10 Best Professional Development for Teachers: Free & Online
While professional development courses are an obligatory requirement for teachers across the US, they are also an excellent opportunity to expand your skills, advance your career, and provide higher-quality instruction and support to your students inside and outside the classroom. With dozens of options out there, educators need to choose what courses to take to not only comply with state requirements but also to extract the highest value for their professional and personal growth.
This article lists the 10 best professional development opportunities for teachers across the US market. In our selection, we’ve focused on free and online options for affordability and convenience as well as on organizations that offer a diverse range of courses that are both useful for developing educator skills and entertaining along the way.
The top 10 free (and some paid) professional development for teachers are:
- Fullmind Learning Can’t Wait Podcast: Best Overall Free Online Professional Development for Teachers
- Back to Basics Learning Dynamics: Best for Customization
- SimpleK12: Best for Diverse Courses
- 40 Hour Teacher Workweek: Best for Graduate-Level Credit
- ed2go: Best for Fundamentals
- edWeb: Best for Online Webinars
- Model Teaching: Best for Comprehensive Professional Development Solutions
- The Heritage Institute: Best for Instructor-Guided Options
- Grassroots Workshops: Best for Online Workshops
- Professional Learning Board: Best for State-Based Courses
To start getting your professional development credit hours and sharpening your skills, listen to Learning Can’t Wait - A Podcast by Fullmind.
Professional Development Requirements for Teachers
Continuous professional development (PD) is a requirement for US teachers in order to renew their license, advance their career, and enhance their salary. In most states, educators need to renew their teaching certificate every 3-5 years to remain eligible to teach in public and private schools. This necessitates obtaining a certain number of professional development credit hours in addition to completing graduate coursework, submitting a background check, undergoing an exam, and paying fees. While educator license renewal requirements vary from state to state, the need for professional development is universal.
Nonetheless, each state has different requirements for the number of professional development credit hours that teachers need to get each year. The typical range is 10-30 hours per year or 50-150 hours per 5-year renewal cycle. Moreover, not all online and in-person courses available to teachers fulfill the legal professional development requirements. In other words, it’s important for teachers to check the specific rules in their state to ensure that they meet all prerequisites for certification renewal and career advancement in their location.
In addition to fulfilling the qualifications for being state certified, professional development for teachers has other important benefits as well. The main ones include:
- Maintaining up-to-date knowledge in your field of instruction and teaching best practices
- Adopting new techniques and innovative technology in the classroom
- Developing soft skills required to work with and support different types of students with various educational and emotional needs
- Getting training in new areas such as alternatives to suspension
- Bringing better outcomes to students
Let’s take a look at the best options for free and paid online professional development for teachers across the US:
1. Fullmind Learning Can’t Wait Podcast: Best Overall Free Online Professional Development for Teachers
Fullmind Learning Can’t Wait Podcast is the best free online development for teachers. All that teachers and other educators need to do is listen to any episode of the podcast and then fill in a short Podcast Reflection Form available here in order to get their Continuing Teacher and Leader Education (CTLE) or professional development credit hours.
Learning Can’t Wait fulfills the professional development requirement in 41 states including:
- Alabama
- Alaska
- Arizona
- Arkansas
- California
- Colorado
- Connecticut
- Delaware
- Florida
- Georgia
- Idaho
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Kansas
- Kentucky
- Louisiana
- Maine
- Maryland
- Massachusetts
- Minnesota
- Missouri
- Montana
- Nevada
- New Hampshire
- New Jersey
- New Mexico
- New York
- North Carolina
- Ohio
- Oklahoma
- Oregon
- Rhode Island
- South Carolina
- South Dakota
- Tennessee
- Texas
- Utah
- Vermont
- Virginia
- Wisconsin
- West Virginia
As one of the best education podcasts for teachers, Learning Can’t Wait covers a wide range of practical and interesting topics that inspire teachers to be better educators and provides them with actionable tips on how to innovate education in a way that benefits students. Hayley Spira-Bauer, the podcast host and curator, combines the qualifications of a passionate educator, trained elementary school teacher, and disability advocate who attracts top guests and gets the most out of them in each episode.
