THE PRACTICE: Professional development should be based on analyses of the differences between (a) actual student performance and (b) goals and standards for student learning.
Content Presented By:
National Partnership for Excellence & Accountability in Teaching

Resources related to this practice:

• Appropriating Conceptual and Pedagogical Tools for Teaching English: A Conceptual Framework for Studying Professional Development (1999)
  http://cela.albany.edu/tools/index.html

  The authors of this article from the ERIC Center for English Learning and Achievement propose using perspectives developed in a framework of activity theory to inform our understanding of teacher development. They explore the dimensions of appropriation of the tools teachers use to guide and implement classroom practice and reflect on activity theory's value as a context in which to assess learning-to-teach processes.

• IMPACT
  http://projects.terc.edu/impact/

  IMPACT is a five-year project striving to accelerate the implementation of standards-based instructional materials throughout New England. The Center for Advancement of Science and Mathematics Education plans to build on existing regional structures to provide the information, resources and support for districts and their teachers in this next step in educational reform. The site describes this reform plan.

• Professional Development: Staff Learning for Student Results
  http://www.ncrel.org/pd/

  Here you will find a full range of information geared to help you make professional development a bedrock of excellence in your school or district. This site is designed for school and district-level teachers, administrators, and others interested in improving professional development.

• Teachers Take Charge of Their Learning: Transforming Professional Development for Student Success
  http://nfie.org/publications/takecharge_full.htm

  NFIE's report, "Teachers Take Charge of Their Learning: Transforming Professional Development for Student Success," asserts that continuous teacher learning is the key to helping students achieve high standards and that the profession itself must take responsibility for weaving continuous learning into the fabric of the teaching job. Features many schools/programs (http://www.nfie.org/course.htm) across the nation that have increased student learning by focusing on the professional development of teachers.

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