Clearinghouse on Educational Policy and Management College of Education · University of Oregon
	"Search Help" Note that this is a web site search and will not search our databases ("Directory of Organizations", "In-Process Abstracts", the ERIC Database, "Publications").	Trends and Issues: Instructional Personnel Abstracts Discussion References Resources Professional Development Professional development plays an important role in creating and retaining quality teachers. Most teachers participate in such activities in some form; the U.S. Department of Education reported that, as of 1998, 99 percent of teachers had participated in a professional development program within the preceding 12-month period (U.S. Department of Education 2000). The duration of their participation, however, was very limited; most teachers participated between one to eight hours, or for no more than one day (U.S. Department of Education 2000). This limited participation is at odds with research showing that "the quality and duration of professional development programs is an important determinant of their ability to improve teaching practice and impact student achievement" (Hirsch, Koppich, and Knapp 2001). According to the U.S. Department of Education, "there is broad consensus about the elements that constitute an effective professional development program." Successful programs: Focus on individual, collegial, and organizational improvement. Promote continuous inquiry and improvement embedded in the daily life of schools. Are planned collaboratively by those who will participate in and facilitate that development. Require substantial time and other resources. Are driven by a coherent long-term plan. (U.S. Department of Education 2000) Research also suggests such programs should be "school-based, preferably embedded in instructional efforts through collaborative analysis of student work" (Protheroe, Lewis, and Paik 2002). The National Staff Development Council recommends professional development that is "results-driven, standards-based, job-embedded, content-rich, and school-focused" (Hirsch, Koppich, and Knapp 2001). Teacher supervision plays an important role in successful professional development by providing teachers with feedback regarding effective classroom practices (Wanzare and da Costa 2000). Four key strategies have emerged for enhancing the professional growth of teachers through supervision (Wanzare and da Costa 2000). First, staff development should be an ongoing process, "supported by modeling, coaching, and collaborative problem-solving," and should focus on ways to link new information to existing knowledge, experience, and values (Wanzare and da Costa 2000). Teachers should be provided enough time to make development part of their normal teaching responsibilities (Wanzare and da Costa 2000). Second, "teachers need to engage, both individually and in groups, in the concrete tasks of teaching, observation, assessment, experimentation, and pedagogical reflection," to gain a broader understanding of "the learning and development processes given their teaching contexts and students" (Wanzare and da Costa 2000). Third, with the goal of enabling teachers to become self-directed, administrators "should match appropriate supervisory approaches to teachers’ levels of developmental needs" (Wanzare and da Costa 2000). Finally, to "promote the spread of ideas and shared learning," administrators should "work to establish a culture that values professional, collegial interactions among participants (e.g., team planning, sharing, evaluation, and learning to create methods for peer review of practice)" (Wanzare and da Costa 2000). Kay Burke (2000) advocates "results-based professional development" to facilitate implementation of innovative classroom practices and to eliminate overemphasis on a one-size-fits-all approach to professional development. Hallmarks of results-based professional development include an emphasis on collaboration, an ongoing rather than episodic process, the establishment of measurable goals, and the creation of professional development plans (including timelines) to reach these goals. Teachers then engage in data collection and evaluation. According to Burke (2000), "this staff development not only must affect the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of individual teachers, administrators, and other school employees, but it also must alter the cultures and structures of the organizations in which those individuals work" (Burke 2000). Many states that require professional development for license renewal do not specify particular types of programs, but instead monitor the number of hours that teachers participate (Hirsch, Koppich, and Knapp 2001). This approach is also prevalent at the district level, where, due to financial concerns and lack of guidance, administrators "tend to rely on one-time, in-service and workshop models rather than on the intensive, ongoing professional development research that has been shown to be more effective" (Hirsch, Koppich, and Knapp 2001). Hirsch, Koppich and Knapp (2001) found that "although 96 percent of public school teachers reported participating in professional development activities, only 30 percent participated in professional development that involved in-depth study in a specific field, and only 15 percent received nine hours or more of this type of training" (Hirsch, Koppich, and Knapp 2001).