Powerful Professional Development. Its time to end sort-of staff development. Schmoker, 1999

Powerful Powerful Professional Professional DevelopmentDevelopment

““It’s time to end It’s time to end ‘sort-of’ staff ‘sort-of’ staff development.”development.”

Schmoker, 1999Schmoker, 1999

Impeding Impeding BeliefBelief

• Students who live in Students who live in poverty or who lack poverty or who lack supportive families supportive families cannot be expected cannot be expected to learn very much. to learn very much. Consequently, Consequently, powerful forms of powerful forms of professional professional development are development are wasted on schools wasted on schools with high with high concentrations of concentrations of such students.such students.

Promoting Promoting BeliefBelief


• Students who live in Students who live in poverty or who lack poverty or who lack supportive families supportive families cannot be expected cannot be expected to learn very much. to learn very much. Consequently, Consequently, powerful forms of powerful forms of professional professional development are development are wasted on schools wasted on schools with high with high concentrations of concentrations of such students.such students.

• Quality teaching Quality teaching fed by powerful fed by powerful professional professional learning can make learning can make a difference in all a difference in all schools.schools.



• Teaching is a low-Teaching is a low-skilled, non-skilled, non-intellectual activity. intellectual activity. Consequently, Consequently, sustained, sustained, intellectually intellectually rigorous forms of rigorous forms of professional professional development development squander precious squander precious resources. resources.



• Teaching is a low-Teaching is a low-skilled, non-skilled, non-intellectual activity. intellectual activity. Consequently, Consequently, sustained, sustained, intellectually intellectually rigorous forms of rigorous forms of professional professional development development squander precious squander precious resources.resources.

• Teaching is a Teaching is a complex, complex, cognitively cognitively demanding task demanding task that requires that requires sustained, sustained, intellectually intellectually rigorous forms of rigorous forms of professional professional learning.learning.



• The knowledge and The knowledge and skills required to be skills required to be a good teacher can a good teacher can be “delivered” in be “delivered” in workshops. workshops. Consequently, it is Consequently, it is sufficient to sufficient to “expose” teachers to “expose” teachers to new ideas in new ideas in workshops or large workshops or large group settings.group settings.



• The knowledge and The knowledge and skills required to skills required to be a good teacher be a good teacher can be “delivered” can be “delivered” in workshops. in workshops. Consequently, it is Consequently, it is sufficient to sufficient to “expose” teachers “expose” teachers to new ideas in to new ideas in workshops or large workshops or large group settings.group settings.

• Professional development Professional development that promotes a deep that promotes a deep understanding of subject understanding of subject matter and a wide matter and a wide repertoire or research-repertoire or research-based teaching strategies based teaching strategies is essential if all students is essential if all students are to achieve at high are to achieve at high levels. Knowledge of good levels. Knowledge of good teaching is constructed teaching is constructed by teachers through by teachers through discussion, problem discussion, problem solving, action research, solving, action research, and other active learning and other active learning processes.processes.


““Judging from the way many Judging from the way many schools and school systems schools and school systems conceive and implement staff conceive and implement staff development, it is questionable development, it is questionable whether the intent is to benefit whether the intent is to benefit either adults or students. After either adults or students. After all, if the intent is to improve the all, if the intent is to improve the performance of teachers and performance of teachers and administrators . . . would so administrators . . . would so much staff development be so much staff development be so ill-conceived, so hit-or-miss, so ill-conceived, so hit-or-miss, so ineffective? The result is that ineffective? The result is that staff development stays nestled staff development stays nestled in the cozy culture of the school in the cozy culture of the school system and school operations, system and school operations, largely unexamined and largely unexamined and unchanged" unchanged" (Sparks, 1998).(Sparks, 1998).

““Though hundreds of studies have Though hundreds of studies have focused on improving teacher quality, focused on improving teacher quality, professional development…is pretty professional development…is pretty much like it has always been—much like it has always been—unfocused, insufficient, and irrelevant to unfocused, insufficient, and irrelevant to the day-to-day problems faced by front the day-to-day problems faced by front line educators” line educators” (Sparks, 2002, p. 1-1).(Sparks, 2002, p. 1-1).

A Look at the FutureA Look at the Future

““The traditional outcomes of our school The traditional outcomes of our school systems—academic success for some systems—academic success for some and failure for others—are now more and failure for others—are now more problematic than ever. High school problematic than ever. High school dropouts now have less than one dropouts now have less than one chance in three of finding work, and if chance in three of finding work, and if they do find a job, they typically earn they do find a job, they typically earn less than half as much as they would less than half as much as they would have twenty years ago.”have twenty years ago.”

