Designing Professional Development That Works

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Designing Professional Development That Works
Access Center District Information Sharing
Meeting Bea Birman April 28, 2006
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This Presentation

• Characteristics of Effective Professional
  Development (PD)
• District Management and Implementation of PD
• Implications for Designing and Evaluating PD

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What is High-Quality Professional Development?

• Think about a particularly effective professional
  learning activity that you participated in and
  the factors that made it effective.
• Share with your neighbor.

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Emerging Consensus on Quality PD

• Clear mission anchored in student learning of
  core discipline and skills
• Analysis of student learning of specific content
  in specific settings
• Embodies theory of adult learning
• Develops, reinforces and sustains group work
• Active participation of school leaders and staff
• Sustains focus over timecontinuous improvement
• Models of effective practice
• Uses assessment and evaluation
• From Elmore, 2002

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What does research tell us?

• This consensus is reasonable, but few empirical
  studies so far
• Empirical studies discussed today support
  consensus, but much more needed
• Need studies that tie PD to teacher practice and
  student outcomes

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Core Features of High-Quality PD

• Focus on content knowledge
• Active learning discussing classroom practice,
  being observed, sharing knowledge, evaluating
  student work
• Coherence continuity of learning, alignment,
  professional community
• from National Study of Eisenhower Professional
  Development Program
• (Garet et al., 1999)

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Structural Features of High-Quality PD

• Type traditional vs. reform
• Duration large amount (hours) and sustained over
  time
• Collective Participation participation among
  teachers of the same school or subject or grade
  level
• from National Study of Eisenhower Professional
  Development Program
• (Garet et al., 1999)

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Relationships PD Features and Outcomes
Sponsorship Structure Quality Outcomes
Time Span
.27
Sponsor (IHE vs District)
Focus on Content Knowledge
.08
.10
.27
.33
-.11
.08
.30
.06
Contact Hours
Active Learning
Change in Teaching Practice
Enhanced Knowledge Skill
.44
.14
.30
.21
.05
.10
.09
Type (Traditional vs Reform)
.21
.08
.42
.25
.13
Controls Schools Poverty School
Minority Teachers Gender Subject (Math
Science) Grade Level (El, Middle, High) In-field
Certification Teaching Experience
.10
.-13
Coherence
Collective Participation
.08
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Few Teachers Participate in High-Quality PD

• Regardless of focus, content or teaching
  methods, the majority of teachers reported
  receiving 8 or fewer hours of professional
  development in the previous year. (NCES, 2005)
• 95 of teachers reported attending traditional
  professional development, compared to 42
  reported participating in mentoring, peer
  observation or coaching. Few teachers report
  active learning.
• But there is great variability in what districts
  provide and teachers experience.

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What Shapes Quality of District-sponsored PD
Activities?

• Building a vision for professional development
• Alignment with standards and assessments
• Coordination with other programs working
  together and co-funding
• Implementation
• Continuous improvement indicators, needs
  assessments, evaluation, and guidance to
  schools and providers
• Teacher participation in planning

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Effects of Management and Implementation on PD
Quality
Building a Vision Implementation Portfolio
Features
.15
.40
Alignment
Participation in Reform Types Activities
Average Duration
.12
.16
Continuous Improvement
Opportunities for Collective Participation
.14
.16
Coordination (Co-funding)
.20
Opportunities for Active Learning
Teacher Participation in Planning
.15
.20
Controls District Poverty District Size
Cluster Status Consortium Status
.17
.16
Targeting
.19
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Data for Designing High Quality PD

• Information about what students are learning
• Information about what teachers are learning
• Information about what teachers are teaching

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Professional Development Activities Log

• Number of hours spent on each activity and its
  duration
• Whether the activity is a one-time event or a
  continuous one (i.e., recurring over a number of
  months)
• Type of activity (e.g., workshop, summer
  institute, study group)
• Purpose of activity (e.g. strengthening subject
  matter knowledge)
• Content focus
• Instructional practice instructional topics
  covered in each activity (e.g., use of
  calculators, computers or other educational
  technology)
• PD quality features (e.g., active learning,
  coherence, collective participation)
• Materials used during each activity

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Summary

• Encourage content focus, long duration,
  opportunities for active learning, coherence.
• Continue to emphasize alignment with standards
  and assessments, co-funding of activities from
  multiple programs, continuous improvement process
  using data.

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Conclusions

• Large-scale change in teaching practice would
  require districts and schools to be more
  strategic.
• Requires substantial district capacity content
  knowledge, data systems and understanding data,
  continuous improvement process, partnerships
  (with providers and universities), resources
  (financial and human).
• High quality professional development may be
  costly, but is a necessary investment.