Effective Teacher Professional Development (research Brief)

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POLICY BRIEFRESEARCH BRIEFMAYAPRIL20172016Effective TeacherTitleProfessional DevelopmentLinda Darling-Hammond, Maria E. Hyler, and Madelyn Gardner, with assistance from Danny EspinozaAbstractIntroductionTeacher professional learning is ofincreasing interest as one way tosupport the increasingly complexskills students need to succeed inthe 21st century. However, manyteacher professional developmentinitiatives appear ineffective insupporting changes in teacherpractices and student learning. Toidentify the features of effectiveprofessional development, thispaper reviews 35 methodologicallyrigorous studies that havedemonstrated a positive linkbetween teacher professionaldevelopment, teaching practices,and student outcomes. It identifiesfeatures of these approachesand offers descriptions of thesemodels to inform those seeking tounderstand how to foster successfulstrategies.Teacher professional learning is of increasing interest as a critical way tosupport the increasingly complex skills students need to learn in order tosucceed in the 21st century. Sophisticated forms of teaching are needed todevelop student competencies such as deep mastery of challenging content,critical thinking, complex problem solving, effective communication andcollaboration, and self-direction. In turn, effective professional development(PD) is needed to help teachers learn and refne the instructional strategiesrequired to teach these skills.The full report can be found onlineat r-prof-dev.External ReviewersThis report benefited fromthe insights and expertise oftwo external reviewers: LauraDesimone, Associate Professor,Education Policy, Penn GraduateSchool of Education; and MichaelFullan, former Dean of the OntarioInstitute for Studies in Education,University of Toronto. We thankthem for the care and attentionthey gave the report. Any remainingshortcomings are our own.The S. D. Bechtel, Jr. Foundationand the Sandler Foundation haveprovided operating support for theLearning Policy Institute’s work inthis area.However, research has noted that many professional development initiativesappear ineffective in supporting changes in teachers’ practices and studentlearning. Accordingly, we set out to discover the features of effectiveprofessional development. We defne effective PD as structured professionallearning that results in changes to teacher practices and improvements instudent learning outcomes.The paper on which this brief is based reviews methodologically rigorousstudies that have demonstrated a positive link between teacher professionaldevelopment, teaching practices, and student outcomes. To defne features ofeffective PD, we reviewed 35 studies from the last three decades that featured acareful experimental or comparison group design, or analyzed student outcomeswith statistical controls for context variables and student characteristics. Wecoded each of the studies to identify the elements of effective professionaldevelopment models.Elements of Efective Professional DevelopmentUsing this methodology, we found seven widely shared features of effectiveprofessional development. Such professional development:1.2.3.4.5.6.7.Is content focusedIncorporates active learning utilizing adult learning theorySupports collaboration, typically in job-embedded contextsUses models and modeling of effective practiceProvides coaching and expert supportOffers opportunities for feedback and refectionIs of sustained durationLEARNING POLICY INSTITUTE RESEARCH BRIEF1

