The AFT has long recognized that the union's responsibilities go beyond the traditional "bread and butter" issues of salary and benefits. The AFT Professional Development Program represents one of the union's major efforts to improve student achievement by making a difference in practitioners' performance and professional growth.
In 1981, the AFT received a grant from the U.S. Department of Education to develop a series of courses to encourage all practitioners to improve their practice and their students' performance by becoming users of research. Today, the AFT Professional