Title: An Investigation of the Impacts of Teacher-Driven Professional Development on Pedagogy and Student Learning
Abstract: Introduction In 1998, Linda Darling Hammond argued that quality is the factor that matters most for student This dictum was reiterated by Geringer (2003) who not only affirmed that a good teacher is a crucial factor in student learning, but stated that teacher quality outweighs the importance of standards, funding, and class size. Professional development is a common and necessary approach to improving teacher quality. However, while teachers are required to participate in professional development activities, it is often the case that they are not involved in selecting and planning those activities, and that professional development may not be closely tied to classroom practice. The Francis P. Collea Teacher Achievement Award Program (CTAAP) is a professional development model grounded in much of the current literature about professional development. The CTAAP was originally funded in 1994-95 under the auspices of the California Postsecondary Education Commission and received funding for six, two-year cycles. The sixth cycle (2004-06) was investigated in the present case. Twelve teams of 2-4 teachers each were selected from a pool of proposals which were submitted and evaluated. The Request for Proposals was sent to every elementary and secondary school in California. There were a total of 37 teacher participants. The funded proposals spanned all grade levels. Subject areas included science, social studies, special education, reading and literacy, and visual and performing arts. Interdisciplinary projects were encouraged. Project teams received $30,000 for two years. Funds could be used for any activities related to teacher professional development in the designated subject area(s), including, but not limited to, travel to professional organization conferences and project-related training programs, enrolling in professional development and university courses, purchasing, developing, implementing and evaluating curriculum materials, purchasing hardware and software, and bringing experts from the field into participants' schools and classrooms. Project teams were monitored by attending annual meetings at which they made presentations on project-related activities that occurred during the previous year. They also submitted annual reports. Project staff visited each site at least once. CTAAP provides teachers with the opportunity to make decisions about their professional growth. This article examines the experiences of those teachers and the potential for their professional development experiences to impact pedagogy and student learning. Theoretical Framework The current research literature about professional development advocates improving pedagogy by providing teachers with opportunities to practice new professional behaviors and establish networks that allow teachers to collegially interact with colleagues (Bonner, 2006; Garet, Porter, Desimone, Birman, & Yoon, 2001; Peckover, Peterson, Christiansen, & Covert, 2006; Sparks, 2004). Prior to the implementation of the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) legislation (Public Law 107-110), the field was slowly moving away from the sit and get model, which imposes professional development on teachers in a top-down, non-collaborative manner. However, with the implementation of NCLB the field has seen a resurgence of professional development dependent on mandates, scripted teaching, and oversight by school administrators to assure compliance (Peckover et al., 2006; Sparks, 2004). The No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB), as it relates to professional development, has created a professional development system that does not allow teachers to utilize their professional judgment to determine their own professional development needs or make decisions regarding what professional growth activities are relevant to their classrooms. For example, Sparks (2004) wrote that currently, professional development exists in a two-tiered system. …
Publication Year: 2008
Publication Date: 2008-03-22
Language: en
Type: article
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Cited By Count: 112
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