Our research shows that effective professional learning experiences typically incorporate most orall of these elements, as suggested in the examples below. Each of these elements was part of theprofessional development addressed in at least 30 of the 35 studies we reviewed, and some werefeatured in all 35.Content FocusProfessional development that focuses on teachingProfessional development thatstrategies associated with specifc curriculumcontent supports teacher learning within theirfocuses on teaching strategiesclassroom contexts. As one example, theassociated with specifcScience Teachers Learning from Lesson Analysisprogram (STeLLA) seeks to strengthen teachers’curriculum content supportsunderstanding of how to teach science productively.teacher learning within theirIts frst goal is to deepen teacher understanding ofclassroom contexts.students’ science thinking, which helps teachersanticipate and respond to students’ ideas andmisunderstandings in productive ways. Its secondgoal is to help teachers learn to sequence science ideas to help students construct a coherent “story”that makes sense to them.Over the course of more than 100 hours, STeLLA teachers studied and discussed video cases ofteaching, including student work and teacher interviews. They also taught model lessons themselvesand analyzed their teaching with their colleagues, evaluating the experience and student work to revisethe lessons for colleagues to then teach in a form of lesson study. These teachers’ students achievedsignifcantly greater learning gains on science pre- and post-tests than comparison students whoseteachers received content training only,1 a fnding further confrmed by a second randomized study of theprogram several years later.2Active LearningActive learning provides teachers with opportunities to get hands-on experience designing and practicingnew teaching strategies. In PD models featuring active learning, teachers often participate in the samestyle of learning they are designing for their students, using real examples of curriculum, student work, andinstruction. For example, Reading Apprenticeship is an inquiry-based PD model designed to help high schoolbiology teachers integrate literacy and biology instruction in their classrooms. Each of the program’s 10 fullday sessions is designed to immerse the teachers in the types of learning activities and environments theywill then be creating for their students. Working together, teachers study student work, videotape classroomlessons for analysis, and scrutinize texts to identify potential literacy challenges to learners.Teachers in the program practice classroom routines that will help to build student engagement andstudent collaboration, such as “think-pair-share,” jigsaw groups, and text annotation. Refection and othermetacognitive routines such as think-alouds and reading logs for science investigations are also usedin PD sessions. In a randomized control study in a set of high-poverty schools, this active learning PDmodel resulted in student reading achievement gains equivalent to a year’s additional growth comparedwith control group students, as well as signifcantly higher achievement on state assessments in Englishlanguage arts and biology.3CollaborationHigh-quality professional development creates space for teachers to share ideas and collaborate in theirlearning, often in job-embedded contexts that relate new instructional strategies to teachers’ studentsand classrooms. By working collaboratively, teachers can create communities that positively change theLEARNING POLICY INSTITUTE RESEARCH BRIEF2

culture and instruction of their entire grade level, department, school, and/or district. “Collaboration” canspan a host of confgurations—from one-on-one or small group collaboration to schoolwide collaborationto collaboration with other professionals beyond the school.In one program in a Texas district, teachers engaged in on-site, small-group professional development topromote inquiry-based, literacy-integrated instruction in science classrooms to improve English languagelearners’ science and reading achievement. Through the initiative, teachers and paraprofessionalsparticipated in collaborative biweekly workshops in which they jointly reviewed upcoming lessons, discussedscience concepts with peers, engaged in refections on their students’ learning, and participated as learnersin the types of inquiry-based science activities they would be implementing for their students. They alsoreceived instruction in strategies for teaching English language learners. Students who received enhancedinstructional activities and whose teachers received PD demonstrated signifcantly higher science andreading achievement than students who were engaged in business-as-usual instruction.4 By focusing onimproving the practice of teachers of English language learners, this kind of collaborative, districtwide PDcan have important implications for improving the equity of whole systems.Use of Models and ModelingCurricular models and modeling of instructionprovide teachers with a clear vision of what bestpractices look like. Teachers may view models thatinclude lesson plans, unit plans, sample studentwork, observations of peer teachers, and video orwritten cases of accomplished teaching.Curricular models and modeling ofinstruction provide teachers with aclear vision of what best practiceslook like.For example, in a program used across a numberof states, PD focused on the types of pedagogicalcontent knowledge teachers need to effectively teach elementary science. Curricular and instructionalmodels were used in multiple ways to support teacher learning. For example, one group of teachersanalyzed teaching cases drawn from actual classrooms and written by teachers. Another set of teachersworked in carefully structured, collaborative groups to analyze examples of student work from a sharedunit taught in their own classrooms. A third group used metacognitive strategies to refect on theirinstruction and its outcomes. Teachers also had access to a “task bank” of formative assessment modelitems they could use with their students during the program.These types of models support teachers’ ability to “see” what good practices look like and implement newstrategies in their classrooms. In a randomized experimental study, students of teachers who participatedin any of these PD opportunities had signifcantly greater learning gains on science tests than studentswhose teachers did not participate, and these effects were maintained a year later.5Coaching and Expert SupportCoaching and expert support involve the sharing of expertise about content and practice focuseddirectly on teachers’ individual needs. Experts may share their specialized knowledge as one-on-onecoaches in the classroom, as facilitators of group workshops, or as remote mentors using technologyto communicate with educators. They may include master teachers or coaches based in universities orprofessional development organizations.In one coaching initiative designed to enhance early literacy instruction among Head Start teachers,educators participated in biweekly sessions with a university-based literacy coach following a twoday orientation that introduced them to the literacy concepts. Prior to each session (which could beconducted in person or remotely), coaches and teachers collaboratively chose a specifc instructionalLEARNING POLICY INSTITUTE RESEARCH BRIEF3

