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All the questions about " Successful Professional Development " that have been answered
are listed below. To search for specific questions, enter one or more search terms.
There are 72 questions currently posted in the database that match this query.
Displaying question 1 through 72
Question:
Expert update: Results-oriented Professional Development Opportunities
Asked by:
Research/tech assistance org
Educational Consultant
Arlington, MA
Answer(s)
Expert ID: 6682
Expert's keyword(s) : Professional Development, Results
Answer : The National Educational Service provides tested and proven resources to help those who work with youth create safe and caring schools, agencies, and communities where all children succeed. Their positive, prevention-oriented programs include:
* more than 150 research-based books and staff development videos on effective discipline, school safety, multicultural awareness, drug abuse prevention, technology, and school improvement
* a network of expert speakers available to offer keynote addresses, workshops, and in-service training on discipline, diversity, and best practices
* regular conferences on improving schools
Conference calendar
http://www.nesonline.com/Public/plc.asp
List of Results-Oriented Professional Development Opportunities
http://www.nesonline.com/Public/prof.asp
Ed Week article on Professional Development
http://www.edweek.com/context/topics/issuespage.cfm?id=16
Answered by :
Juliette Avots
Educational Consultant
Arlington MA
javots@ix.netcom.com
Question:
Expert update: Help for teachers in taking running records to access and interpret children's oral reading in the elementary grades.
Asked by:
Research/tech assistance org
Educational Consultant
Arlington, MA
Answer(s)
Expert ID: 6682
Expert's keyword(s) : Professional development, literacy, reading
Answer : Running Records, A Self-Tutoring Guide by Peter H. Johnston, a book and tape will help guide your primary level teachers in taking running records to interpret their students' oral readying skills. This is a clear, step by step guide that will help teachers tune their own ears to student readying needs and respond to help them to improve their readying.
Information on the book can be found at http://www.stenhouse.com
Answered by :
Juliette Avots
Educational Consultant
Arlington MA
javots@ix.netcom.com
Question:
could u please tell me the 5 guidelines for preventing unnecessary frustration
Asked by:
K-12 Classroom teacher
houston, TX
Answer(s)
Expert ID: 6682
Expert's keyword(s) : Professional development
Answer : Could you please elaborate a bit more about the context to which you are referring? For example, are you interested in knowing about the frustrations of teachers undergoing a change process, or how a facilitator or teacher might avoid provoking frustration in a difficult teaching situation?
I did find guidelines for responding to problem behavior online which may be helpful to you. Try going to the website below to see if it is helpful.
http://www.library.yale.edu/lhr/policies/PROBPAT10.pdf
Answered by :
Juliette Avots
Educational Consultant
Arlington MA
javots@ix.netcom.com
Question:
Expert update: Resources, opportunities and information to help teachers and students understand better understand their learning differences and how to address them. (All Kinds of Minds and Schools Attuned)
Asked by:
Research/tech assistance org
Educational Consultant
Arlington, MA
Answer(s)
Expert ID: 6682
Expert's keyword(s) : Professional development, Brain-based learning, Special Ed.
Answer : INFORMATION:Many students experience learning difficulties in school because the way in which they learn is incompatible with the way they're being taught. The mission of All Kinds of Minds, a non-profit organization based on the research of Dr. Mel Levine, is to help students who struggle with learning measurably improve their success in school and life by providing programs that integrate educational, scientific and clinical expertise
All Kinds of Minds helps educators identify students' "neurodevelopmental profiles", or balance sheets of individual strengths and weaknesses. These profiles are divided into "neurodevelopmental constructs" or groupings of related neurodevelopmental functions. The eight constructs identified by Dr. Levine are Attention, Temporal-sequential Ordering, Spatial Ordering, Memory, Language, Neuromotor Functions, Social Cognition, Higher Order Cognition.
Schools Attuned, a comprehensive professional development and service program is based on the research of Dr. Mel Levine and driven by All Kinds of Minds. Schools Attuned's goal is to offer educators new methods for recognizing, understanding, and managing students with differences in learning. Schools Attuned gives classroom teachers and other school personnel the knowledge and skills, as well as a system of innovative tools, to meet the diverse needs of all students. When implemented within schools this program enriches the ways in which all children are educated.
RESOURCES:
To access the All Kinds of Minds web site, please visit:
http://www.allkindsofminds.org .
To access the Schools Attuned web site, please visit:
http://www.schoolsattuned.org
The online All Kinds of Minds' library contains many useful resources for teachers and parents.
http://www.allkindsofminds.org/library.aspx
In the library section, be sure to check out the following areas:
Activities: http://www.allkindsofminds.org/activities.aspx
The Learning Base http://www.allkindsofminds.org/learningBase.aspx
Answered by :
Juliette Avots
Educational Consultant
Arlington MA
javots@ix.netcom.com
Question:
Expert Update: The mission of a professional learning community
Asked by:
Research/tech assistance org
Educational Consultant
Arlington, MA
Answer(s)
Expert ID: 6682
Expert's keyword(s) : Professional development, Learning community
Answer : As you look at how your faculty works together do you see a community in which teachers work together to innovate their teaching practices, or a community that interacts around traditional teaching practices and reinforcing things that never worked in the first place?
In an interview with the National Staff Development (Winter 2003 Vol. 24, No. 1) Michael Fullan, researcher, consultant, trainer, and policy adviser on school change and leadership, cautions against the second practice and urges professional communities within schools to use informed professional judgment. "Professional learning communities internal to a school should reduce the variation across classrooms with more and more teachers gravitating toward the best practices" he states. He believes that the single factor common to successful change is that relationships improve. Schools need to care whether people in the organization add knowledge and contribute to one another's knowledge development. When this happens, Fullan believes, schools get better.
We are fortunate to be working in a time when research is being used more and more to inform us of best practices. When schools open themselves to new, outside ideas, and promote dialogue around these ideas, school culture begins to change. "Changing the culture is important because it establishes norms of continuous interaction" says Fullan. "So, information becomes knowledge through a social process, and knowledge becomes wisdom through sustained interaction."
To read the complete interview, go to http://www.nsdc.org/library/publications/jsd/fullan241.cfm
Answered by :
Juliette Avots
Educational Consultant
Arlington MA
javots@ix.netcom.com
Question:
Expert Update: Resources for in-house Differentiated Instruction Workshops.
Asked by:
Research/tech assistance org
Educational Consultant
Arlington, MA
Answer(s)
Expert ID: 6682
Expert's keyword(s) : Professional Development, Differentiated Instruction
Answer : Are you planning an in-house Differentiated Instruction Workshop? Or, do you have individual teachers who want to learn more about this area? This webpage will take you to all kinds of resources about the topic including handouts that can be used in workshops and classrooms.
http://www.sde.com/DI/DIResources.htm
Answered by :
Juliette Avots
Educational Consultant
Arlington MA
javots@ix.netcom.com
Question:
Expert Update: Using the real stories of beginning teachers to help mentor your own first-year teachers
Asked by:
Research/tech assistance org
Educational Consultant
Arlington, MA
Answer(s)
Expert ID: 6682
Expert's keyword(s) : Professional Development, Mentoring
Answer : Do your first year teachers meet together as a group or with experienced-teacher mentors on a regular basis? As a means of framing the discussion, you may want to start off with some of the experiences described in their journals by some of these student teachers found on the online Harvard Teacher Education pages.
Go to http://www.gse.harvard.edu/~tep/connect/journals.html to read observations written by student teachers during their practicum in Boston area urban schools.
Some of the journals entries you may want to discuss with your group are as follows:
Drew - 12.27.02 Using confusion as a teaching point.
5.30.03 Anglie the poet who cannot do math
Sylvia- 11.01.02 Shaking off old ideas and the necessity of being confused before clarifying thought.
Michelle 10.11.01 Discoveries upon shadowing a student
11.20.01 Difficulties with discipline issues
12.21.01 Letting go of a lesson plan.
You will find many more gems for discussion purposes within these journal entries. If you haven't already done so, you may want to encourage your teachers, experienced as well as inexperienced, to do some journaling themselves and then discuss the entries within your group.
Answered by :
Juliette Avots
Educational Consultant
Arlington MA
javots@ix.netcom.com
Question:
Expert Update: What exactly is "web-based assessment"? What do I need to know when I see the term "computer assisted"? Which web-based assessment programs are adaptable to local curriculum?
Asked by:
Research/tech assistance org
Educational Consultant
Arlington, MA
Answer(s)
Expert ID: 6682
Expert's keyword(s) : Professional Development,Assessment,Technology
Answer : This question is answered in a helpful article that also profiles the outstanding features of 10 robust Web-based programs. Some of these programs will help teachers, schools, and districts input and monitor student data, track student progress, create an online educational community, or deliver web-based instruction and assessment. All of the programs described offer free, online demos, and some even offer a free 30-day trial period.
Go to the website below to access an extremely informative and helpful article.
http://www.infotoday.com/MMSchools/mar04/doe.shtml
Answered by :
Juliette Avots
Educational Consultant
Arlington MA
javots@ix.netcom.com
Question:
Expert Update: Where can I find online resources for helping my teachers with classroom management?
Asked by:
Research/tech assistance org
Educational Consultant
Arlington, MA
Answer(s)
Expert ID: 6682
Expert's keyword(s) : Professional Development, Classroom Management
Answer : When working with new teachers or teachers having difficulty with classroom management, it's often useful to have articles on hand as a resource and support for the area of difficulty.
The online articles and newsletters on the Responsive Classroom website may prove helpful to teachers who are experiencing problems with classroom management, especially with developing those expectations and procedures that lead to improved social behavior.
Responsive Classroom article library and newsletters:
http://www.responsiveclassroom.org/articlelibrary/index.asp
(You can request that these online newsletters be sent to you on a regular basis.)
Answered by :
Juliette Avots
Educational Consultant
Arlington MA
javots@ix.netcom.com
Question:
I would like to organize a professional development plan for my staff on using a variety of assessment techniques
Asked by:
Building admin/coordinator
3rd/4th grade teacher
Tucson, AZ
Answer(s)
Expert ID: 6682
Expert's keyword(s) : Professional development, assessment
Answer : I'm not entirely clear if you're asking for ideas for assessing your faculty to inform your professional development planning or for ideas for introducing a variety of assessment techniques to your faculty. Since they are not mutually exclusive, I'll try to help you in both areas.
The following websites will give you excellent tools for assessing your staff on professional development needs.
ASCD Professional Development Survey
http://www.ascd.org/trainingopportunities/ossd/survey.cfm
North Central Regional Laboratory pages on Professional Development
http://www.ncrel.org/info/pd/
(I would suggest you click on "Learning From the Best" for a step-by-step description for planning professional development.)
If you are concentrating on assessment, you might want to keep the following in mind before proceeding with alternative forms of assessment.
§ Your staff will need to develop a shared understanding of why we assess. Teachers sometimes need reminding that assessment is essential feedback for students and should be used to help them improve the quality of their work.
§ Teachers often struggle with the notion of beginning with the end in mind. Good teaching always targets learning outcomes from the very beginning, and therefore, appropriate assessment forms and practices should be part of the initial lesson planning. In addition, assessments need to be aligned with state standards and testing.
