Improving Instruction through Professional Development

1
Improving Instruction through Professional
Development

• Cynthia Prince
• Director, Teacher Professional Development
• Council of Chief State School Officers
• Deputies Leadership Commission Spring Academy
• May 16, 2004

2
Framework to guide teacher quality initiatives at
CCSSO

• Raise standards for what all teachers should know
  and be able to do.
• Strengthen teacher preparation and professional
  development.
• Recruit and assign teachers strategically.
• Improve teacher retention.
• Organize schools in ways that will enable
  teachers to succeed.

Based on National Commission on Teaching and
Americas Future, 1996
3
NCLB places high priority on professional
development

• Primary goal of NCLB is to bring all students to
  proficient levels of performance by 2013-2014
• Assumptions
• Strengthening teachers knowledge and skills
  through high-quality PD will improve the quality
  of instruction.
• Improving the quality of instruction will
  increase student learning.
• However, many teachers are not getting the
  professional development they need, and what they
  do receive is not necessarily high quality.

4
What counts as high-quality professional
development?

• Includes activities that
• Improve teachers knowledge of the academic
  subjects they teach
• Enable teachers to become highly qualified
• Advance teacher understanding of effective
  instructional strategies based on scientifically
  based research
• Are aligned with state standards, assessment, and
  the local school curriculum
• Train teachers to work more effectively with
  ELLs, students with disabilities, and parents

5
What counts? (cont.)

• Includes activities that
• Provide training in the use of technology, data
  and assessments, and classroom management
• Are sustained, intensive, and classroom-focused
  NOT one-day or short-term workshops or
  conferences
• Are an integral part of schoolwide and
  districtwide improvement plans
• Are developed with extensive participation of
  teachers, principals, parents, and administrators
• Are regularly evaluated

6
How can states and districts use Title II funds
to meet tchr quality requirements?

• SEAs - 5
• 18 allowable activities in 5 broad categories
• Accountability
• Certification
• Professional development
• Recruitment and retention
• Technical assistance
• LEAs - 95
• 9 allowable activities in 2 broad categories
• Professional development
• Recruitment and retention

7
States and districts differ in the amount of
Title II funds they intend to allocate to PD
34
65
States
Districts
Source General Accounting Office, July 2003
8
High-poverty low-poverty districts differ in
the amount of Title II funds allocated to PD
23
41
Low-poverty districts
High-poverty districts
Source General Accounting Office, July 2003
9
What effect has NCLB had on professional
development activities?

• National Staff Development Council conducted
  survey of more than 2,000 teachers and
  administrators
• 63 were teachers
• Survey was conducted between December 2003 and
  February 2004

10
Key findings

• PD provision of NCLB has had no discernable
  effect on teacher training Nearly 1/2
• Had not heard of this provision More than 1/3
• Reported that one-shot workshops were
• Less frequent 22
• About as frequent 34
• More frequent 11
• Reported that their schools or districts were
  providing
• More PD About 1/3
• About the same amount About 1/2

Source National Staff Development Council,
Education Week
11
Challenges

• Loose network of professional development
  activities rather than a coherent system
• Often conflicting and contradictory messages
  about effective instructional practices
• Considerable number of teachers still
  participating in one-shot workshops
• Substantial number of teachers report that the
  PD offered does not meet their needs
• Decreased funding has changed scope and nature of
  state-sponsored professional development

Source SRI surveys, The Center for the Future of
Teaching and Learning
12
Californias school proficiency requirements in
reading and writing
100
13.6
Source The Center for the Future of Teaching and
Learning, 2004
13
State professional development funding in
California
Source The Center for the Future of Teaching and
Learning, 2004
14
State allocations for PD programs in California
(in millions)
Source The Center for the Future of Teaching
Learning, 2004
15
PD not meeting needs of teachers of special
populations in CA

• Certified to teach special education students
• Adequate training on accommodations
• Certified to teach ELLs
• Adequate training related to L2 acquisition

Source The Center for the Future of Teaching
Learning, 2004
16
Next steps at CCSSO

• State Teacher Quality Network
• Policy analyses
• Customized technical assistance
• For more information contact
• Cindy Prince
• Director, Teacher Professional Development
• [phone], cindyp_at_ccsso.org