The overall theme of Learning Can’t Wait focuses on how changemakers drive change in the education field. Still, specific topics are diverse, and each episode delivers the expected level of engaging and thought-inspiring discussions. Importantly, the talks are always interesting and entertaining because professional development for teachers doesn’t have to be boring and tedious.
Meanwhile, getting your professional development credits through the Fullmind podcast is absolutely free and can be done entirely online. This turns it into a convenient way for busy educators to get this requirement out of the way while obtaining real value for their teaching career.
2. Back to Basics Learning Dynamics: Best for Customization
Back to Basics Learning Dynamics offers professional development opportunities for educators, school staff, and administrators along with other education services. Back to Basics Professional Development Programs fulfill state requirements for credit hours through customizable modules that allow teachers to focus on the most relevant topics and skills in their field of work.
Popular topics include the following categories:
- Academic/Teacher Planning: Aligning Instruction with Common Core Standards, Differentiating Instruction – ELA and/or Math, Increasing Student Literacy, Monitoring Student Progress, Real-World Mathematical Connections, RTI Support and Implementation, Teaching SAT/ACT Skills in the Classroom, Support in Designing, Planning, and Implementing Teacher Mentoring, STEM, and Student Advisory Programs, and Utilizing Assessment Data to Build More Efficient Lesson Planning
- Social/emotional: ADHD, Sensory Needs, and Strategies for Classroom Implementation, Autism Spectrum Disorder - Assessment, Intervention, and Classroom Inclusion Strategies, Common Childhood and Adolescent Behavioral Disorders and Creating Learning Accommodations, How ADHD Impacts Peer Relationships and Learning, Motivating Reluctant Learners and Working with Challenging Students, and Supporting Mental Health and Wellness in Your School
Most Back to Basics services are limited to the Tri-State Area covering Delaware, Maryland, and Pennsylvania, so teachers from other locations should confirm if the professional development courses are recognized in their state. Moreover, they need to contact the company and ask about the cost as it’s not discussed on the website.
3. SimpleK12: Best for Diverse Courses
SimpleK12 provides a range of professional development courses for teachers and others in the education field. The company aims to empower teacher voices and choices through relevant topics and coursework. The professional development topics are developed by education experts in a way that addresses today’s classroom needs and supports student achievements.
In specific, SimpleK12 professional development options include over 1,500 courses across various topics, K-12 grade levels, and subjects.
Teachers can choose between:
- On-demand training for flexible solutions
- 30-minute virtual training sessions for quick learning
- 60-minute virtual teacher workshops for comprehensive understanding
SimpleK12 online professional development for teachers includes the following categories:
- Educator Growth & Wellness
- Social & Emotional Learning
- Virtual Learning
- Project-Based Learning
- School Counseling
- Learning Management Systems
- Administrator Resources
- Google Workspace
- Social Studies
- Technology Integration
- Instructional Strategies
- STEM & STEAM
- Classroom Management
- English Language Arts
- Beginner Teachers
- Differentiation & Personalization
- Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
- Special Education
- Career & Technical Education
- Mobile Learning
- Blended Learning
- Collaborative Learning
- Microsoft
- Gamification & Game-Based Learning
- ESL & ELL
- Assessment & Review
- School Safety
- Early Learners
- Mathematics
- Learning Theories & Strategies
It’s important to note that some courses are available to SimpleK12 members only, and membership costs $29.99/month or $199/year.
Before getting started with SimpleK12 professional development, teachers should confirm that their selected course fulfills their state eligibility requirement and inquire if there is any cost other than the membership fee.
