Helping Teachers Teach Well: Transforming Professional Development

Abstract

This brief from 1995 reviews what was known about professional development. The brief discusses its organization, costs, and effects on practice. It also suggests some principles to guide professional development in the future and offers a framework for designing and assessing policies and programs. Disciplines Curriculum and Instruction | Education Policy | Teacher Education and Professional Development Comments View on the CPRE website.

Learning Mathematics for Teaching: Results from California's Mathematics Professional Development Institutes

“…Length of the institute (yo01 = .33 in Model 3) measured in weeks (n = 1, 2, or 3), was a significant predictor of institutes' effectiveness; teachers with more contact hours tended to learn more. This echoes findings from other studies of professional development (Cohen & Hill, 2001;Garet, Porter, Desimone, Birman, & Yoon, 2001) and reinforces the conventional wisdom that longer sessions can enable more learning (e.g., Corcoran 1995).…”

Learning Mathematics for Teaching: Results from California's Mathematics Professional Development Institutes

“…Length of the institute (yo01 = .33 in Model 3) measured in weeks (n = 1, 2, or 3), was a significant predictor of institutes' effectiveness; teachers with more contact hours tended to learn more. This echoes findings from other studies of professional development (Cohen & Hill, 2001;Garet, Porter, Desimone, Birman, & Yoon, 2001) and reinforces the conventional wisdom that longer sessions can enable more learning (e.g., Corcoran 1995).…”

The Merck Institute for Science Education: A Successful Intermediary for Education Reform: CPRE Research Report Series RR-052

“…These principles are consistent with the prevailing consensus on effective professional development (Corcoran, 1995;Elmore, 2002;Sparks & Hirsh, 1997).…”

An Empirical Investigation of Professional Development Effects on Literacy Instruction Using Daily Logs

“…They found that although spending for PD totaled about $9 million districtwide, spending for PD in literacy totaled just over $1 million and for PD in mathematics and science approximately $180,000. Although this evidence comes from only one district, these findings follow logically from a host of other research suggesting that many districts have fragmented and incoherent systems for providing PD to teachers (Corcoran, 1995; Garet et al, 2001; Miles et al, 2004). One implication of this work, therefore, is for districts to monitor and increase the proportion of dollars spent on PD in the core academic subjects.…”

Learning Mathematics for Teaching: Results from California's Mathematics Professional Development Institutes

“…Length of the institute (yo01 = .33 in Model 3) measured in weeks (n = 1, 2, or 3), was a significant predictor of institutes' effectiveness; teachers with more contact hours tended to learn more. This echoes findings from other studies of professional development (Cohen & Hill, 2001;Garet, Porter, Desimone, Birman, & Yoon, 2001) and reinforces the conventional wisdom that longer sessions can enable more learning (e.g., Corcoran 1995).…”

The Merck Institute for Science Education: A Successful Intermediary for Education Reform: CPRE Research Report Series RR-052

“…These principles are consistent with the prevailing consensus on effective professional development (Corcoran, 1995;Elmore, 2002;Sparks & Hirsh, 1997).…”

An Empirical Investigation of Professional Development Effects on Literacy Instruction Using Daily Logs

“…They found that although spending for PD totaled about $9 million districtwide, spending for PD in literacy totaled just over $1 million and for PD in mathematics and science approximately $180,000. Although this evidence comes from only one district, these findings follow logically from a host of other research suggesting that many districts have fragmented and incoherent systems for providing PD to teachers (Corcoran, 1995; Garet et al, 2001; Miles et al, 2004). One implication of this work, therefore, is for districts to monitor and increase the proportion of dollars spent on PD in the core academic subjects.…”

Learning Mathematics for Teaching: Results from California's Mathematics Professional Development Institutes

“…Length of the institute (yo01 = .33 in Model 3) measured in weeks (n = 1, 2, or 3), was a significant predictor of institutes' effectiveness; teachers with more contact hours tended to learn more. This echoes findings from other studies of professional development (Cohen & Hill, 2001;Garet, Porter, Desimone, Birman, & Yoon, 2001) and reinforces the conventional wisdom that longer sessions can enable more learning (e.g., Corcoran 1995).…”

The Merck Institute for Science Education: A Successful Intermediary for Education Reform: CPRE Research Report Series RR-052

“…These principles are consistent with the prevailing consensus on effective professional development (Corcoran, 1995;Elmore, 2002;Sparks & Hirsh, 1997).…”

An Empirical Investigation of Professional Development Effects on Literacy Instruction Using Daily Logs

“…They found that although spending for PD totaled about $9 million districtwide, spending for PD in literacy totaled just over $1 million and for PD in mathematics and science approximately $180,000. Although this evidence comes from only one district, these findings follow logically from a host of other research suggesting that many districts have fragmented and incoherent systems for providing PD to teachers (Corcoran, 1995; Garet et al, 2001; Miles et al, 2004). One implication of this work, therefore, is for districts to monitor and increase the proportion of dollars spent on PD in the core academic subjects.…”