Abstract
This study investigates, through a mixed method design, the effectiveness of a professional development program on teacher knowledge and student learning in order to systematically improve student achievement in elementary literacy. A large urban school district partnered with a local university to provide intervention in a Title 1, low-performing elementary school. Measures included teacher knowledge and practices based on surveys, classroom observation, and student achievement data. Teachers self-reported their perspectives on school-based teacher training in terms of its significance, requirements, challenges, and possible solutions to teacher training. Schools were selected based on their Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) in reading/ language arts’ status. Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) is a measurement defined by the United States federal No Child Left Behind Act that allows the U.S. Department of Education to determine how every public school and school district in the country is performing academically according to results on standardized tests. The collaboration effort involved supporting the school’s goal of enhancing reading, language arts, and math achievement of students by providing interventions targeted towards grades 4 and 5.
Highlights
The paper features a school district’s collaborative effort with an institute of higher education to provide professional development programs to build teacher capacity and thereby improve student learning
Customized, sustained professional development programs that align with the needs of both the schools and the staff is an important means of retaining high-quality teachers
Professional development is a viable and effective way to improve student achievement in reading, old models consisting of single workshops presented by outsiders that lack an in-depth understanding of the school, community, and the curriculum are not effective enough for today’s teachers and students
Summary
The paper features a school district’s collaborative effort with an institute of higher education to provide professional development programs to build teacher capacity and thereby improve student learning. Customized, sustained professional development programs that align with the needs of both the schools and the staff is an important means of retaining high-quality teachers. An American university’s College of Education faculty members helped provide various professional development and other activities for staff and students at a local elementary school. This collaborative effort was aimed at supporting the school's goal of enhancing reading, language arts, and math achievement of its students by providing interventions that were targeted at grades four and five
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