§ Teachers need and want to be able to apply what they have learned as professional development to their classrooms. Try to make all training as applicable as possible to classroom application. See: Learning Teams for Assessment Literacy by Rick Stiggins http://www.assessmentinst.com/pdfs/Concept%20Paper_pre-published_.pdf
§ Staff members will be at different stages along a continuum of understanding of assessment practices. Design your professional development so that they can learn from one another and plan for them to work to help and inform one another.
Here are some additional websites to help you with your planning:
Assessment Guru Grant Wiggins on Measuring Student Progress
http://teacher.scholastic.com/professional/assessment/studentprogress.htm
Home Page of Assessment Training Institute
http://www.assessmentinst.com/index.html
Implementing Performance Assessment in the Classroom http://www.pareonline.net/getvn.asp?v=6&n=2
Guidelines for the Development and Management of Performance Assessments by Edward D. Roeber
http://www.pareonline.net/getvn.asp?v=5&n=7
Portfolio Assessment
http://www.eduplace.com/rdg/res/literacy/assess6.html
Multiple Intelligences and Portfolios:A Window into the Learner's Mind
by Evangeline Harris Stefanakis , Harvard Graduate School of Education http://www.heinemann.com/shared/products/E00363.asp
Rubrics:
What's Wrong--and What's Right--with Rubrics by W. James Popham
http://www.ascd.org/safeschools/el9710/pophamrubric.html
Exemplars of Math and Science Rubrics
http://www.exemplars.com/rubrics/assessment.html
Analytic Writing Assessment Scoring Guide http://www.nwrel.org/eval/PDFs/6plus1traits.PDF
Rubric Builder: http://landmark-project.com/classweb/tools/rubric_builder.php3
Answered by :
Juliette Avots
Educational Consultant
Arlington MA
javots@ix.netcom.com
Question:
Expert update: Understanding how "Lesson Study" can help to improve student learning.
Asked by:
Research/tech assistance org
Educational Consultant
Arlington, MA
Answer(s)
Expert ID: 6682
Expert's keyword(s) : Professional Development, Lesson Study, Instruction
Answer : What is your understanding of using "Lesson Study" to improve student learning?
The following article published in Education Week on Feb 11. 2004 points out that this practice is more about process than product, that lesson study has little to do with perfect lessons, and that the process focuses more on student thinking and understanding than what teachers are doing.
An article in "Education Week" highlights the implementation of Lesson Study in a New Jersey school at the website below:
http://www.edweek.org/ew/ewstory.cfm?slug=22Lesson.h23
For more about Lesson Study, go to the following links:
"Lesson Study: A Handbook of Teacher-Led Instructional Change" by Catherine Lewis, 2002 (Research for Better Schools, ISBN #1-56602-053-0)
http://www.rbs.org/catalog/pubs/pd55.shtml
Lesson Study Research Group at Columbia College
Includes links for readings, networking, resources, and consultants who support Lesson Study
http://www.teacherscollege.edu/lessonstudy/
A list of resources about Lesson Study from Research for Better Schools
http://www.rbs.org/lesson_study/index.shtml
NSF Resources for Lesson Study:
http://search.nsf.gov/
Answered by :
Juliette Avots
Educational Consultant
Arlington MA
javots@ix.netcom.com
Question:
Expert Update: Seven Disciplines for Strengthening Instruction
Asked by:
Research/tech assistance org
Educational Consultant
Arlington, MA
Answer(s)
Expert ID: 6682
Expert's keyword(s) : Professional Development, Change, School Reform, Instruction
Answer : Expert Update: Seven Disciplines for Strengthening Instruction
Key words: Professional Development, Change, School Reform, Instruction
"Beyond Testing: The 7 Disciplines for Strengthen Instruction", an article by Tony Wagner, describes a process and set of intermediate goals observed in successful schools that help improve student achievement.
Wagner, the co- director of the Change Leadership Group at Harvard University's school of education, reminds us that testing alone does not improve student achievement. The goals he identifiew represent what he calls an "interdependent systems approach" to improvement in instruction.
The seven goals include:
1. Creating an understanding and a sense of urgency among teachers and stakeholders for improving all students' learning.
2. A shared vision for what good teaching is.
3. Focusing all adult meeting on instruction and models of good teaching.
4. Creating well?defined standards and performance assessments of student work at all levels.
5. Frequent, rigorous and entirely focused supervision on the improvement of instruction
6. On-site, intensive, collaborative, and job-embedded professional development that is led by educators who model the best teaching and learning practices.
7. Diagnostic use of data at frequent intervals by teams of teachers, schools, and districts to assess each student's learning and to identify the most effective teaching practices.
This article should be examined in full. The complete text can be found online at the following website:
http://www.edweek.org/ew/ewstory.cfm?slug=11wagner.h23&keywords=wagner
Answered by :
Juliette Avots
Educational Consultant
Arlington MA
javots@ix.netcom.com
Question:
Expert update: Helping girls and minority students to improve their scores on standardized testing
Asked by:
Research/tech assistance org
Educational Consultant
Arlington, MA
Answer(s)
Expert ID: 6682
Expert's keyword(s) : : Professional Development, Research, Girls, Women, Minority, Testing
Answer : 1/28/04
Expert update: Helping girls and minority students to improve their scores on standardized testing.
Key words: Professional Development, Research, Girls, Women, Minority, Testing
An article in the December, 2003 issue of the Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology cites research suggesting ways to help girls and minority students improve their standardized test scores. Research conducted by Dr. Catherine Good, a postdoctoral fellow in psychology at Columbia, Dr. Joshua Aronson, an associate professor of psychology at New York University and Dr. Michael Inzlicht, a postdoctoral fellow in N.Y.U.'s department of applied psychology consider that key performance is physiological. When minority and low-income student are given positive messages about their ability to learn, students believe that change is possible. The researchers hope their findings can help schools to address the underperformance that is often witnessed in this group of students as they move into junior high school.
An article describing this study was published in the New York Times and can be found online at the following website: (Free registration is required to access the article.)
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/01/20/health/psychology/20INCO.html
Answered by :
Juliette Avots
Educational Consultant
Arlington MA
javots@ix.netcom.com
Question:
Expert update: A professional development tool to help school leaders design and implement effective, district-wide classroom assessment practices.
Asked by:
Research/tech assistance org
Educational Consultant
Arlington, MA
Answer(s)
Expert ID: 6682
Expert's keyword(s) : Professional Development, Assessment, Leadership
Answer : If you are interested in developing a professional development program to increase awareness and application of quality assessment practices, you may want to consult a book called "Assessment FOR Learning: An Action Guide for School Leaders" by Steve Chappuis, Rick Stiggins, Judy Arter and Jan Chappuis.
To learn more about this resource, see the table of contents, and for ordering information, go to
http://www.assessmentinst.com/products_books.html#afl
The book includes a DVD and CD-ROM
Answered by :
Juliette Avots
Educational Consultant
Arlington MA
javots@ix.netcom.com
Question:
Expert Update: Renewing the educator's vision for suppport for individual student needs.
Asked by:
Research/tech assistance org
Educational Consultant
Arlington, MA
Answer(s)
Expert ID: 6682
Expert's keyword(s) : Professional Development, Differentiated Instruction
Answer : Are you working with teachers who often seem disengaged? Although most
teachers entered the profession with high hopes for their students and a
good dose of idealism, a teacher's dedication and pursuit of recognizing
and responding to the needs of individual students can dissipate with
time, overwhelming demands, and fatigue. If it's time to renew the
covenant of support for individual students in your school, you may want
to begin by reading Carol Ann Tomlinson's latest book, "Fulfilling the
Promise of the Differentiated Classroom: Strategies and Tools for
Responsive Teaching."
For a taste of the book, read Chapter 3, Teacher Response to Student Needs: A Starting Point for Differentiation on line at
http://www.ascd.org/publications/books/103107/chapter3.html
This chapter will help teachers to renew their vision as educators and to carefully
review their role as advocates and mentors for each student in their
classroom.
The book is available through ASCD and can be
ordered online at. http://shop.ascd.org/ProductDisplay.cfm?ProductID=103107
Answered by :
Juliette Avots
Educational Consultant
Arlington MA
javots@ix.netcom.com
Question:
Expert update: Effective Professional Development. This article is a must-read for all Professional Development Specialists.
Asked by:
Research/tech assistance org
Educational Consultant
Arlington, MA
Answer(s)
Expert ID: 6682
Expert's keyword(s) : Professional Development, Effective Practices
Answer : The January 7, 2004 Issue of Education Week contains an important article for all Professional Development Specialists that cites research highlighting a good number of effective professional development strategies.
The article can be accessed online at
http://www.edweek.org/context/topics/issuespage.cfm?id=16
Answered by :
Juliette Avots
Educational Consultant
Arlington MA
javots@ix.netcom.com
Question:
Expert Update: World Learning and Professional Development
Asked by:
Research/tech assistance org
Educational Consultant
Arlington, MA
Answer(s)
Expert ID: 6682
Expert's keyword(s) : Professional Development, International,World,Global
Answer : Opportunities abound for teachers to learn about the world for themselves, for their profession, and for their students.
This online article describes one teacher's experience with global learning and contains links to many online resources for international learning and perspectives.
Go to http://www.agentk-12.edweek.org/edweek_article.cfm?slug=14devel.h23&sec=seekers
Answered by :
Juliette Avots
Educational Consultant
Arlington MA
javots@ix.netcom.com
Question:
Expert update: Free Reading for Information online course offered by Eric Clearninghouse
Asked by:
Research/tech assistance org
Educational Consultant
Arlington, MA
Answer(s)
Expert ID: 6682
Expert's keyword(s) : Professional Development, Online Learning,Reading
Answer : ERIC Clearinghouse on Reading, English and Communication Offers Free 'Reading or Information' Online Course.
Since reading for information requires different mental skills than reading from fiction, the National Geographic Society, the Indiana Department of Education, and the ERIC Clearinghouse on Reading, English and Communication have just released an online course for teachers and parents who guide students in these skills. Titled, "Reading for Information," this nine-unit interactive course, is now available for free at
http://eric.indiana.edu/reading .
Course participants learn the techniques for reading and remembering a wide range of nonfiction material, including descriptions and procedures, news reporting, arguments and opinions, and biography and nonfiction narratives.
Course participants may achieve professional development credit or university credit to update teaching licenses. Educators can also participate for free just to gain the information provided in the course. Those who register for credit must participate in online discussions and pass a quiz at the end of each of the nine units. The Indiana Department of Education offers professional development credit, and teachers may receive a completion certificate from the National Geographic Society as evidence of their participation in an in-service course that reflects the techniques and strategies used in National Geographic books.
Answered by :
Juliette Avots
Educational Consultant
Arlington MA
javots@ix.netcom.com
Question:
Expert update: How are you using data to access professional development needs?
