A new report explores common structures and strategies for teachers’ on-the-job training in four states with high student achievement and above-average participation in professional development.
Released last month by Learning Forward of Oxford, Ohio, the report notes that, while there’s no causal data to link the approaches to professional development in Colorado, Missouri, New Jersey, and Vermont to their higher student achievement, insights on their common approaches could spur better practices in districts nationwide.
Such strategies include:
• Common standards for professional development that are integrated into licensure and certification systems;
• Emerging efforts to audit and monitor the quality of professional development;
• Mentoring and induction requirements for new teachers, some of which are enforced;
• A network and infrastructure that offer support for site-based professional development; and
• Stability of resources, even during the economic downturn.
Written by Stanford University education professor Linda Darling-Hammond and others, the report is the last of a three-part study of professional development.