William T. Grant Foundation, 1988William T. Grant Foundation, 1988

A Look at the FutureA Look at the Future““In 1950 there were sixteen workers for every In 1950 there were sixteen workers for every person on social security; by 2010, there will person on social security; by 2010, there will

be only three be only three (SSA, 1996)(SSA, 1996). If not all of these . If not all of these potential workers are productive, our potential workers are productive, our

nation’s social compact will crumble.”nation’s social compact will crumble.”

Linda Darling-Hammond, Linda Darling-Hammond, 19971997

Teacher EffectivenessTeacher Effectiveness (Randall, 2001) (Randall, 2001)

In a study, researchers In a study, researchers determined that 4th graders determined that 4th graders assigned to three effective assigned to three effective teachers in a row grew from teachers in a row grew from the 59th to 76th percentile in the 59th to 76th percentile in three years. A different group, three years. A different group, assigned to three ineffective assigned to three ineffective teachers for three years teachers for three years dropped from the 60th to the dropped from the 60th to the 42nd percentile in the same 42nd percentile in the same time period.time period.

Teacher EffectivenessTeacher Effectiveness(Wright, Horn, and Sanders 1997)(Wright, Horn, and Sanders 1997)

““The most important factor affecting The most important factor affecting student learning is the teacher. More student learning is the teacher. More can be done to improve education by can be done to improve education by improving the effectiveness of teachers improving the effectiveness of teachers than by any other single factor. than by any other single factor. Effective Effective teachers appear to be effective with teachers appear to be effective with students of all achievement levels students of all achievement levels regardless of the levels of heterogeneity regardless of the levels of heterogeneity in their classesin their classes.”.”

Goals for Staff Goals for Staff DevelopmentDevelopment

– Goal 1Goal 1: Sustained Collaboration and : Sustained Collaboration and Collegiality (Professional Learning Collegiality (Professional Learning Teams)Teams)

– Goal 2Goal 2: Improvement of Content and : Improvement of Content and Pedagogical KnowledgePedagogical Knowledge

– Goal 3Goal 3: Data Driven Practice, : Data Driven Practice, Research and Reflection Focused on Research and Reflection Focused on Standards and Measurable GoalsStandards and Measurable Goals

With ever declining funding, how With ever declining funding, how can we utilize our professional can we utilize our professional development money most development money most effectively to ensure highly effectively to ensure highly qualified teachers in every qualified teachers in every classroom?classroom?

How can professional development How can professional development allotments be used according to Title II?allotments be used according to Title II?

• To increase teachers’ knowledge of the To increase teachers’ knowledge of the academicacademic subjects they teach. subjects they teach.

• To focus on district wide To focus on district wide strategicstrategic planplan and and curriculum curriculum audit findingsaudit findings..

• To increase To increase achievementachievement on state on state standardsstandards and assessments. and assessments.

• To improve To improve classroom managementclassroom management skills. skills.

• To provide high quality, To provide high quality, sustainedsustained, , intensive, classroom focused learning.intensive, classroom focused learning.


• On programs/strategies supported by On programs/strategies supported by scientifically based research.scientifically based research.

• On induction and mentoring programs for On induction and mentoring programs for new teachers.new teachers.

• To provide training to help educators To provide training to help educators address a variety of learning styles address a variety of learning styles including students with disabilities, those including students with disabilities, those who are gifted and talented, and students who are gifted and talented, and students with limited English proficiency.with limited English proficiency.


• To provide teachers, principals, and To provide teachers, principals, and paraprofessionals with training in the use paraprofessionals with training in the use of technology.of technology.

• To train educators in the use of data and To train educators in the use of data and assessments to inform and instruct assessments to inform and instruct classroom practice.classroom practice.

• To aid educators in To aid educators in collaborative groupscollaborative groups to to research effective instructional practices.research effective instructional practices.

How can professional How can professional development allotments development allotments

NOT BE USED?NOT BE USED?

On one-day or short-term On one-day or short-term workshops or conferences.workshops or conferences.

A learning team, is by definition, a A learning team, is by definition, a small collaborative group of teachers small collaborative group of teachers who work together in a very disciplined who work together in a very disciplined way to focus on a central issue all year way to focus on a central issue all year

long.long.

““Learning teams start to permeate Learning teams start to permeate everything you do. Once the light bulb everything you do. Once the light bulb goes on, you can’t go back to goes on, you can’t go back to worksheets. We just aren’t going to do worksheets. We just aren’t going to do

that anymore. We’re over that.”that anymore. We’re over that.” Molli Rose, 8Molli Rose, 8thth grade teacher grade teacher

Documents

Powerful Professional Development. Its time to end sort-of staff development. Schmoker, 1999