Asked by:
Research/tech assistance org
Educational Consultant
Arlington, MA
Answer(s)
Expert ID: 6682
Expert's keyword(s) : Professional development, Data, Results
Answer : An article in the October 22, 2003 issue of Education Week suggests that states need to update their data collection procedures in order to access test results and improve school policies. (For the full article, go to
http://www.edweek.org/ew/ewstory.cfm?slug=08Data.h23
The same guidelines for data collection can be used effectively by individual schools and districts to identify student trends that underline professional development needs. The use of these guidelines will help to identify and understand the needs of underachieving students as well as gaps in teaching. For example, an individual student code will help to track that student's progress from the time of matriculation and aide teachers in identifying individual student deficiencies. But the overall data generated will also identify schoolwide trends and gaps in effective teaching.
The guidelines for statewide data-collection follows. Simply substitute "schoolwide" for " statewide" to apply these guidelines to your own school.
Using Data
9 Key Elements of Statewide Data-Collection Systems
1. Unique statewide student identifier.
2. Fall student-level enrollment data.
3. Student-level test data.
4. Information on untested students.
5. Student-level course-completion data.
6. Student-level SAT, ACT, and AP test results.
7. Student-level graduation and dropout rates.
8. Ability to match K-12 and higher education.
9. State data-audit system.
SOURCE: National Center for Educational Accountability
Answered by :
Juliette Avots
Educational Consultant
Arlington MA
javots@ix.netcom.com
Question:
Expert Update: Classroom Management
Asked by:
Research/tech assistance org
Educational Consultant
Arlington, MA
Answer(s)
Expert ID: 6682
Expert's keyword(s) : Professional Development, Classroom Management
Answer : Do you have new teachers who are struggling with classroom management? Are you thinking of developing in-house workshops on this area? Or, do you simply need to point a teacher in the direction of helpful resources? Here are some Internet addresses to help you support your staff.
Classroom management links:
http://www.responsiveclassroom.org/bookstore/books/8910ch01.pdf
Resources including cassettes and online courses to support classroom management
http://www.ascd.org/cms/objectlib/ascdframeset/index.cfm?publication=http://www.ascd.org/publications/class_lead/index.html
Answered by :
Juliette Avots
Educational Consultant
Arlington MA
javots@ix.netcom.com
Question:
Expert Update: "Preparing Teachers Around the World", a comparative study of teacher education and certification policies in the US and other countries.
Asked by:
Research/tech assistance org
Educational Consultant
Arlington, MA
Answer(s)
Expert ID: 6682
Expert's keyword(s) : Professional Development
Answer : A new study, Preparing Teachers Around the World, published by Educational Testing Service's Policy Information Center casts fascinating light on teacher education and certification policies in the United States though a comparison with those in Australia, England, Hong Kong, Japan, Korea, the Netherlands, and Singapore. The study which can be found online at http://www.ets.org/research/pic/prepteach.pdf comes up with many insights, some of which are quoted below.
The amount of time devoted to most professional development topics during the year for any given teacher, in the US was, most commonly, about one day.
In the US, more experienced teachers were less likely to participate in professional development activities concerning in-depth study of their subject area or classroom management, but just as likely to participate in other topics.
56 percent of US teachers who participated in professional development activities indicated they were linked to other program improvement activities to a moderate or great extent. 44 percent indicated they were linked to no or only a small extent.
43 percent of US participants asserted their professional development activities were followed by school administration support in applying what was learned to a moderate or great extent. 35 percent indicated the activities were followed by needed follow-up sessions or additional training to a moderate or great extent. 32 percent claimed the activities were followed by school activities in which teachers help other teachers put the new ideas to use to a moderate or great extent.
Almost a quarter of American secondary school students (22 percent) take at least one class with a teacher who did not even minor in the subject he or she teaches.
In high-poverty secondary schools, 32 percent of students take a class with a teacher who lacks even a minor in the subject.
About 44 percent of US middle school students nationwide, and more than half of students in high poverty middle schools, take a class with a teacher who hasn?t acquired even a minor in the subject.
The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) estimates that the United States will need 2 million new teachers over the next decade.
Answered by :
Juliette Avots
Educational Consultant
Arlington MA
javots@ix.netcom.com
Question:
Expert Update: When is Test Prep Like Junk Food? How can we distinguish good test preparation from bad?
Asked by:
Research/tech assistance org
Educational Consultant
Arlington, MA
Answer(s)
Expert ID: 6682
Expert's keyword(s) : Professional Development, Standardized Testing
Answer : Kim Marshall, the author of "Test Prep?The Junk Food of Education" an article in the Oct 3, 2003 edition of "Education Week" maintains that teachers must carefully watch the diet they feed their students to prepare for state tests.
Despite this negative warning, the article is not against testing. Marshall simply wants educators to remember, first and foremost, that high scores reflect good teaching, the result of challenging subject matter, engaging, hands-on classroom activities, and energized teachers.
Marshall warns, however that schools must be vigilante to identify the following situations:
-Boring students with too many tests and eventually turning them off school.
-Demoralizing teachers by creating a "test-prep factory.
-Promoting lazy pedagogy consisting of assigning and correcting.
-Depriving student of whole stories and books by decontextualizing passages.
-Overdosing on multiple-choice questions in the day to day classroom.
-Skimping on writing and reading for understanding by spending time on drills for lower-level skills.
-Focusing on the memorization of facts rather than expressing ideas in an authentic voice.
You can access the complete article at
http://www.edweek.com/ew/ewstory.cfm?slug=05marshall.h23
Please note that you will be asked to register (free) before you can access the complete text.
Answered by :
Juliette Avots
Educational Consultant
Arlington MA
javots@ix.netcom.com
Question:
Expert Update: New perspectives and professional development ideas for teaching in a diverse classroom.
Asked by:
Research/tech assistance org
Educational Consultant
Arlington, MA
Answer(s)
Expert ID: 6682
Expert's keyword(s) : Professional development, Diversity, Mentors, New Teachers
Answer : Futrell, Gomez, and Bedden (2003) state that 80% of American teachers feel unprepared to teach in a diverse classroom. The two online articles below from the September 2003 issue of Educational Leadership (Volume 61, Number 1) address this need. A third online link has suggestions for using the articles for professional development for new teachers or mentor groups.
The first article, "Research Link, Managing Culturally Diverse Classrooms" by John H. Holloway, uncovers some of the challenges teachers face in classrooms with specific ethnic groups and offers appropriate approaches to these students. It seems that the underachieving and achieving students within one ethnic group may have quite different interpretations of what is expected and how they are valued.
The second article, "Boredom and Its Opposite, How do we affirm students' positive search for knowledge?" by Richard Strong, Harvey Silver, Matthew Perini, and Greg Tuculescu, suggests tools for increasing student interest in understanding.
The weblinks for these articles are listed below:
Research Link, Managing Culturally Diverse Classrooms by John H. Holloway
http://www.ascd.org/cms/objectlib/ascdframeset/index.cfm?publication=http://www.ascd.org/publications/ed_lead/200309/holloway.html
"Boredom and It's Opposite, How do we affirm students' positive search for knowledge?" by Richard Strong, Harvey Silver, Matthew Perini, and Greg Tuculescu
http://www.ascd.org/cms/objectlib/ascdframeset/index.cfm?publication=http://www.ascd.org/publications/ed_lead/index.html
EL Study Guide, Building Classroom Relationships by Marge Scherer
http://www.ascd.org/cms/objectlib/ascdframeset/index.cfm?publication=http://www.ascd.org/publications/ed_lead/index.html
Answered by :
Juliette Avots
Educational Consultant
Arlington MA
javots@ix.netcom.com
Question:
EXPERT'S UPDATE: Ideas for common planning time
Asked by:
Research/tech assistance org
Educational Consultant
Arlington, MA
Answer(s)
Expert ID: 6682
Expert's keyword(s) : Professional development, Common Planning Time, Study Guides, Strategies, Literacy, Coaching
Answer : Are groups of teachers struggling to make good use of common planning time in your school? It is often useful to help these groups to structure their meetings around a focused area.
Among the many online study guides to educational texts, the guide for "Strategies that Work" by Stephanie Harvey and Anne Goudvis (Publisher: Stenhouse) contains useful questions that will reveal what strategies teachers are already using and which strategies they need to explore to develop deeper understanding by students. In their group meetings, teachers may want to ask themselves the questions suggested in the introduction and go on to explore the strategies suggested in the subsequent chapters.
The online guide can be found at http://www.stenhouse.com/studygui.stm by clicking on the link "Strategies that Work". This guide is useful for comprehension strategies in any discipline. You will find a list of other useful guides by the same authors on this page
Answered by :
Juliette Avots
Educational Consultant
Arlington MA
javots@ix.netcom.com
Question:
EXPERT'S UPDATE: Lesson Study
Asked by:
Research/tech assistance org
Educational Consultant
Arlington, MA
Answer(s)
Expert ID: 6682
Expert's keyword(s) : Professional Development, lesson study
Answer : "Lesson Study" is a method that has long been used in Japan to help teachers work together to improve their teaching of specificlessons. New protocols modeled on the Japanese method have been used with great success in classrooms across America. The following links will help you to understand what Lesson Study is and how to do Lesson Studies in your school.
"Using lesson study to improve teaching" by Dennis Sparks and published in Results, November 1999
This is a brief overview of Lesson Study
http://www.nsdc.org/library/results/res11-99spar.html
Lesson Study, A New Model for Staff Development Needed (School Development Web Center)
The following site has an interesting interview with English teacher, Jan Gabay, who coordinates Lesson Study staff development at her school. As you click through the links you will come to an online listserv where teachers from many schools share their questions and experiences with Lesson Study. Some of the links on these pages worked for me and others didn't, but overall I found the site contained valuable information on the topic.
http://www.schoolrenewal.org/feature/lesson_study/ls-context.html
Lesson Study Resources
This site contains excellent links to a good number of websites that will give you an understanding of how to do Lesson Study. Many of the sites focus on Lesson Study in staff development for mathematics.
http://www2.edc.org/lessonstudy/lessonstudy/
Answered by :
Juliette Avots
Educational Consultant
Arlington MA
javots@ix.netcom.com
Question:
Experts' Update: Information on CSR (Comprehensive School Reform).
Asked by:
Research/tech assistance org
Educational Consultant
Arlington, MA
Answer(s)
Expert ID: 6682
Expert's keyword(s) : Professional development, CSR, School Reform
Answer : An excellent source for comprehensive information on school reform is available on the following website: http://www.goodschools.gwu.edu/ Here you will find information on different models of school reform, publications relating to the subject, and many additional valuable resources.
Answered by :
Juliette Avots
Educational Consultant
Arlington MA
javots@ix.netcom.com
Question:
EXPERT'S UPDATE: Needs Assessment
Asked by:
Research/tech assistance org
Educational Consultant
Arlington, MA
Answer(s)
Expert ID: 6682
Expert's keyword(s) : Professional Development, Needs Assessment, Data
Answer : The first step for improving student achievement and quality instruction is to conduct a careful needs assessment.
The website below references several models that help school leaders and planning committees conduct a needs assessment and a means for continual evaluation of school improvement initiatives.
http://www.goodschools.gwu.edu/SBS/AN.html
Answered by :
Juliette Avots
Educational Consultant
Arlington MA
javots@ix.netcom.com
Question:
Would you like to review your school or district's Professional Development Policies and Practices? Here is a website that will guide you in your review.
