4 PM) --

1.      Where are the professional developments held?           

Our current location for in-person PD sessions is the Union House, 782 North West Street in Jackson.  Some sessions are held virtually via Zoom.  PD Calendars and session announcement flyers will typically state the location.

2.      What times are the professional developments conducted?            

Generally, sessions are from 9 AM to 4 PM, with a half-hour break for lunch and 2 other small breaks during the day.  If a session has different hours, those will be clearly posted when you register.

Attendance is required for the full

To sign up for these professional learning opportunities, visit our TicketLeap website.

2025 - 2026 Professional Development Course Catalog

• Bullying: A Guide to Identification and Intervention
  • This course focuses on identifying the people involved with bullying and the role of educators in the process. It also covers interventions and planning to ensure a bully-free educational environment.
• Differentiating Instruction
  • This module examines three differentiation models: Tomlinson’s tiered lessons, Conklin’s choice boards, and Sternberg’s triarchic model. It is designed for PreK-12 teachers and

Upcoming Sessions:

January 17, 24, & 31, 2026  Foundations of Effective Teaching, Part I (1.9 CEUs, Virtual Event)

February 21 & 28, 2026  Foundations of Effective Teaching, Part III (1.3 CEUs, Virtual Event)

Spring 2026 Bundle Ticket:  This bundle ticket gives you Foundations Part I and Part III in one transaction.  Non-members also receive a discount on registration!

Coming Soon:  AVIRT* / CPR Training (0.8 CEUs, Blended Event).  Please note that this training requires registration/processing fees outside of AFT.
 

Click on the session titles above to purchase tickets.

All professional development

Norms create a shared understanding of expectations, which helps foster a respectful, focused, and productive learning environment. In virtual settings, they are especially critical for ensuring engagement, minimizing distractions, and maintaining professional standards.  Please note that your PD presenter may choose to add additional norms during the session.  You can find the Virtual PD Session Norms here.

Professional Development for Educators

A school system's most important asset is its teaching force. And the most important investment a school board, administrators, and parents can make in a school system is to ensure that teachers continue to learn. Continuous, high-quality professional development is essential to the nation's goal of high standards of learning for every child.

Professional development is a continuous process of individual and collective examination and improvement of practice. It should empower individual educators and communities of educators to make complex decisions; to

Dr. Ruth Bowen, a native of Canton, Mississippi, holds degrees in English, Library Science, Education Administration, and Urban Higher Education Leadership from institutions such as Tougaloo College, Clark Atlanta University, the University of Southern Mississippi, and Jackson State University. She is a certified educator with experience in teaching, administration, and curriculum development. Dr. Bowen has served as a commissioned officer in Military Intelligence for the U.S. Army and in the Mississippi State Guard. A skilled grant writer, she secured funding for adult literacy and youth