The Sustained Use of Research-Based Instructional Practice

Abstract

This article explores factors influencing the sustained use of Peer Assisted Learning Strategies (PALS) in math in one elementary school. General education teachers participating in research studies implemented PALS twice a week to the full class, including students both with and without disabilities. The authors examined whether teachers maintained their use of PALS after the research studies ended. They also studied how PALS was used in each classroom and assessed teachers' perceptions of its utility, their understanding of its underlying principles, and their reasons for continuing use. The continued use and fidelity of implementation remained extremely high several years after the original research projects ended. Factors influencing continued use include the high quality of professional development and support provided during the research project, the solid alignment of PALS with district and state mandates, the autonomy in teaching math that PALS allowed teachers on the days they were not using PALS, and the fact that the computer-based system for monitoring student progress allowed teachers to easily see improvement in their students' math proficiency.