Asked by:
Research/tech assistance org
Educational Consultant
Arlington, MA
Answer(s)
Expert ID: 6682
Expert's keyword(s) : Professional Development, Review
Answer : CPRE (The Consortium for Policy Research in Education) has an online policy brief, A Framework for Reviewing Professional Development Policies and Practices, that contains excellent guidelines for examining professional development practices within a school or district. It can be found at http://www.ed.gov/pubs/CPRE/t61/framwork.html.
Answered by :
Juliette Avots
Educational Consultant
Arlington MA
javots@ix.netcom.com
Question:
Have you found that when you're facilitating groups, sometimes one person wants to dominate all group conversations? Or perhaps there are some people that never say anything at all, and you want to be sure they have an opportunity to express themselves within the group. Here are some tips for subtle control of group work.
Asked by:
Research/tech assistance org
Educational Consultant
Arlington, MA
Answer(s)
Expert ID: 6682
Expert's keyword(s) : Professional development, facilitation
Answer : When you're working with groups, distribute packs of colored markers to people at each table. If you hand them out to people directly, you can even control the color of the markers individuals receive. That way, when it's time for group work, you can decide who talks and who doesn't by saying "Will the person at each table with the red marker please do such and such?" If you keep your eye out on who talks a lot and who doesn't, this is your way of either keeping someone quiet, or giving a shy person the floor.
Answered by :
Juliette Avots
Educational Consultant
Arlington MA
javots@ix.netcom.com
Question:
Do your summer workshops touch on literacy issues? Put literacy-wars issues aside and consider the latest research!
Asked by:
Research/tech assistance org
Educational Consultant
Arlington, MA
Answer(s)
Expert ID: 6682
Expert's keyword(s) : Professional development, literacy
Answer : It's perhaps common sense, but it seems that a balance in teaching approaches breeds the most success in teaching children to read. You'll find the latest research on successful reading programs in this Research Brief on "Teaching Children to Read" which can be found online at:
http://www.ascd.org/cms/objectlib/ascdframeset/index.cfm?publication=http://www.ascd.org/publications/researchbrief/volume1/v1n12.html.
Answered by :
Juliette Avots
Educational Consultant
Arlington MA
javots@ix.netcom.com
Question:
Are you interested in finding ways to support and keep teachers in your system? Read on!
Asked by:
Research/tech assistance org
Educational Consultant
Arlington, MA
Answer(s)
Expert ID: 6682
Expert's keyword(s) : Professional Development, Mentoring, Teacher Induction
Answer : The following article from "Educational Leadership" contains invaluable resources for retaining good teachers including novice teachers as well as those with experience: http://www.ascd.org/cms/objectlib/ascdframeset/index.cfm?publication=http://www.ascd.org/publications/ed_lead/200305/perkinsgough.html
Answered by :
Juliette Avots
Educational Consultant
Arlington MA
javots@ix.netcom.com
Question:
"Making Our Own Road", a study on the advantages and challenges of creating instructional coaches in schools.
Asked by:
Research/tech assistance org
Educational Consultant
Arlington, MA
Answer(s)
Expert ID: 6682
Expert's keyword(s) : Professional Development,Coaching
Answer : I've just come across a marvelous study on coaching. It references schools across the country that have been training coaches internally in literacy and math. The article, "Making Our Own Road" is particularly explicit in outlining the challenges and the kinds of training and support necessary to create and sustain a coaching program. The article would be especially helpful to those of you in schools that have or are considering developing a coaching program.
To read "Making Our Own Road, The emergence of School-Based Staff Developers in America's Schools" by Alan Richard, go to http://www.emcf.org/programs/student/student_pub.htm and scroll down to the middle of the page to find the direct link to the article.
Answered by :
Juliette Avots
Educational Consultant
Arlington MA
javots@ix.netcom.com
Question:
We are exploring the idea of developing our own home-grown program for developing master teachers into math coaches. Do you know of any resources that will help us plan our training?
Asked by:
Building admin/coordinator
Palo Alto, CA
Answer(s)
Expert ID: 6682
Expert's keyword(s) : Professional Development, Math, Coaching
Answer : I'll confess! I've stole the resources listed below from the following Internet site:
http://www.iteam.k12.in.us/resdir/resmen&bt.htm
Costa, A. & Garmston, R. (1994). Cognitive Coaching, a Foundation for Renaissance Schools. Norwood, Massachusetts: Christopher-Gordon Publishers, Inc.
Garmston, R. & Wellman, B. (1999). The Adaptive School: A Sourcebook for Developing Collaborative Groups. Norwood, Massachusetts: Christopher-Gordon Publishers, Inc.
Posden, I. & Denmark, V. (2000). Coaching & Mentoring First-Year & Student Teachers. Larchmont, New York: Eye on Education.
Robbins, P. (1991). How to Plan and Implement a Peer Coaching Program. Alexandria, Virginia: ASCD.
Answered by :
Juliette Avots
Educational Consultant
Arlington MA
javots@ix.netcom.com
Question:
Do you know a website where I can find different working models for Professional Development?
Asked by:
K-12 Classroom teacher
Buffalo, ND
Answer(s)
Expert ID: 6682
Expert's keyword(s) : Professional Development,models,frameworks
Answer : First, be sure to take a good look at The Knowledge Loom's list of research-based best practices on its Professional Development spotlight. If you want a clearer picture of what each practice looks like in action, click on "stories" to read about real schools with successful professional development programs. Many of these schools have won the U.S. Department of Education's National Award for Model Professional Development.
Another good source is on the NCREL (North Central Regional Educational Laboratory) Web site at http://www.ncrel.org/sdrs/areas/issues/educatrs/profdevl/pd2effec.htm.
You might also want to read the March, 2002 issue (Vol 59 No. 6) of Educational Leadership, "Redesigning Professional Development". You can find an online link to some of the articles at http://www.ascd.org/cms/objectlib/ascdframeset/index.cfm?publication=http://www.ascd.org/publications/ed_lead/200203/toc.html
I've listed some additional resources below:
Professional Development in a Technological Age: New Definitions, Old Challenges, New Resources by Cathy Miles Grant
http://ra.terc.edu/publications/TERC_pubs/tech-infusion/prof_dev/prof_dev_frame.html
Designing Powerful Professional Development for Teachers and Principals by Dennis Sparks
http://www.nsdc.org/educatorindex.htm
(Notice that it is possible to read the entire book online)
The National Staff Development Council's Standards for Professional Development
http://www.nsdc.org/list.htm
The Catalog of School Reform Models: http://www.nwrel.org/scpd/catalog/index.shtml
Answered by :
Juliette Avots
Educational Consultant
Arlington MA
javots@ix.netcom.com
Question:
I understand that there is a website with resources describing the proven,
research-based educational strategies advocated by NCLB. Would you know
anything about this and how I might access this information?
Asked by:
Research/tech assistance org
Principal
Cambridge, MA
Answer(s)
Expert ID: 6682
Expert's keyword(s) : Professional Development, Research, NCLB
Answer : There is good news and bad news related to your question. First of all, you're absolutely right. The U.S. Department of Education has established a "What Works Clearing House" that can be found on line at http://w-w-c.org. .
The bad news is that the research has not yet been identified and posted on the site. We should begin to see evidence posted later in the summer or fall of 2003. You might want to go to the site now, however, to get an idea of the good things to come.
Answered by :
Juliette Avots
Educational Consultant
Arlington MA
javots@ix.netcom.com
Question:
We are exploring the idea of developing our own home-grown program for developing master teachers into math coaches. Do you know of any resources that will help us plan our training?
Asked by:
Building admin/coordinator
Palo Alto, CA
Answer(s)
Expert ID: 6682
Expert's keyword(s) : Professional development,Coaching,Math
Answer : I'll confess! I've stole the resources listed below from the following Internet site:
http://www.iteam.k12.in.us/resdir/resmen&bt.htm
Costa, A. & Garmston, R. (1994). Cognitive Coaching, a Foundation for Renaissance Schools. Norwood, Massachusetts: Christopher-Gordon Publishers, Inc.
Garmston, R. & Wellman, B. (1999). The Adaptive School: A Sourcebook for Developing Collaborative Groups. Norwood, Massachusetts: Christopher-Gordon Publishers, Inc.
Posden, I. & Denmark, V. (2000). Coaching & Mentoring First-Year & Student Teachers. Larchmont, New York: Eye on Education.
Answered by :
Juliette Avots
Educational Consultant
Arlington MA
javots@ix.netcom.com
Question:
We have designed a leadership seminar for principals and leaders in our school system. Do you know where we might find models of organization and leadership in other schools on the web that we might reference in our seminars?
Asked by:
District admin/coordinator
Burlington, VT
Answer(s)
Expert ID: 6682
Expert's keyword(s) : Professional Development, Leadership, Best Practices
Answer : A site where you will find many examples of leadership initiatives, solutions to school problems, and strategies for addressing increased student learning can be found on the "Building Blocks" site at http://www.buildingblocks.org/cfm_User/pg_BlueprintsHome.cfm?snap=74081354. You can click on Leadership in the 3rd box down (index of common challenges), or click on other key words to find many examples of proven strategies from real schools.
Answered by :
Juliette Avots
Educational Consultant
Arlington MA
javots@ix.netcom.com
Question:
Next year we would like our entire middle school to focus on literacy. Are
there resources you can suggest for a cross-curricular approach to reading?
Asked by:
K-12 Classroom teacher
Arlington, MA
Answer(s)
Expert ID: 6682
Expert's keyword(s) : Professional development, literacy, reading,Interdisciplinary
Answer : I can suggest a few books that might help you out.
"When Older Students Can't Read"
http://www.cdl.org/resources/reading_room/older_read.html
"Looking into Literature Circles by Harvey Daniels"
http://www.stenhouse.com/pdfs/0336guid.pdf
"A Teacher's Guide to Standardized Reading Tests"
Lucy Calkins, Kate Montgomery, Donna Santman
Heinemann, http://www.heinemann.com/shared/products/E00000.asp
"In the Middle" by Nancie Atwell
About the book: http://www.ncte.org/pdfs/members-only/ej/0901-sept00/EJ0901Nancie.pdf
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0867093749/ref%3Dbxgy%5Fsr%5Ftext%5Fa/102-3989609-0024968
Reading Intervention Programs for Struggling Readers.
http://www.strugglingreaders.com/
Finally, as I was searching the web for the sites of Reading Reminders and The English Teacher's Companion, both by Jim Burke, I came across this site by Jim Burke himself:
http://www.englishcompanion.com/
Hope this helps!
Answered by :
Juliette Avots
Educational Consultant
Arlington MA
javots@ix.netcom.com
Question:
We are planning a seminar for aspiring principals this summer. Do you have any references that will help to inform us on the areas that we might want to touch on?
Thanks!
