New Report: Professional Development in the United States: Trends and Challenges

Posted by on September 03, 2010

PD flagging nationally

A new report from the National Staff Development Council and the Stanford Center for Opportunity Policy in Education — phase II of a three-phase study — analyzes the status of professional learning in the United States, and finds some progress in increased support and mentoring for new teachers, but also finds the country has moved backward in providing the vast majority of teachers with the kind of ongoing, intensive professional learning that research shows substantially impacts student learning. In 2008, teachers had fewer opportunities to engage in sustained professional learning opportunities than four years earlier. They were also half as likely to report collaborative efforts in their schools than teachers were in 2000. The intensity of professional development — which is closely linked to teachers’ perceptions of its usefulness and its effectiveness in changing practice and improving student outcomes — has declined in many instructional areas, including the use of computers for instruction, reading instruction, classroom management, and teaching ELLs and students with disabilities. The next phase of the report will include in-depth case studies of several states and districts that show evidence of exemplary, research-based practices and increases in student achievement.

See the report: http://www.learningforward.org/stateproflearning.cfm