Professional Development and Instructional Practice: Conceptions and Evidence of Effectiveness |
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| Authors: | Heather E Quick Deborah J Holtzman Kassandra R Chaney |
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| Institution: | 1. American Institutes for Research (AIR) , hquick@air.org;3. American Institutes for Research (AIR) , |
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| Abstract: | As with many districtwide reform efforts, the San Diego reform sought to improve classroom instruction by focusing on building the capacity of teachers. This article examines practices of teacher professional development in the district and their impact on literacy instruction. Through examination of the literature on effective professional development, school staff's conceptions of what makes professional development effective, and detailed data on professional development experiences from 100 elementary teachers, we explore the extent to which characteristics of effective professional learning align with what is actually taking place in schools. We also examine relationships between professional development characteristics and teachers' use of instructional practices that have been shown to predict student growth in reading comprehension. We find that professional development characterized by an emphasis on content and curriculum and that incorporates coaching is related to a higher frequency of this type of instruction. |
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