Asked by:
Research/tech assistance org
Senior Research Associate / Technology
Providence, RI
Answer(s)
Expert ID: 6682
Expert's keyword(s) : Professional Development,Leadership, Instruction
Answer : I have been working on a similar project myself! Here are some Internet references you may find to be useful:
http://cdl.org/resources/reading_room/ldr_sustainability.html
Leadership and sustainability by Michael Fullan
http://www.ucalgary.ca/~dlyee/edlecon.html
Developing Educational Leaders for the 21st Century
Excellent ideas for development of content
http://www.nsdc.org/library/jsd/dufour241.html
Leading Edge: Procrastination can sink even the best school improvement plan
A few simple strategies can help get those projects moving forward.
By Rick DuFour
Themes: Building Consensus; Building collegial relationships vs. teambuilding
http://www.nsdc.org/library/dufour.html
Rick DuFour's library of articles on Leadership for Journal of Staff Development
http://www.sreb.org/programs/hstw/publications/pubs/03V03_GoodPrincipals.pdf
Good Principals are the Key to Successful Schools
High leverage strategies
(This question has also been posted to the Principal as Instructional Leader spotlight. Check there for additional insights.)
Answered by :
Juliette Avots
Educational Consultant
Arlington MA
javots@ix.netcom.com
Question:
If you were going to visit some classrooms to conduct an informal assessment of the instructional practices and learning opportunities provided to students, what evidence or indicators would you look for? What are some key characteristics of best practices being used in a classroom or of a high-achieving classroom? What type of information would you seek for a more in-depth analysis?
We are trying to create a preliminary checklist to stimulate self-reflection and collaboration among teachers, principals and other school staff. Do you know of existing checklists that might serve as a reference?
Thanks,
Professional Development Coordinator,
San Diego
Asked by:
Research/tech assistance org
Manager
San Diego, CA
Answer(s)
Expert ID: 6682
Expert's keyword(s) : professional development, best practices, instruction
Answer : This is a wonderful question because I think all teachers need to self assess in this area even before they are observed. There are many ways to "read" schools and classrooms. The number one rule in observations is to remember that schools are for students, not for teachers. In making your observations you will want to observe with your eyes, with your ears, and with your feelings. The school should be a place where students feel safe, respected, and dare to take risks.
You first want to look around the classroom to get a general idea about what happens here. Are the desks in rows, in groups? Do students work at tables? Are there areas in the classroom where different sorts of activities take place? What do the walls say to students? Is information posted that supports learning? Is there evidence of high expectations, are rubrics posted on walls? If there are rules posted, how do you interpret this? Is this to encourage and help learners to become responsible? What about the wall? Is student work posted and does it reflect the work of all students or just the best? What is the quality of student work that you see? What are students doing? Are they engaged, distracted, bored? Are they working together or alone? Is sharing, group work encouraged or discouraged? Do they understand what they are supposed to be doing, are directions clear?
As you listen to what is happening think about some of the following things? What time is spent in teacher talk and what time is allotted for students to speak. Are questions to students open-ended, encouraging thought, reflection and high-level questions or is there an expected answer? Are students themselves encouraged to ask questions, in other words, is this an inquiry based classroom? Are students all doing the same thing together all the time or is there differentiation in types of instruction? Do students always remain in the same groups, or is there flexible grouping? Do students work cooperatively with one another? Have classroom routines and behavior been clearly articulated or does there seem to be confusion around these issues? (A friend of mine once commented that you can tell a well-run classroom because the teacher can leave the room and students don't even notice!).
Now you may have to begin to ask questions to find out a little more about what is happening. Are lessons standards-based? Does the teacher consider carefully what students should know and be able to do before planning his or her lesson? Are multiple assessments used, both formative and summative? Do teachers have access to and use data to inform themselves on the students both collectively and individually? Is the lesson text-based? Is the teacher creating lessons that engage and stimulate students to think, ask questions and reflect? What are the strategies they are using as they teach to engage learners? Do all students have an opportunity to respond to students or do the same students answer all of the questions?
Ask the students to explain to you what they are learning, to show you some of their work. Do they understand why as well as what they are learning? Do they have multiple ways of demonstrating what they know?
I just finished writing all this and found some excellent references in the ASCD book, Qualities of Effective Teachers by James H. Stronge. There is a teacher skills checklist on page 71 but there are many sources for ideas in this book
You also might want to consult:
Best Practice
New Standards for Teaching and Learning in America's Schools , Second Edition
Steven Zemelman, National-Louis University, Harvey Daniels, National-Louis University, Arthur Hyde, National-Louis University
http://www.heinemann.com/shared/products/E00091.asp
Taking a literacy walk through a school
http://www.dcmoboces.com/dcmoiss/staffdev/oinit/literacy/lwt.doc
Answered by :
Juliette Avots
Educational Consultant
Arlington MA
javots@ix.netcom.com
Question:
Do you know of some Web sites which specify those activities that can happen in a school district that help develop capacity to develop quality staff? (Learning organizations, mentoring, teaming, common planning time are some
examples of ones I am familiar with--I would like some others.)
Thanks!
Asked by:
State admin/coordinator
Lincoln, NE
Answer(s)
Expert ID: 6682
Expert's keyword(s) : professional development, scientific research, data, instruction
Answer : The activities that you refer to are all organizational in nature and help teachers work with one another. This is very important, but it is equally important to look at the quality of instruction and to frame dialogues about teaching and learning among your staff. To that end, I would suggest that teachers think carefully about how students are learning, and that they should be able to use data in a manner that informs each and every teacher about the strengths and weaknesses of the students collectively and individually in his or her classroom. (See the question that was posed on 1/15/03 or search on the keyword: data). In addition, teachers might want to work together to look at student work to determine the quality and nature of student learning. An excellent website for this is http://www.lasw.org/.">http://www.lasw.org/.
Do your teachers understand the tenants of Standards Based Instruction? Do they know when and how to use formative and summative assessments? Have they examined their curriculum carefully to see if it is aligned with standards? I apologize for not giving websites for all of these things, but the list is so long it is hard to know where to begin. If you are interested in any one of these areas, I will be glad to help you out.
There is one more resource that I think is enormously helpful in developing quality instruction. The book, Classroom Instruction that Works by Marzano, Pickering and Pollock lists eight research-based strategies for instruction that have improved student achievement. You see the list of these strategies and read more about the book at this website: http://www.lasw.org/
Answered by :
Juliette Avots
Educational Consultant
Arlington MA
javots@ix.netcom.com
Question:
What research/studies have been done that speak to the issue of teacher professional development and student achievement?
Asked by:
State admin/coordinator
Research Analyst
Topeka, KS
Answer(s)
Expert ID: 6682
Expert's keyword(s) : Professional development, results, student achievement
Answer : I found a website that might help you in this area. Go to:
http://home.bluemarble.net/~laughlin/ISDCLink/res-pd-sa.html />
You might also want to consult an online article by Linda Darling-Hammond, Teacher Quality and Student Achievement: A Review of State Policy Evidence. You can find it at
http://epaa.asu.edu/epaa/v8n1/ />
There is useful information in NCREL's magazine issue devoted to Professional Development and Student Achievement which can be found online at
http://www.ncrel.org/info/nlp/lpsp00.htm />
And finally, I suggest you read the report on District #2 in New York City.
Elmore, R.F., & Burney, D.
"Investing in teacher learning: Staff development and instructional improvement in community school district #2, New York City."
New York: National Commission on Teaching & America's Future, 1997.
Answered by :
Juliette Avots
Educational Consultant
Arlington MA
javots@ix.netcom.com
Question:
We are the staff of a 3 year grant attempting to assist new and aspiring school administrators attain knowledge and skills associated with "Successful" school leadership seving high minority populations K-12. To begin we need to establish baseline data regarding applicants: A)general knowledge as it relates to the "job definition" of a principal ie., facilities management, curriculum leadership, faculty empowerment, community relations, evaluation and assessment, etc. We are also looking for a second instrument.An established diagnotic that would B) help identify individuals with outstanding leadership qualities or "potential." In both cases we are in hopes that the instrumentation would lend themselves to an "characteristic" or "knowledge gap" item analysis so that an Aspiring Administrator's IEP might result. Are you familiar with where we might look for such assessments?
Asked by:
District admin/coordinator
Director
Tucson, AZ
Answer(s)
Expert ID: 6682
Expert's keyword(s) : Leadership,Principals,results
Answer : The Louisiana Staff Development Council has recently published an excellent study on the secrets of can-do schools. A synopsis of this article can be found in the Feb. 2002 issue of RESULTS, published by the National Staff Development Council.
Another online article that may be useful is on the SRB site, Good Principals are the Key to Successful Schools. This article can be found at the following website:
http://www.sreb.org/programs/hstw/publications/pubs/03V03_GoodPrincipals.pdf
I'm not aware of a diagnostic tool that can help you in your assessment of leadership qualities, but I have identified several websites that may be of some help in this area:
http://www.oise.utoronto.ca/~vsvede/
School Leadership: A Profile Document. This site may help you create your own diagnostic tool.
http://www.nsdc.org/library/results/res4-00sparks.html.
Make principal development a priority
http://www.ucalgary.ca/~dlyee/edlecon.htmlhttp://www.ucalgary.ca/~dlyee/edlecon.html />
Developing Educational Leadership: http://www.ucalgary.ca/~dlyee/edlecon.html
Answered by :
Juliette Avots
Educational Consultant
Arlington MA
javots@ix.netcom.com
Question:
Could you give me the names of organizations that use online videos as
exemplars or discussion for professional development?
Asked by:
Research/tech assistance org
Grant support specialist
Arlington, MA
Answer(s)
Expert ID: 6682
Expert's keyword(s) : video, online learning,professional development,training
Answer : The following sites use short videos as exemplars of classroom practices or to foster teacher conversations about instruction:
Teachfirst has instructional strategies for elementary literacy, for English language learners, and for mentoring and supporting new teachers.
Teachfirst: http://www.teachfirst.com/teachfirst/
Teachstream has a long list of professional development videos. You'll want to go to their website to explore their long menu of professional development opportunities.
http://www.teachstream.com
Finally, the George Lucas site at http://www.glef.org/ is another very rich professional development resource including video support.
Answered by :
Juliette Avots
Educational Consultant
Arlington MA
javots@ix.netcom.com
Question:
We are looking for information/research/exemplars/ model agencies connecting intermediate educational service agencies and their professional development. We are beginning to redesign our delivery system to assist our local districts in increasing student achievement. I know there is lots of research at the district/school levels. I would appreciate any help you
might be able to give us that would point us in the right direction for our
area educational agency. Thank you.
Chris Day
Grant Wood AEA
Cedar Rapids, Iowa
cday@aea10.k12.ia.us
Asked by:
University Staff
Instructor
Pella, IA
Answer(s)
Expert ID: 6682
Expert's keyword(s) : professional development,exemplars,research
Answer : Brett Lane Of the Education Alliance was kind enough to send me an example of a model program in New York which you can read below. I would also like to encourage readers of this question to respond to question by describing their experience with exemplar programs.
New York State has developed an innovative approach to supporting schools targeted for improvement. A brief description of this system is provided below.
