How Palm Beach County scaled personalized professional learning across 58 high schools

Background

Palm Beach County School District, one of the largest districts in the United States, serves more than 179,000 students across hundreds of schools. In 2023, the district adopted Khan Academy’s AI-powered learning tools in all 58 high schools. Leaders quickly realized they needed a professional learning (PL) strategy that was scalable, responsive, and personalized to ensure successful teacher adoption.

Challenges

• Vast geography and limited internal PL capacity
• Need for high teacher engagement with Khan Academy and Khanmigo tools
• Districtwide expectations for student interaction metrics

“I just came for the snacks. But this is a game-changer.”

- Palm Beach Gardens teacher

Solutions

A dedicated PL lead

Khan Academy deployed Tamsynn Storin, a veteran educator and PL specialist, as an embedded professional learning expert for Palm Beach County.

How it worked

• Created a Google Form to manage training requests
• Balanced in-person support (Tues/Thurs) with virtual support (Mon/Weds)
• Delivered custom, content-specific trainings three-to-four days per week
• Facilitated 45-minute PLC rotations spanning 7:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
• Sent tailored follow-up emails with session resources and materials
  
  

Custom training design

• Teachers selected topics across six focus areas, including Khan Academy coursework, KIGO tools, and Khanmigo AI activities.
• Sessions were customized by subject area and aligned to district scope and sequence.
• Content-specific scheduling (e.g., all 6th-grade math) maximized teacher engagement.
• At Palm Beach Gardens High, teachers embraced a “Conquerors of the Swamp” theme, celebrating their Gator mascot. With t-shirts, snacks, and a festive environment, PD became a true community event.

“We were throwing everything at them and hoping something stuck. Now we have a structure. We’re coming back, and that’s when the magic happens.”

-  District leader

Results

Systemic change: Building PL tracks

To maximize long-term impact, Khan Academy and Palm Beach leaders designed multi-touchpoint PL tracks:

1. Session 1: Introduction
2. Session 2: Tools deep dive
3. Session 3: Instructional integration
4. Session 4: Advanced use & troubleshooting
   
   

Today, they’re able to model this method for other districts, with an emphasis on the following lessons:

• Prioritize rostering early to enable full access to platform features.
• Build repeat sessions into your PL model from the start.
• Encourage content-aligned trainings rather than grade-level or mixed groups.
• Use student engagement metrics to guide training focus and follow-up.