Title: Arts for Learning/Miami Professional Development Program: Does It Measure Up?
Abstract: This paper examines the relationship between student achievement, teacher practice, and professional development programs for teachers. A theoretical program model is then created and used to evaluate the Arts for Learning/Miami program model. As schools strive to meet federal, state and local standards for student achievement, the role and value of professional development is brought into question. Does continuing professional education have an impact on student performance? Is there direct correlation between teacher practices and student achievement and, if so, does staff development improve teacher practices? What are the defined goals and desired outcomes of teacher development programs when student test scores are the primary measurement for success? What other factors influence student achievement and how do they impact professional development programming? When reform initiatives are expressed through professional development programs, what barriers arise to prevent successful teacher development? As the fourth largest school system in the nation servicing a widely diverse student population, Miami Dade County Public Schools (MDCPS) must ensure that its development initiatives reap results. In 2000, the MDCPS partnered with the Miami-Dade Department of Cultural Affairs and Young Audiences to create Arts for Learning/Miami (A4L/Miami), a nonprofit organization that works to advance teaching and learning by providing professional development programming in arts-integrated, team teaching methods. The program was initiated in response to concerns that the arts were being marginalized as testing on core curriculum state standards became emphasized. Similar programs in other states and scholarly research gave evidence that infusing the arts into classroom activities helps to teach core subjects by addressing multiple learning styles (Gardner, 1999; Gardner & Hatch, 1989). The program teaches teachers how to utilize arts-integrated methodology to bring learning to life. A series of government, corporate and private grants now fund the A4L/Miami program. Recent funding through The Children’s Trust (which was created through a Miami-Dade county voter referendum in 2002) makes the professional development program available to teachers, early childhood professionals, parents, after-school activity leaders and teaching artists. In this paper, the A4L/Miami professional development model will be measured against a theoretical model of continuing professional education to assess gaps in performance. Documents from government agencies and professional organizations, research findings, evaluation reports, and scholarly writings are used to comprise the theoretical model by which the A4L model is analyzed. Theoretical Framework First, the relationship between student performance, teacher practice, and professional development activities for teachers is explored. Next, a sample model is established through the review and comparison of various theoretical models of best practices for professional development programming. Once the sample model is defined, barriers to successful implementation are explored. The A4L/Miami professional development model is then measured against the sample to discern discrepancies and the results are analyzed for feedback on future action. Linking Professional Development Programs to Student Performance via Teacher Practice While student performance is ultimately the final determinant of professional development effectiveness, it is nearly impossible to draw clear empirical conclusions that link the two in a direct cause/effect relationship. However, it is possible to obtain good evidence. (Guskey, 1999; Guskey & Sparks, 2002; Haycock, 1998). The Education Trust conducted an exhaustive review of teacher effectiveness data systems (also known as value-added systems) in urban schools across the country over the course of a decade (Carey, 2004). The data from this review traces clear evidence relating quality of teacher practice to student performance. By establishing the impact of teacher practices on student achievement, the importance of effective teacher development is verified through extension. As quoted by the director of the Education Trust, “If education leaders want to close the achievement gap, they must focus, first and foremost, on developing qualified teachers” (Haycock, 1998, p. 12). Guskey and Sparks (2002) extended current research to develop a theoretical model that illustrates the multidimensional relationship between professional development for teachers and improvements in student learning. The premise of the model is that many factors influence the quality of professional development programs. Furthermore, student performance is influenced not only by the knowledge and practice of teachers, but administrators and parents as well. The model was tested on five in-depth case studies with the conclusion that the relationship between professional development and improved student achievement is complex but not chaotic or random. The results also underscored the importance of utilizing a systemic approach to professional development. Establishing Best Practices in Professional Development A comprehensive evaluative report authored by Mullens, Leighton, Laguarda, and O’Brien (1996) and published by the U. S. Department of Education National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) outlines optimum professional development goals and practices. The report clarifies the difference between training and educating. Training is defined as transferring technical information or mastering proven procedures. Education (reform development) entails learning to “apply broad concepts of reform to specific classroom contexts” and to solve complex problems in collaboration with others (Mullens et al., 1996, p. 23). Focus is placed on analytical and reflective learning that utilizes teachers’ current skills and prior experience as a resource for future learning. This open-ended, collaborative, problem-based learning model offers teachers “meaningful intellectual, social and emotional engagement with ideas, with materials and with colleagues” (Mullens et al., 1996, p. 24). Moreover, the report emphasizes that the learning goals for teachers must be compatible with the learning goals for students and must be directly linked to broader school improvement goals. This ensures overall coherence, builds support by reinforcing individual goals within the organizational structure, and, thereby, promotes continuous inquiry, reflection and learning as an integral part of the school culture. Aside from program design, the contents, delivery, context and methods of evaluation are also discussed. Appropriate program content ties-in to practical subject matter and teaching strategies that are rooted in classroom concerns. Group process skills (brainstorming, decisionmaking, consensus building) are also forms of content that link to more successful reform.
Publication Year: 2013
Publication Date: 2013-01-01
Language: en
Type: article
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