There are ten regional school support centers (RSSCs) in New York. These centers, established in 2000, are each responsible for a geographic region centered around a major urban city (e.g. Buffalo, Syracuse, Albany). Each center is responsible for providing services to targeted schools (school identified as needing improvement under NYs accountability system). The services typically involve a combination of technical assistance and consultation focused on data gathering and analysis, curriculum alignment, identification of appropriate professional development, and work on special education issues (e.g., overclassification). The RSSC system is innovative in that they are FOCUSED on a small number of targeted schools (typically 8 - 12 per region), they work intensively in the schools with school leadership teams and principals, and they use data as the starting point for all discussions. RSSCs typically have a staff of 3-4 people, while having access to other services available to targeted schools.
RSSCs are situated as an intermediary between the state and the district, so they are able to provide credible support and assistance without being perceived as monitoring. Futhermore, RSSCs work closely with the BOCES (regional organizations that provide/sell professional development services to districts) and other service providers (around special education, health, and bilingual education) to coordinate and serve as a broker of service to the targeted districts and schools. Structurally, the RSSCs are funded through individual BOCES yet serve a region that includes multiple BOCES. By focusing the RSSCs on targeted schools and locating the RSSCs within BOCES (who provide professional development to all schools and districts) the RSSC system gains access to a large body of professional development yet retains its focus.
You may also find some useful information on the NCREL site at http://www.ncrel.org/pd/ as well as on the National Staff Development Council's Site. There I would go to their pages on Results-Based Staff Development ( http://www.nsdc.org/educatorindex.htm">http://www.nsdc.org/educatorindex.htm ) or "Your Link to Staff Development and School Improvement Resources" ( http://www.nsdc.org/educatorindex.htm">http://www.nsdc.org/educatorindex.htm )
Answered by :
Juliette Avots
Educational Consultant
Arlington MA
javots@ix.netcom.com
Question:
I have heard people talk about smart goals. Could you possibly tell me what this means? We're writing our School Improvement Plan and I wonder if this would help us.
Asked by:
K-12 Classroom teacher
Buffalo, ND
Answer(s)
Expert ID: 6682
Expert's keyword(s) : Goals,School Improvement,Planning
Answer : SMART goals is an acronym that helps you establish realistic and achievable objectives for school improvement. It stands for the following: Specific, Measurable, Attainable/Achievable, Relevant and Time-bound.
The following are some websites that may help you learn more about writing these goals:
For a quick overview, go to:
http://www.topachievement.com/smart.html
Although this description from San Jose State University describes how to write SMART goals for individual performance reviews, their template could be adapted for writing school improvement or school professional development plans.
http://www.sjsu.edu/hr/forms/orgdev/MPP_SMART_Goals_Worksheet.doc
This URL will take you to an article that was originally published in Educational Leadership which will tell you much more about how and why to use SMART goals in school planning.
http://www.qld-llc.com/b/pubs_smart_goals.shtml
Answered by :
Juliette Avots
Educational Consultant
Arlington MA
javots@ix.netcom.com
Question:
Please supply me with research cited on the web that supports the specific requirements of NCLB (scientifically based research)on strategies for parent involvement, instructional strategies etc. Thanks
Asked by:
State admin/coordinator
Lincoln, NE
Answer(s)
Expert ID: 6682
Expert's keyword(s) : No Child Left Behind,Research
Answer : I suggest that you check the following website for a list of reports from the Department of Education:
Educational Research and Improvement Reports and Studies
http://www.ed.gov/pubs/studies.html
You may also want to check the following internet sites regarding scientifically based research:
Report on Scientifically based Policies
http://www.ed.gov/PressReleases/11-2002/11182002b.html
The Coalition for evidence based policies
http://www.excelgov.org/displayContent.asp?Keyword=prppcEvidence
Answered by :
Juliette Avots
Educational Consultant
Arlington MA
javots@ix.netcom.com
Question:
Is the Layered Curriculum model being used in any of the middle schools in the Kansas City Area.
Asked by:
University Staff
Adjunct Faculty Member
Shawnee, KS
Answer(s)
Expert ID: 6682
Expert's keyword(s) : Differentiated Instruction,Layered Curriculum, Student Centered, Curriculum
Answer : For those of you who may be unfamiliar with Layered Curriculum, here is a quick overview. It is a student-centered curriculum model consisting of three layers, with each level requiring a different level of understanding. This approach addresses ways in which teachers can differentiate instruction in the classroom by giving students choices within a unit. For examploe, they can choose a C level for a C grade that includes basic information that is considered the minimum for everyone to know. They also may select a B grade with some higher learning activities or an A with the highest level of activities. These choices allow students to choose activities that appeal to their own learning styles.
In the last step of a five step process, students must defend their grade with an oral discussion for an evaluation.
You will be able to learn much more about Layered Curriculum if you go directly to this website:
http://www.help4teachers.com/
Kathie Nunley's Layered Curriculum page
I also enjoyed following an online discussion about Layered Curriculum led by Tricia Holland which can be found at http://cops.uwf.edu/lkcurda2/_disc28/00000040.htm
I'd like to invite anyone who has used Layered Curriculum to share their experience with this approach.
Unfortunately, it's beyond the scope of this listserv to know the schools in which this curriculum is implemented. I suggest you contact the Kansas City Schools directly. You might even want to e-mail Kathie Nunley, the founder of Layered Curriculum directly. She has an e-mail link on the left of her home page.
Answered by :
Juliette Avots
Educational Consultant
Arlington MA
javots@ix.netcom.com
Question:
My principal wants our faculty to begin to work with data so that we can study the results of our students from year to year. I really don't have a
background in this area. Could you suggest any online articles to get me
thinking about directions we should be following?
Asked by:
K-12 Classroom teacher
New York, NY
Answer(s)
Expert ID: 6682
Expert's keyword(s) : Data,Professional Development,Collaboration
Answer : You might find it useful to go to NCREL's "Toolbelt" at
http://www.ncrel.org/toolbelt/index.html. I would suggest that once
there, you click on the tutorial to see ways in which you may involve
your faculty in analyzing data.
I've also listed three online
articles below that will help your faculty understand both the
importance and some of the ways you might want to use data.
http://www.nsdc.org/library/jsd/schmoker211.html
"Results are the reason Data should be used to select the most
results-oriented initiatives"
By Dennis Sparks
Journal of Staff Development, Winter 2000 (Vol. 21, No. 1)
http://www.nsdc.org/library/jsd/bernhardt211.html
"New routes open when one type of data crosses another"
By Victoria L. Bernhardt
Journal of Staff Development, Winter 2000 (Vol. 21, No. 1)
http://eric.uoregon.edu/publications/digests/digest153.html
ERIC Digest 153 - December 2001 "Data Inquiry and Analysis for
Educational Reform"
By Howard H. Wade
Answered by :
Juliette Avots
Educational Consultant
Arlington MA
javots@ix.netcom.com
Question:
Teachers often dread their periodic evaluations by prinicpals or other administrators. Can you offer some tips for administrators to make these evaluations both more comfortable for teachers and better aligned with the NSDC's goals for professional development?
Asked by:
Research/tech assistance org
Senior Research Associate / Technology
Providence, RI
Answer(s)
Expert ID: 6682
Expert's keyword(s) : evaluation, teacher evaluation,collaborative inquiry
Answer : One of the reasons why there is so much anxiety attached to teacher evaluations is that there is often a lot of mystery or misunderstanding about the purpose of the evaluation process. Instead of viewing this as a judgmental process, administrators and teachers should view this as an opportunity for professional growth. This can only happen in a culture that supports professional inquiry. Teachers must be helped to understand that the evaluation process welcomes self-reflection on their part and will offer them opportunities for learning and exploration. This can only happen in a context of trust where the teacher truly feels comfortable that the evaluation is not an empty, procedural process, but is, instead, a dialogue which can be initiated by the teacher as well as the administrator.
Instead of focusing on the observation itself, all evaluation should begin with a two-way conversation that encourages teachers to reflect upon their personal goals, and the areas that they would like to focus on for improvement. Classroom observations should not be unannounced; the teacher should be able to invite the evaluator to specific classes for an observation focused on an identified problem or challenges. Areas of performance to concentrate on would include 1) knowledge of pedagogy; 2) instructional goals; and 3) knowledge of students. The most important part of the observation would be the follow-up conversation which, once again, should focus as much on how the teacher views his or her performance in the classroom as their the observer's opinions.
In addition to the traditional forms of teacher evaluation, many schools are now asking teachers to complete their own portfolios with collections of their work. The portfolio will present a more complete view of an educator's competence and would include samples of student work.
Because this is a comprehensive subject, I would refer you to online and print references that can give you much more in-depth information about this important subject. Please note these references below.
http://www.ed.gov/databases/ERIC_Digests/ed429052.html
New Directions in Teacher Evaluation, Eric Digest
Danielson, Charlotte and McGreal, Thomas L. Teacher Evaluation to Enhance Professional Practice. Educational Testing Service, 2000
Martin-Kniep, Giselle O., Capturing the Wisdom of Practice: Professional Portfolios for Educators, ASCD 1999
Answered by :
Juliette Avots
Educational Consultant
Arlington MA
javots@ix.netcom.com
Question:
What institutions, companies, etc. are currently offering a Trainer Certification process?
Asked by:
District admin/coordinator
Professional Development Adviser
Los Angeles, CA
Answer(s)
Expert ID: 1127
Expert's keyword(s) :
Answer : The National Staff Development Council offers a Distinguished Staff Developer Award. This process is similar to the National Board of Professional Teaching Standards process, yet is designed for those who provide leadership in staff development. This program is performance-based rather than hour-based. For information, visit the National Staff Development Council website at
http://nsdc.org
The American Society for Training and Development (ASTD) offers several certification programs for trainers and human resource personnel. Visit their website at
http://astd.org
University Associates, Inc. (
http://universityassociates.com )
offers a series of courses that lead to a certificate in training.
Answered by :
Joellen Killion
Director of Special Projects
Arvada CO
nsdckillio@ol.com
Question:
How are we going to measure the true impact of professional development on student achievement? How are we going to go beyond the obvious and ask the truly hard question of the value added by participation in professional deverlopment?
Asked by:
District admin/coordinator
Director Staff & Curriculum Development
Verona, NY
Answer(s)
Expert ID: 1127
Expert's keyword(s) :
Answer : The National Staff Development Council is currently working on this issue. By the fall of 2001, it hopes to have published a resource kit to help schools and districts measure the impact of staff development on student learning.
There are obviously a number of problems with attempting to do this. First, because of the complexity of organizations, we do not have the luxury of establishing pure empirical studies to prove that a causal relationship exists between staff development and student achievement. However, we can collect evidence of the existing relationship.
For example, if teachers participating in a math training learn strategies to improve student work, we can ask teachers to document what they are doing in their classrooms by sharing lesson plans, instructional materials, or other sources of information. Then we can ask teachers to share student work to demonstrate what students are doing in response to the teachers' changes. These are some simple ways to demonstrate that staff development has an impact on student learning.
Two good resources are NSDC's "What Works in the Middle: Results-Based Staff Development" available online at http://www.nsdc.org . Read Chapter 2 for more information about evaluating staff development. Another excellent resource is "Evaluating Professional Development" by Thomas Guskey, published by Corwin Press (2000).