practice on which to focus their time together. Coaches then observed teachers in their classrooms andprovided both supportive and constructive oral and written feedback on their teaching, facilitating theimplementation of desired instructional practices.For remote coaching, educators shared 15-minute video clips and coaches provided detailed writtenfeedback, supported by links to video exemplars and other materials available through the program.The semester-long program included 16 hours of workshops and seven coaching sessions. A twoyear randomized controlled trial found that classrooms led by these teachers demonstrated largergains and higher performance on a widely used early childhood classroom quality assessment, andtheir students experienced larger gains on a number of early language and literacy skills than didthose in the control group.6Feedback and RefectionHigh-quality professional learning frequently provides built-in time for teachers to think about, receiveinput on, and make changes to their practice by facilitating refection and soliciting feedback. Feedbackmay be offered as teachers analyze lesson plans, demonstration lessons, or videos of teacher instruction,which also provide opportunities for refection about what might be refned or retained and reinforced.These activities are frequently undertaken in the context of a coaching session or workshop, but may alsooccur among peers.For example, in a program targeting early childhood educators’ ability to promote children’s languageand literacy development, educators enrolled in a facilitated online course called eCIRCLE. The courseincluded videos of model lessons, online coursework and knowledge assessments, and opportunities toplan lessons and practice skills in small groups and in teachers’ own classrooms. The course also offeredinteractive message boards that were moderated by expert facilitators. Teachers participated in fourhours of this coursework per month throughout the school year. They received a supplemental curriculumon preschool language and literacy skills and were encouraged to monitor children’s language and literacyprogress using a common tool. In addition, some educators participated in biweekly on-site mentoringsessions with the expert facilitators, who observed the teacher’s practice, then facilitated refective followup and provided positive and constructive feedback. In a randomized controlled study of the program,researchers found that students of teachers who received expert mentoring and feedback experiencedthe greatest gains on a variety of language and literacy outcomes.7Sustained DurationEffective professional development provides teachers with adequate time to learn, practice, implement,and refect upon new strategies that facilitate changes in their practice. As a result, strong PD initiativestypically engage teachers in learning over weeks, months, or even academic years, rather than in short,one-off workshops.8For example, the Transformative Professional Development program is a two-year PD model to enhancescience instruction for Spanish-speaking elementary school students. The program begins with atwo-week summer workshop that includes graduate-level coursework on teaching elementary science.Teachers’ learning from this intensive workshop is reinforced through occasional release days andmonthly grade-level workshops with professional learning communities. These additional sessionssupport teachers in deepening their learning and provided space for ongoing support in implementingthe new curriculum.This model not only offers teachers the opportunity to return repeatedly to the PD material over thecourse of a semester, but also to apply their learning within the context of their classroom betweenworkshops. This cycle is repeated in the second year, with an additional summer workshop andLEARNING POLICY INSTITUTE RESEARCH BRIEF4