4. 40 Hour Teacher Workweek: Best for Graduate-Level Credit
40 Hour Teacher Workweek offers online courses that aim to prevent educator burnout and teacher attrition. These are two of the most serious challenges that education professionals face that lead to growing teacher shortages across the US. Some available courses come with graduate-level university credit options, which is a key part of professional development and license renewal.
40 Hour Teacher Workweek courses for professional development for teachers and other education professionals include:
- 40 Hour Fast Track: 6-week program for K-12 grade teachers to get out of survival mode and start seeing real results. The cost is $39.
- 40 Hour Instructional Coaching: Course for instructional coaches to streamline their workflow and support teachers in all areas of growth. The cost is $97.
- 40 Hour Leadership: Course for administrators to eliminate unnecessary work and create efficient and effective schoolwide systems. The cost is $599-$5,799 per team.
- 40 Hour AI: Membership for educators to improve AI literacy and save time with AI tools. The cost is $29 for 3-month access and $89 for 12-month access.
- 40 Hour Full Year: Comprehensive program for K-12 teachers to streamline every aspect of their work throughout the school year. The cost is $175.
While 40 Hour Teacher Workweek professional development is not free, the cost is affordable, and the 40 Hour Full Year program can give you up to 104 professional development credit hours over the course of one year. Graduate-level semester credit is also available.
5. ed2go: Best for Fundamentals
ed2go provides teacher professional development opportunities along with dozens of other online courses in various areas. Teacher PD courses cover both the fundamentals of the educator profession and advanced career training. The company helps build skills that are crucial for contributing to children’s well-being, education, and future success.
Available ed2go online teacher professional development courses fall in these categories:
- Child Development: Aligning Homework to Instruction, Assessment Tools to Support Online Learning, Behavior Contract Design, Child Development Professional, and others
- Classroom Technology: AI for Teachers, Classroom Technology Suite, Creating a Classroom Website, Integrating Technology in the Classroom, and others
- Math and Science: Teaching Math: Grades 4-6 and Teaching Science: Graded 4-6
- Reading and Writing: 120-Hour TEFL Certification, 220-Hour Advanced TEFL Certification, Guided Reading and Writing, Reading Strategies Suite, Teaching Writing: Grades 4-6, and others
The duration and number of course hours varies from 1 course hour to 220+ course hours. Some courses are self-guided so that teachers can set up their own pace, while others are instructor-moderated. Still others come with the option to choose between the two modes of delivery. The cost depends on the subject, duration, and delivery mode.
Interested teachers and educators should confirm that their selected course complies with their state professional development requirements before signing up.
6. edWeb: Best for Online Webinars
edWeb offers a wide range of professional development opportunities for teachers and others in the education field. Unlike other OD service providers, edWeb operates as a professional learning network that strives to make it easy to collaborate, engage in peer-to-peer learning, and exchange innovative ideas and resources. Educators can join edWeb Communities and benefit from edWeb Professional Learning. In terms of free online professional development for teachers, edWebinars can be watched live or as recordings for obtaining Certificate of Eligibility (CE) certificates.
edWebinars cover multiple topics of interest and use to K-12 grade teachers. Some examples include teaching resilience and responsibility in the classroom, inspiring math confidence, implementing family engagement strategies in the classroom, student-centered literacy strategies, and others. edWeb professional development webinars are continuous, with several sessions per week.
A major benefit of this free online professional development for teachers is that the edWeb website provides an interactive map to check eligibility in your state before getting started.
7. Model Teaching: Best for Comprehensive Professional Development Solutions
Model Teaching aims to deliver a complete professional development solution for K-12 educators. This includes approved online courses, university-partnered academic credit courses, and courses for schools and districts.
Model Teaching professional development courses for teacher license renewal and salary advancement comprise both pre-approved continuing education and graduate-level credit courses delivered through university partners.