Answered by :
Joellen Killion
Director of Special Projects
Arvada CO
nsdckillio@ol.com
Question:
Can you point me to effective teaching skill assessment instruments? It would seem that accurate identification of teaching weaknesses should be a critical first step in the professional development process - what do you think?
Asked by:
University
Sr. Researcher
Orlando, FL
Answer(s)
Expert ID: 1127
Expert's keyword(s) :
Answer : Being able to diagnose specific areas to target for improvement is one way to ensure that the best interventions are being used to strengthen, improve, or change teaching practice. One of the better assessments of teaching practice was developed for ETS by Charlotte Danielson. It provides a set of rubrics that outlines teaching practices. The indicators and rubrics were published in a book titled, Enhancing Professional Practice and it is published by the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD). You can also receive information by contacting ETS (Educational Testing Service).
Answered by :
Joellen Killion
Director of Special Projects
Arvada CO
nsdckillio@ol.com
Question:
What states currently have state-funded professional development programs for school and/or district-level administrators. These may go by names such as the "Illinois Administrators' Academy" which receives a state appropriation of $858,000 annually to partially fund this professional development program. Participation in the Academy is required of all school and district-level administrators in Illinois. I'd like to compare funding levels of similar programs in other states with the funding level in Illinois. If you know of any reports done in the last 10 years on this topic or if you can provide contact names for state funded professional development programs for school administrators in other states, I'd appreciate it.
Asked by:
Research/tech assistance org
Director of Program Evaluation
Tallahassee, FL
Answer(s)
Expert ID: 1127
Expert's keyword(s) :
Answer : The only other program similar to the Illinois Administrators Academy with which I am familiar is the Texas Principals Leadership Institute in Austin, TX. Alabama used to have a Leadership Academy and I am not certain it is still in operation. Missouri has a Leadership Academy that serves administrators and other leaders including teacher leaders.
Answered by :
Joellen Killion
Director of Special Projects
Arvada CO
nsdckillio@ol.com
Question:
I am looking for articles/information on train the trainer professional development delivery models. Any help or assistance would be greatly appreciated. Can anyone help?
Asked by:
District admin/coordinator
math specialist
Spartanburg, SC
Answer(s)
Expert ID: 1127
Expert's keyword(s) :
Answer : Train the trainer models of staff development, "turnkey," or cascade training are popular methods of disseminating information, but not necessarily good methods of developing skills and application of those skills in the workplace or classroom. The National Staff Development Council published several articles on training the trainer in its newsletter, The Developer, in 1988. These are the only articles with which I am familiar. There may be others, especially in ASTD's Training and Development or Training Magazine.
The success of training the trainer models depends on whether those who will be doing the training have not only the content knowledge, but also the presentation skills to deliver the information effectively. In one school system, a four-step process is used for training trainers. First, potential trainers take the course offered by the master trainer. Next, they take the course again and take what are called "process notes." These notes focus not on content, but on how things are done and what questions, problems, etc., occur with the audience. Next, the potential trainer completes a 24-hour course in training. Lastly, the novice trainer now co-teaches the course with the master teacher and receives feedback and coaching. If successful, the novice trainer then is allowed to teach the course alone and continues to receive feedback and support from the master trainer.
Answered by :
Joellen Killion
Director of Special Projects
Arvada CO
nsdckillio@ol.com
Question:
Can you send us a list of websites for Math Staff Deveopment??
Asked by:
K-12 Classroom teacher
Math teacher
Cheektowaga, NY
Answer(s)
Expert ID: 1127
Expert's keyword(s) :
Answer : The best source of information for math websites is http://www.nctm.org and http://enc.org . Both are rich resources for teachers of mathematics at all levels.
Answered by :
Joellen Killion
Director of Special Projects
Arvada CO
nsdckillio@ol.com
Question:
I am currently a 9-12 Art teacher and also a working artist. I am taking a Master's course in Educational Research Methods and need to do a critique of a research paper for my next assignment. Does anyone know of to or has anyone written a Research Paper for publication (in APA style) that is concerned with Art Education, particularly on Multicultural Approach to Art Ed.?
The other subjent on which I am doing resesarchis Symbolism in Art and particularly the evolution and use of the 'spiral' symbol. If anyone has anything to share on either of these subjects, it would be greatly appreciated. You may email me at kcarlile@oakwood.k12.oh.us.
Thank you!
Kaye Carlile
Asked by:
K-12 Classroom teacher
Sr. High Art Educator
Dayton, OH
Answer(s)
Expert ID: 1127
Expert's keyword(s) :
Answer : Thank you for submitting your question to "Ask an Expert." At present, this resource is designed to provide expert responses to a specific topic. In this case, the National Staff Development Council is answering questions related to Professional Development planning and programs. We regret that your question is not relevant to this area and that other resources are not available within this site to accommodate your question.
However, your question is a good one and it prompts the site developers to consider for the future other formats in which questions such as yours might be addressed within the context of the Knowledge Loom. Your participation is important to the continuous improvement of this site.
Answered by :
Joellen Killion
Director of Special Projects
Arvada CO
nsdckillio@ol.com
Question:
The trend nationally is to encourage the taking of AP courses in the sophomore and junior years, and not to cram these into the senior year. This is supplemented for those families which can afford it by increasing popularity of pre-college programs in the summers. This is increasingly important not only for college admissions, but also for the growing number of merit scholarships. Given that students change developmentally during the high school years, what should be the criteria for taking these courses (SAT scores, PSAT scores, grades, motivation)? For example, if a freshman scores about a 1000 SAT or a sophomore scores above an 1100 SAT -- does that show enough promise? ARe there any general standards for encouraging or denying access? Some schools, for example, have special programs that require a special application and the development of a portfolio of accomplishment outside of the classroom. Is this too exclusive?
Asked by:
University
Dr.
Rockville, MD
Answer(s)
Expert ID: 1127
Expert's keyword(s) :
Answer : Thank you for submitting your question to "Ask an Expert." At present, this resource is designed to provide expert responses to a specific topic. In this case, the National Staff Development Council is answering questions related to Professional Development planning and programs. We regret that your question is not relevant to this area and that other resources are not available within this site to accommodate your question.
However, your question is a good one and it prompts the site developers to consider for the future other formats in which questions such as yours might be addressed within the context of the Knowledge Loom. Your participation is important to the continuous improvement of this site.
Answered by :
Joellen Killion
Director of Special Projects
Arvada CO
nsdckillio@ol.com
Question:
Residing in the state of Georgia, where might I request a copy of a summary of eductional funding for the state of Georgia? Also information on the source of funding from the dederal, state and local levels, state budgets, etc. Thanks! Ayla Lawson
Asked by:
K-12 Classroom teacher
EDUCATOR
ACWORTH, GA
Answer(s)
Expert ID: 1127
Expert's keyword(s) :
Answer : Although we cannot always respond to questions that are unrelated to the topic area, the answer to your question seems to be available through the Georgia Department of Education at http://www.doe.k12.ga.us/ . You might want to look through this site, which seems extensive.
Although the Budget Office is not directly linked to the site at this time, a site Search Engine is provided. Dozens of documents were accessed by searching for the term "funding" or the term "budget." Your answer may be among these documents.
Answered by :
Joellen Killion
Director of Special Projects
Arvada CO
nsdckillio@ol.com
Question:
My elementary school is concerned with buy-in issues with a staff development strategy that is all about improving student learning and deepening their thinking skills. Is there any answer to buy in problems?
Asked by:
K-12 Classroom teacher
educator/peer coach
Hookstown, PA
Answer(s)
Expert ID: 1127
Expert's keyword(s) :
Answer : The first question to consider is where this need for staff development came from. Typically, buy-in is an issue when staff development is done "to" staff and not viewed as a genuine need by them. Begin with offering the data that support the need for this focus on improving learning, along with the research that supports the premise that says, when we improve students' thinking skills, there is reciprocal improvement in student achievement. If that research has not been reviewed and has not been used to make this decision to pursue thinking skills as the focus, please do that first. Teachers will buy-in, when they understand the need, understand the reason for selecting a particular staff development intervention, and have an opportunity to review or learn about the research that supports this intervention.
Other tactics that work to create buy-in are testimonials from trusted and respected colleagues who have used thinking skills to improve student learning, student and parent testimonials, and evidence of results in student learning.
Without evidence of results to drive an initiative, buy-in may be limited to those who are typically the risk-takers in a system.
Answered by :
Joellen Killion
Director of Special Projects
Arvada CO
nsdckillio@ol.com
Question:
Could you please direct me to resources that provide descriptive information regarding studies that assess the impact of distance education and other web based interactive technologies to faciliate professional development? I would be interested in both qualitative and quantitative research. Does it work? In what settings do web based training models work best? Thanks
Asked by:
Research/tech assistance org
Research Analsyst
Washington, DC
Answer(s)
Expert ID: 1127
Expert's keyword(s) :
Answer : Although these are not research reports, I would like to encourage you to check out a couple of other good sources of information about online teacher training that I think you'll find useful:
- Dr. Diane Holman (holmand@mail.okaloosa.k12.fl.us), Okaloosa School District, Technology Specialist, Okaloosa School District, Ft. Walton Beach, FL has initiated a very successful staff development program for technology integration that combines face-to-face work with continued online support. I encourage you to contact her to begin a dialog that I think you'd both find interesting, and also check out their website ( http://www.okaloosa.k12.fl.us/technology/index.htm ) -- click on "Elementary TOOLS, Middle School TOOLS, High School TOOLS."
- Dr. Holman's program and several other online staff development initiatives were featured in the January 2000 issue of Technology & Learning magazine, "In-Service to Go: Professional Development Online," p. 18. The article offers stories about various districts successfully using online staff development, as well as lists of references to other online information sources.
Answered by :
Joellen Killion
Director of Special Projects
Arvada CO
nsdckillio@ol.com
Question:
As the district staff member responsible for Staff Development for Technology, I am in the process of considering creating a number of online professional development "courses" for our teachers, using something like blackboard.com. I do believe, as your research supports, that professional development should be site-based, collaborative, synonomous with curriculum development and should take place during the day. However, in the reality of life, for a multitude of reasons, it is most difficult to have our staff development activities take place during the school day. My professional development focus is on integrating technology into the curriculum, so I am concerned about curriculum development as well as technology staff development. I find that second best to having staff development activities take place during the school year and school day is to have those activities take place in the summer, followed up by personal contact during the school year. It is my intuition that online courses would be another good second best to during the day, much like the summer, because teachers can choose their own time to develop curriculum that integrates technology. I would like to offer online the kinds of face-to-face courses I have offered in the past. You can get an idea of what those courses have been by visiting my website http://www.mathesonline.com, and looking around in the Staff Development section. Do you have any experience, other references, and/or especially research that can help me take my knowledge of best practices with regards to online courses beyond an intuition?
Asked by:
District admin/coordinator
Technology Coordinator/Staff Development
Schenectady, NY
Answer(s)
Expert ID: 1127
Expert's keyword(s) :
Answer : Although these are not research reports, I would like to encourage you to check out a couple of other good sources of information about online teacher training that I think you'll find useful:
- Dr. Diane Holman ( holmand@mail.okaloosa.k12.fl.us ), Okaloosa School District, Technology Specialist, Okaloosa School District, Ft. Walton Beach, FL has initiated a very successful staff development program for technology integration that combines face-to-face work with continued online support. I encourage you to contact her to begin a dialog that I think you'd both find interesting, and also check out their website ( http://www.okaloosa.k12.fl.us/technology/index.htm )-- click on "Elementary TOOLS, Middle School TOOLS, High School TOOLS."
