[dorchadas]

I say the graduate degree programs are highly variable. I'm currently in one for a MAT, and it's really just mostly busywork that's useless. My classes are either all geared towards elementary/middle school or, the one that is on secondary schools, the teacher hasn't taught in a public school for about a decade, and has never taught in the state that most of us are based in, or in a rural area.

I'm sure there are some good ones, yes. I feel like the in-person one near me here would be better, since they can tailor to our needs, but it's also much more expensive. And still doesn't deal with the fact that a lot of the professors aren't in the classroom, or are in more privileged schools. It's the same issue I have with a lot of the professional development stuff you see, too.

[DoubleCribble]

The number-one-most-powerful tool that I can recommend in teacher development is getting mentored by a Master Teacher once you are in your own classroom (ie, not student teaching). The good news is that you will likely get exposure to many/most of the big ideas in any graduate program. However, it's very difficult to integrate those big ideas into your own classroom without a guide. Having somebody regularly observe your work and hold you accountable for your choices can make an enormous difference in outcomes (and often very rapidly). If a formal mentorship program is not available, then I would recommend seeking out an informal one.