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	National Staff Development Council (NSDC)

	Model Professional Development Awards Program

	National Partnership for Excellence and Accountability in Teaching (NPEAT)

	Co-nect, Inc.

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

Research summary

Professional development should be driven by analyses of the differences between (a) goals and standards for student learning and (b) student performance (Burch, 1996; Fullan, 1993; Howey & Collinson, 1995; Miller, Lord, & Dorney, 1994; NFIE, 1996; NGA; NSDC, 1995; Pink & Hyde, 1992). Such analyses will define what educators need rather than want: to learn, make professional development student-centered, and increase public confidence in the use of resources for professional development (American Federation of Teachers, 1995; Farkas & Friedman, 1995; National Foundation for the Improvement of Education, 1996). Educators can then use these analyses to explore the usefulness of alternative strategies for student learning and school improvement, paying close attention to the gains made by diverse types of learners.

The importance of this student-centered focus seems self-evident, but has not been standard practice. Too often, new teaching strategies, curricular approaches, or organizational designs, pursued as goals in and of themselves, have diverted attention from the school's central goal (Guskey, in press; Loucks-Horsley, 1995; Newmann & Wehlage, 1995). Moreover, school-level educators have often been prevented from developing analytic capacity for continual school improvement by bureaucratic structures. In an empirical study of a change effort in the Chicago Public Schools, for example, Bryk, Rollow, and Pinnell (1996) found diminished capacity in schools because the central school office assumed the functions of identifying problems, creating responsive programs, and evaluating their effectiveness (p. 180).

References

American Federation of Teachers. (1995). Principles for professional development. Washington, DC. Author.

Bryk, A. S., Rollow, S. G., & Pinnel, G. S. (1996). Urban school development: Literacy as a lever for change. Educational Policy, 10 (2), 172-201.

Burch, Barbara (1996, September). Masters degrees for teachers: A call for change. AACTE Briefs, 17 (11). Washington, DC: American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education.

Farkas, S., & Friedman, W. (1995). Professional development for teachers: The publics view. A Focus Group Report from Public Agenda for the National Foundation for the Improvement of Education.

Fullan, M. (1993). Change forces: Probing the depths of educational reform. London: Falmer Press.

Guskey, T.R. (in press). New directions in the research on professional development. Journal of Staff Development.

Howey, K., & Collinson, V. (1995). Cornerstones of a collaborative culture and professional development: Preservice teacher preparation. Journal of Personnel Evaluation in Education, (1), 21-31.

Loucks-Horsley, S. (1995). New paradigms in professional development: International perspectives. AERA Symposium. San Francisco.

Loucks-Horsley, S. (1995). Professional development and the learner-centered school. Theory into Practice, 34 (4), 265-271.

Miller, B., Lord, B., & Dorney, J. (1994). Summary report. Staff development for teachers. A study of configurations and costs in four districts. Newton, MA: Education Development Center.

National Foundation for the Improvement of Education. (1996). Teachers take charge of their learning: Transforming professional development for student success. Washington, DC.

National Governors Association. Professional development for educators: A priority for reaching high standards. Washington, DC: Author.

National Staff Development Council. (1995). Standards for staff development. Oxford, OH: Author.

Newmann, F.M., & Wehlage, G.G. (1995). Successful school restructuring. A report to the public and educators by the Center on Organization and Restructuring of Schools. Madison, WI: University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Pink, W. T. & Hyde, A. A. (1992). Doing effective staff development. In W.T. Pink & A. A. Hyde (Eds.), Effective staff development for school change (pp. 259-292). Norwood, NJ: Ablex Publishing Corp.

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