continued release days. In a comparison group study, students whose teachers participated in theprogram demonstrated signifcantly larger improvements in science achievement over time thanstudents whose teachers experienced business-as-usual PD.9 By promoting learning over time, bothwithin and between sessions, PD that is sustained may lead to many more hours of learning than isindicated by seat time alone.Putting It All TogetherOur research shows that effective professional learning incorporates most or all of these elements.Well-designed professional learning communities, such as those instituted by the National WritingProject, can integrate these elements to support teacher learning resulting in student learning gains. Thiscollaborative and job-embedded professional development, described in additional detail in the box thatfollows, can enable widespread improvement within and beyond the school level.National Writing Project: Learning From Professional CommunitiesBeyond the SchoolThe National Writing Project (NWP), which began as the Bay Area Writing Project, started in 1973 as apartnership between the University of California at Berkeley and local school districts. It has grown to over185 sites in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. At the heart ofthe model are local school-university partnerships, each of which operates as an autonomous site to supportcontext-specifc strengths and meet context-specifc challenges.Despite the autonomy of the local sites, there are common design featuresand core principles that guide each site and are aligned with all of theelements identifed in our research. The national network focuses onsupporting the success of each local site. NWP local sites frst focus oncreating community among a small group of teachers during a fve-weeksummer institute in which teachers engage in writing, share their work,and critique their peers. In the process of making their work publicand critiquing others, teachers learn how to make implicit rules andexpectations explicit, and how to give and receive constructive feedbackas students. These summer institutes are held at each site and runby “teacher consultants”—NWP veteran teachers who are trained andsupported by the national network.In the process of making theirwork public and critiquingothers, teachers learn howto make implicit rules andexpectations explicit, andhow to give and receiveconstructive feedback asstudents.The summer institutes, which are designed to promote risk-taking and collaboration, provide a foundation forongoing learning for teachers once they leave. These ongoing professional learning programs are collaborativelydesigned by schools and universities and led by teacher consultants. In addition, NWP provides a wide varietyof ways to promote active, collaborative learning within and across sites; newsletters, annual conferences,and opportunities to lead workshops are catalysts for the continuous engagement of teachers, creating theintersection of professional learning communities within the school and across the profession.10A recent random assignment study of the College-Ready Writers Program (CRWP), a National Writing Projectprogram that focuses specifcally on the argument writing of students in grades 7 through 10, demonstratedits promise for supporting student learning. SRI conducted the study of CRWP in 22 high-poverty rural districtsacross 10 states, which were compared to a control group of 22 additional high-poverty rural districts. TheCRWP components included: PD of at least 90 hours over two years with supports that included demonstrationlessons, coaching, codesigning learning tasks, co-planning, curricular resources including lesson units forargument writing, and formative assessment tools to help teachers focus on student learning. In contrast, thecontrol group engaged in “business as usual” professional development.CRWP was found to have a positive, statistically signifcant impact on three of four attributes of student writing:content, structure, and stance. The remaining attribute, writing conventions, was marginally signifcant. Authorsof the study note, “ this study of teacher professional development is one of the largest and most rigorous tofnd evidence of an impact on student academic outcomes,” indicating the power of high-quality PD to affectstudent achievement improvements at scale.11LEARNING POLICY INSTITUTE RESEARCH BRIEF5

Creating Conditions for Efective Professional DevelopmentThe quality of a PD initiative’s implementationhas implications for its overall effectiveness inenhancing teacher practice and improving studentlearning. Researchers have found that willingteachers are sometimes unable to implementprofessional development practices due toobstacles that are beyond their control.12 Eventhe best-designed professional development mayfail to produce desired outcomes if it is poorlyimplemented due to barriers such as: Even the best-designedprofessional development may failto produce desired outcomes if itis poorly implemented.inadequate resour

Teacher professional learning is of increasing interest as one way to support the increasingly complex skills students need to succeed in the 21st century. However, many teacher professional development initiatives appear ineffective in supporting changes in teacher practices and student learning. To identify the features of effective professional development, this paper reviews 35 .

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