Content areas include:
- 21st Century Learning
- Class Management/Behavior
- Early Childhood
- ELA, Reading/Writing
- English Language Learners
- Gifted & Talented
- Leadership Development
- Lesson & Curriculum Planning
- Math
- Science
- Social/Emotional
- Social Studies
- Special Education/Needs
- Teaching Strategies
- Technology in the Classroom
- Testing Strategies
- The Arts
Teachers can build their own PD bundle packs depending on their subject, required skills, interests, and need for graduate-level credit. Pricing starts at $10 for individual courses and $25 for bundles. Schools and districts can get a custom quote for courses for multiple teachers.
8. The Heritage Institute: Best for Instructor-Guided Options
The Heritage Institute offers a selection of 100+ online professional development courses for educators. Available courses allow teachers to earn credit, Clock Hours, Professional Development Units (PDUs), and Continuing Education Units (CEUs). Online and email-based options are compatible with all devices for convenience. One-on-one engagement with experienced instructors and personalized feedback on the coursework are provided for optimal results.
The Heritage Institute online PD courses cover the following subjects:
- Art
- Challenging Students
- Classroom Management
- Counseling & Special Ed
- Distance Teaching
- Education
- ESL/ELL
- Health, PE & Coaching
- History & Social Studies
- Language Arts
- Leadership
- Math & Science
- Social Justice
- STEM
- Teaching Wellness
- Technology
- World Language
Individual courses bring between 1 and 6 quarter credits. The cost is from $125 to $495 per course. Completion takes between 10 hours for 1 quarter credit and 60 hours for 6 quarter credits.
Eligibility might be limited to certain states, so teachers should confirm that they are able to earn PD credits before subscribing to The Heritage Institute courses.
9. Grassroots Workshops: Best for Online Workshops
Grassroots Workshops provides tailored online professional development workshops to ensure that each teacher is able to meet their specific needs on their own timeline. Teachers can choose instructors from a pool of leaders in education.
Grassroots Workshops include mini workshops that explore topics in a few hours and regular workshops that provide a deeper understanding of topics along with instructor support. Grade levels cover elementary school, middle school, high school, and college.
PD workshop subjects comprise:
- English
- General
- Mathematics
- Remote Instruction
- Science
- Social Justice
- STEM
- Technology
- Wellness
The cost of mini workshops is $45 for 4-month access and $54 for 12-month access, while the price of regular workshops is $345 for 4-month access and $414 for 12-month access. Workshops bring 1-4 graduate-level professional development credits.
10. Professional Learning Board: Best for State-Based Courses
Professional Learning Board concludes our list of the best online professional development for teachers. The company provides both free and paid online PD courses for teachers and schools.
Some popular Professional Learning Board online course package options include:
- State-Based Recertification Package
- 21st Century Learning
- Accommodating All Students
- Aligning to Standards
- Assessments & Evaluation
- Assessments Across Curriculum
- Beyond Pedagogy
- Child Abuse Prevention
- Essential Teaching
- Hybrid Teaching
- Mental Health
- Online Teaching
- Reading & Phonemics
- Reading Instruction Techniques
- Special Needs
- Technology in Education
- Workforce Readiness
- Accommodating All Learners
- Action Research for School Improvement
State-specific courses are generally offered in packs that include a few related courses for a comprehensive topic coverage. The number of required hours and the cost vary by state, subject, and duration.
One of the great things about Professional Learning Board is that teachers can choose from a list of course packs that are specifically designed for license renewal requirements in their state.
Bottom Line
These are the top 10 opportunities for online professional development for teachers that include both free and paid options. Educators that choose between podcasts, self-guided or instructor-monitored courses, webinars, and workshops. They cover a wide range of topics that can help teachers build crucial skills inside and outside the classroom and advance their career. Before getting started with any of these PD choices, it’s a good idea to confirm eligibility in your state.
If you’re looking for a straightforward, entertaining, useful, and free way to fulfill your professional development requirements, check out Fullmind Learning Can’t Wait Podcast.