Dial-in: Pass code: SPDG Directors’ Webinar What Have We Learned About Teacher Learning? Findings from Randomized Control Trials Presenter Laura M. Desimone University of Pennsylvania Facilitators: Jennifer Coffey, OSEP Project Officer John Lind, SIGnetwork Coordinator 1

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Introductions 6 Laura M. Desimone University of Pennsylvan ia

What Have We Learned About Teacher Learning? Findings from Randomized Control Trials Laura M. Desimone University of Pennsylvania

Why Should Policymakers Care About Teacher Learning?  Teacher Quality: not all teachers are effective in fostering student learning  Reforms: Most reforms rely on teacher learning and improved instruction to increase student learning.  Money: We spend over 1.5 billion on teacher professional development at the federal, state and local levels.

Core Model of Professional Development Effects on Teachers and Students

Conceptual Grounding: What Makes Professional Development Effective?  subject-matter focus  active learning  collective participation  coherence  sustained

Randomized Control Trials: What Are We Learning?

Effects Depend on the Target of the Intervention 1.What is the target of teacher change? a)Instructional Procedures b)Content Knowledge c)Curriculum Use d)Decision-making e)A Combination of these

Implementation Matters 1.Importance of implementation a)The level and quality of implementation is linked to effects. b)Implementation often varies by teacher characteristics. c)Dips in implementation occur, especially at start-up. d)There is considerable variation in how we measure implementation.

Which Teachers Learn More/Implement Better? Experience matters, but in different ways for different interventions Content knowledge: the Matthew Effect

Implementation Dip What is an appropriate trajectory of teacher change? How long should it take, and what should the trend look like?

How Do We Measure Implementation? Observations Checklists Self-report surveys

Are Results Related to the Theory of Change or the Theory of Instruction?  Theory of Change: Does the PD change teachers in targeted ways (e.g., knowledge, pedagogy)?  Theory of Instruction: When teachers change in targeted ways, does student learning improve?

Is the PD High Quality?  By design, often yes. Most follow the tenets of “high-quality” PD: sustained ( hrs, school year follow-up), active learning, collective participation, focused on content.  In implementation, no.  Most notable variation is in coherence, in terms of integration with the curriculum, and other reforms and PDs.

Effects on Student Achievement  Few main effects on student achievement (e.g., Heller, 2002); small effects .2 to.3 ES (e.g., Greenleaf et al., 2011; Penuel, Gallagher, & Moorthy, 2011).  Effects on aligned not standardized tests (Simmons et al., 2010)  Interactions with teacher and student characteristics o students with higher pre-tests scores (e.g., Phelan et al., 2011) o teacher experience (Borman, Gamoran, & Bowdon, 2008) o teacher prior content knowledge (Santagata et al., 2011)

How Do We Measure Outcomes?

Policy/Accountability Issues 1.Is the PD voluntary or mandatory? 2.Is it specific? 3.Is it supported by the school or district? Who initiated it? 4.How coherence/aligned is it with other policies/interventions? 5.Is there any monitoring or accountability of use of what was taught in the PD?

Conceptual Framework: Policy Attributes Theory

Issues to Consider In Designing & Interpreting Results of PD Studies Alignment with curricula and other teacher learning opportunities Implementation: quality and thresholds Teacher adaptation and individual teacher needs Effects of intervention research on professional community, teacher adaptation Role of school and district in monitoring and support Timeline, trajectory Appropriate outcomes

Discussion, Questions, Comments

Contact: Laura M. Desimone