- Dr. Holman's program and several other online staff development initiatives were featured in the January 2000 issue of Technology & Learning magazine, "In-Service to Go: Professional Development Online," p. 18. The article offers stories about various districts successfully using online staff development, as well as lists of references to other online information sources.
Answered by :
Joellen Killion
Director of Special Projects
Arvada CO
nsdckillio@ol.com
Question:
Where are there great models of district level professional development department designs?
Asked by:
District admin/coordinator
Director
Atlanta, GA
Answer(s)
Expert ID: 1127
Expert's keyword(s) :
Answer : This web site is a great place to begin. There are success stories on this site from many institutions, including eight school districts that have won the U.S. Department of Education National Award for Model Professional Development. To access the success stories, return to the Knowledge Loom home page and click on the button for "Investigate this Spotlight." From the list of principles on the next page, click any of the "Learn More" buttons. You will be taken to another page that elaborates upon a specific principle of Professional Development. In the left hand menu, click on the link for "Policy, Stories, Research." This will give you a page that includes success stories from a variety of schools and districts. School districts are represented in about a third of the examples. For quicker access, you might want to do a specific search from the home page for any of the following: Edmonds School District, Geneva City School District, Carroll Independent School District, Lawrence Public School District, San Francisco Unified School District, Wilton School District, Olathe School District, or Lewisville Independent School District.
Another great resource is "A New Vision for Staff Development" by Sparks and Hirsh, published by the National Staff Development Council and available through its web site at http://www.nsdc.org .
Answered by :
Joellen Killion
Director of Special Projects
Arvada CO
nsdckillio@ol.com
Question:
We are beginning to create a professional development needs assessment as the springboard for revising our professional development plan. Have you any suggestions regarding content? Can you share any models that include parental or other needs assessment input?
Asked by:
District admin/coordinator
Telford, PA
Answer(s)
Expert ID: 1127
Expert's keyword(s) :
Answer : One needs assessment that is particularly useful in revamping a professional development program is the self-assessment found in the National Staff Development Council's Standards for Staff Development (available from NSDC by emailing a request to nsdcoffice@aol.com . Most needs assessments are too general and lack a specific focus on the desired outcomes. Be sure to develop a needs assessment that aligns the goals for student achievement with the areas you are assessing. The National Center for School Reform has recently published a newsletter on needs assessments. Try accessing this from http://www.ed.gov/ .
Answered by :
Joellen Killion
Director of Special Projects
Arvada CO
nsdckillio@ol.com
Question:
what type of professional development is available to help teachers learn to successfully work with students of differing ability levels in a heterogenous classroom??
Asked by:
Building admin/coordinator
director of guidance
glen cove, NY
Answer(s)
Expert ID: 1127
Expert's keyword(s) :
Answer : This is a challenge and requires lots of in-classroom support, co-planning, co-teaching, and collaboration among teachers. While teachers can learn the strategies from such resources as ASCD's video tape series on Differentiated Instruction, putting these strategies into practice is entirely a different matter. When teachers have a chance to work together, plan lessons and adaptations together, and talk with one another about what worked and didn't work, they have a far greater likelihood of changing their classroom practices.
What is often required here is far more than a few strategies. It often requires a shift in mindset and accepting the principle that all kids can learn and that it is the teacher's responsibility to ensure that it happens.
Answered by :
Joellen Killion
Director of Special Projects
Arvada CO
nsdckillio@ol.com
Question:
We are currently involved in a project wherein we are trying to provide professional development with K-12 teachers in the area of "hands-on" applied mathematics. The primary goal of the professional development will be to help students with mandated state tests. We are looking for others who may have done similar projects and also for results of similar projects. Can you advise us as to where we might find other professional development projects specifically in the area of applied mathematics?
Thank you.
Asked by:
State admin/coordinator
Teacher
Seward, AK
Answer(s)
Expert ID: 1127
Expert's keyword(s) :
Answer : I would start with the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) as a beginning place to look for professional development in applied math. Try their website at http://www.nctm.org . You might also check the Eisenhower National Clearinghouse for Math and Science at http://www.enc.org . Both will be great resources for you.
Answered by :
Joellen Killion
Director of Special Projects
Arvada CO
nsdckillio@ol.com
Question:
How are university, pre-service programs addressing the need for potential teachers to form a habit of engaging in professional development?
Asked by:
,
Answer(s)
Expert ID: 1127
Expert's keyword(s) :
Answer : This is a great question. Most universities, especially those involved with professional development schools, strive to create the norm of continuous improvement in their students. These programs bring teachers at all stages of their career development together to learn, reflect, and discuss their practice. Building comfort, a habit of collaborative inquiry, and reflection is one of the goals of professional development schools.
Pre-service educators acknowledge that they cannot teach students everything they need to be successful and that development as a teacher is a life-long process. Programs that bridge the pre-service, student teaching, and induction years are producing teachers who are eager to learn more about their content areas, pedagogy, student development and learning.
Answered by :
Joellen Killion
Director of Special Projects
Arvada CO
nsdckillio@ol.com
Question:
There has been over fifteen years of development in this area. Urban school (where students are mostly African American) records for student performance have remained poor, very poor. Why is there no improvement on the district level?
Asked by:
Research/tech assistance org
Rochester, NY
Answer(s)
Expert ID: 1127
Expert's keyword(s) :
Answer : The forms of professional development typically used are insufficiently powerful to promote deep change. Training, for example, without substantial classroom support and follow-up will not lead to change. We have done several things wrong in professional development, including lack of focus, proliferation of opportunity that fragments our impact, and insufficient attention to the context in which staff development takes place.
Since schools are the site of change, central office personnel must learn to work differently to support the individual schools. Schools need to become learning communities that engage teachers, encourage and promote collegial interaction, and share responsibility for student success. The district's responsibility is to develop teacher leadership, provide training in facilitation and coaching, and provide resources and knowledge to support schools' attainment of their individual goals.
Answered by :
Joellen Killion
Director of Special Projects
Arvada CO
nsdckillio@ol.com
Question:
What type of professional development needs to be done to help teachers learn how to use student work/results as an indicator of the type and content of professional development needed within a school or personally?
Asked by:
Research/tech assistance org
Knowledge Loom Project Manager
Providence, RI
Answer(s)
Expert ID: 1127
Expert's keyword(s) :
Answer : The kind of professional development teachers need in order to examine student work/results and to establish goals for their own professional development is not formal training, but, rather, learning by doing. The National Staff Development Council calls this form of staff development involvement in an improvement or development process. Through facilitated discussions based on protocols, such as the Tuning Protocol developed by the Coalition of Essential Schools, teachers examine student work and results of other forms of assessment to identify patterns of strengths and weaknesses in the performance of their students. Once the patterns are identified, teachers must make some inferences about what is causing these patterns. This is a crucial step and one that requires teachers' professional judgment. The inference of cause identifies the root of the professional development plan.
For example, if student performance on an assessment of reading achievement is low, a teacher will examine the item analysis to determine which reading skills students most often lacked. Then teachers examine their own practice, the students, their resources, and the curriculum to determine if they might have influenced the results. If teachers determine in the item analysis that reading and interpreting nonfiction text is one skill all students lacked, teachers might recognize, after some examination of their classroom curriculum, that they did not spend sufficient time teaching nonfiction text and were not well-prepared to do so. This then becomes the focus of the school, grade level, or personal professional development plan.
Through collaboration, analysis, and facilitated discussion, teachers become responsible for their own learning that directly relates to the results in terms of student achievement.
Answered by :
Joellen Killion
Director of Special Projects
Arvada CO
nsdckillio@ol.com
Question:
Are there stories of school principals modeling successful leadership that encourages their staff to various models of professional development beyond the early release day so prevalent in schools?
Asked by:
,
Answer(s)
Expert ID: 1127
Expert's keyword(s) :
Answer : Principals hold the key to success in schools that have improved student learning. There are two reports that might help you learn more about principals' practices in successful schools that have used staff development to make a difference for students.
The first, "Staff Development and Student Achievement: Making the Connection in Georgia Schools" ( http://arcweb.gsu.edu/csp/csp_staffdev.htm ), looks at the difference in staff development in high achieving and low achieving schools in Georgia. Not surprisingly, principal behaviors were one of the differences.
The second, "Islands of Hope in a Sea of Dreams: A Research Report of the Eight Model Professional Development Award Schools" ( http://www.wested.org/wested/pubs/online ), summarizes how teacher learning occurs in these award-winning schools. Again, the principal was instrumental in promoting and sustaining teacher learning. The report identifies principal behaviors that teachers found supportive of their learning.
Answered by :
Joellen Killion
Director of Special Projects
Arvada CO
nsdckillio@ol.com
Question:
It's so easy to lose the momentum of professional development activity when teachers get immersed in the day-to-day challenges of solving problems in their classrooms. What kinds of structures can be put in place to ensure that the momentum doesn't get lost?
Asked by:
,
Answer(s)
Expert ID: 1127
Expert's keyword(s) :
Answer : The simplest structure to ensure that momentum is maintained is celebration. Celebrating small successes, recognizing those who are giving an extra effort, acknowledging those who are trying and working hard, and quickly identifying problems and working to solve them collaboratively will maintain momentum. It is also important to be realistic and remember that there will be high points and low points in every effort that has value. Talking about that and even identifying the high and lows from the past will help everyone keep a healthy perspective.
Answered by :
Joellen Killion
Director of Special Projects
Arvada CO
nsdckillio@ol.com
Question:
Have schools in general found it possible to fund their professional development activities without special outside funding, e.g. grants? If so, what has been the typical amount of money spent by schools per pupil for professional development?
Asked by:
Building admin/coordinator
Professor
Providence, RI
Answer(s)
Expert ID: 1127
Expert's keyword(s) :
Answer : This isn't an easy question to answer, because there is no "typical" amount spent on staff development. The National Staff Development Council recommends that 10 percent of the district's budget be spent on staff development.
Another reason this question is not easy to answer is because what people call staff development is so very different. In some districts, resources for training, conference participation, workshop registration, and travel are staff development. In other districts, salary paid to onsite coaches to advance the implementation of standards in classrooms is also called staff development and added to the budget line for staff development.
Some states are requiring school districts to allocate a portion of their
general budget to staff development. States, such as Missouri (1% at the state level and an additional 1% at the district level) and Minnesota (1%), have had increased funding for staff development as a result of this effort.
Another benchmark is the area of technology. Most technology grants require that 25-30 percent of resources be devoted to staff development.
These should give some idea of the range of resources allocated to staff
development. Business and industry have a standard of between 3-7 percent for professional development and training. In education, that figure is considerably less, somewhere between one half to one and a half percent.
Answered by :
Joellen Killion
Director of Special Projects
Arvada CO
nsdckillio@ol.com
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