This study uses a national probability sample of 1,027 mathematics and science teachers to provide the first large-scale empirical comparison of effects of different characteristics of professional development on teachers’ learning. Results, based on ordinary least squares regression, indicate three core features of professional development activities that have significant, positive effects on teachers’ self-reported increases in knowledge and skills and changes in classroom practice: (a) focus on content knowledge; (b) opportunities for active learning; and (c) coherence with other learning activities. It is primarily through these core features that the following structural features significantly affect teacher learning: (a) the form of the activity (e.g., workshop vs. study group); (b) collective participation of teachers from the same school, grade, or subject; and (c) the duration of the activity.

This article examines the effects of professional development on teachers’ instruction. Using a purposefully selected sample of about 207 teachers in 30 schools, in 10 districts in five states, we examine features of teachers’ professional development and its effects on changing teaching practice in mathematics and science from 1996–1999. We found that professional development focused on specific instructional practices increases teachers’ use of those practices in the classroom. Furthermore, we found that specific features, such as active learning opportunities, increase the effect of the professional development on teacher’s instruction.

A strong base of research is needed to guide investments in teacher professional development (PD). This article considers the status of research on PD and articulates a particular direction for future work. Little is known about whether PD can have a positive impact on achievement when a program is delivered across a range of typical settings and when its delivery depends on multiple trainers. Despite a consensus in the literature on the features of effective PD, there is limited evidence on the specific features that make a difference for achievement. This article explains the benefits offered by experiments in addressing current research needs and-for those conducting and interpreting such studies-discusses the unique methodological issues encountered when experimental methods are applied to the study of PD.

This study examines the policy mechanisms and processes that districts can use to provide high-quality in-service professional development for teachers. The findings are based on a national probability sample of district professional development coordinators in districts that received federal funding from the Eisenhower Professional Development Program. We found that certain management/implementation strategies, such as aligning professional development to standards and assessments, continuous improvement efforts, and teacher involvement in planning, are associated with the provision of higher quality professional development for teachers. Characteristics of high-quality professional development are taken from the research literature and include active learning opportunities, duration, collective participation (e.g., participation of teachers from the same department, grade level, or school), and type of activity (e.g., traditional workshop vs. a more reform-oriented approach, such as teacher networks or study groups.) Thus, in the context of an evaluation of the nation's largest investment in teachers’ professional development, this study provides empirical support, from a national probability sample of Eisenhower district coordinators, for the link between federal policies and strategies of support, implementation, and the quality of teachers’ professional development.

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Policy researchers have traditionally assumed that applied research produces authoritative and socially relevant knowledge and affects policy by affecting discrete decisions. The authors investigate these assumptions in the light of case materials from educational policy research and find them lacking in explanatory force. They suggest that, since premises about the relationship between applied research and policy are faulty, the traditional rationale for social science in the service of the state may not be adequate. The authors propose an alternative conception of policy research based on a notion of the research process as a form of discourse about the nature of society and its problems.

This study is a randomized controlled trial that assessed the impact of Early College High Schools on students' high school graduation, college enrollment, and college degree attainment, as well as students' high school experiences using extant data and survey data. The study included 10 Early Colleges that enrolled students in Grades 9 to 12 in 2005 through 2011 and used a lottery for admissions, and 2,458 students who participated in those admission lotteries. The study time frame covered Grade 9 through 2 years post high school for all students and 4 years post high school for the oldest student cohort. It found that Early Colleges had positive impacts on college enrollment and college completion as well as students' high school experiences.