Good professional development doesn’t have to come out of your PD budget. Plenty of high-quality training is free, from live webinars with certificates to self-paced courses and state-run learning portals.
The hard part is knowing where to look, which options are worth your time, and whether they’ll count toward renewal. This guide covers all three. It’s written for teachers, coaches, principals, and the PD leaders who build district catalogs.
Want the full list of free PD sources? Get the free guide →
Types of Free PD Worth Your Time
Free PD generally falls into five categories:
- Webinars: live or on-demand sessions, often an hour or less. Many offer certificates.
- Self-paced courses: structured online courses you complete on your own schedule.
- State PD portals: run by state education departments and the most likely to count toward license renewal.
- Topic-specific programs: free training in areas like digital citizenship, literacy, equity, and financial literacy.
- Curriculum provider PD: webinars and toolkits from curriculum companies, best if your district already uses their products.
Free PD With Certificates: 3 Places to Start
If you need documentation for renewal or district hours, these are a strong start:
1. edWeb
Free live and on-demand webinars across PK-12 instruction, leadership, and technology. Attendees can earn free CE certificates, which many districts accept for PD credit.
2. LINCS (U.S. Department of Education)
More than 30 free self-paced and facilitated courses in adult education and literacy, with a certificate for each completed course.
3. Common Sense Education
Free training and toolkits on digital citizenship and media literacy, plus a path to Common Sense Educator certification.
These are 3 of the 12 free PD sources in our printable guide. Get the full list →
How to Find Free PD in Your State
State-run portals are the most likely to count toward license renewal, so check them first.
To find yours, search “[your state] Department of Education professional learning” or “educator PD portal [your state].” Most state education departments list approved providers and free options.
Our guide includes state PD portals for Arkansas, California, Georgia, Illinois, Michigan, Texas, and Washington.
Where New Teachers Should Start
If you’re in your first few years, prioritize free PD that builds day-to-day classroom skills:
- Classroom management: short self-paced courses you can apply the next day
- Engagement and formative assessment: webinars with strategies to try in class
- Digital citizenship: a skill every teacher now needs, with good free options
- Your state’s portal: start here so your hours count toward renewal
Before you start, ask your mentor or district PD coordinator which options count toward induction or renewal requirements.
How to Make Sure Free PD Counts
Research from the Learning Policy Institute shows the most effective PD is sustained, collaborative, and connected to classroom practice. Free PD can meet that bar, but only if it’s approved and documented.
- Check approval. Confirm the course counts toward your state’s renewal requirements and your district’s PD plan.
- Save proof right away. Download certificates and completion emails the day you finish.
- Log your hours. Record the date, provider, topic, and hours somewhere your district can see them, not only in your inbox.
For districts, step 3 is where free PD usually gets lost. Teachers complete training across a dozen platforms, and the records scatter across inboxes and spreadsheets. For more on building consistent PD habits, see our post on professional development compliance.
Get the Free PD Guide
The printable guide includes everything you need to build a free PD catalog for your staff:
- 12 free PD sources, including platforms with certificates
- Free PD from curriculum providers
- State PD portals for 7 states, plus how to find yours
- Tips for turning free PD into real classroom growth
Keeping Track of PD From Everywhere
We’re Kalpa, the team behind this guide. Kalpa is PD tracking software for K-12 districts.
Free PD is easy to find. Keeping a record of it is the hard part. Kalpa gives every staff member one PD record, including PD completed outside the district, so free courses and webinars count alongside district training, all the way through state reporting.
See how Kalpa tracks PD →Frequently Asked Questions
Free PD includes webinars, self-paced courses, topic-specific programs, and state-run learning portals. Most sources only need a free account, and many provide certificates when you finish.
edWeb is the best-known source of free webinars with CE certificates. LINCS also offers certificates for its free courses. Our free guide lists more options.
It can, but it depends on your state and district. State-run portals are the most likely to count. For anything else, confirm approval first and keep your certificate.
Start with your state’s free PD portal, then fill gaps with free national sources. Track everything in one place so completed hours don’t get lost.
