Summary
School districts use a variety of professional development initiatives, many of them successfully. Unfortunately, teachers often return to their previous ways of teaching soon after the initiatives are over. Consequently, sustaining or growing the results of these initiatives is challenging. This case study examines one Mid-western metropolitan school district's professional development coaching initiative through the eyes of four coaches who described their roles as coaches, the perceived success of the initiative, and their perceptions of what was needed to sustain that success after returning to their classrooms. Data were gathered via survey, documents provided by the district administration, and individual interviews with the coaches. Results indicated that coaches felt there was a need for continued support from various networked resources following the initiative in order to sustain or grow the results.
See the full content of this document
Extract
Today's Coaches Prepare Tomorrow's Mentors: Sustaining Results of Professional Development
INTRODUCTION
It is generally agreed that professional development is necessary in today's educational system where fast-paced changes present challenges to teachers who are responsible for maintaining high levels of student achievement. However, it is not agreed on what method is most effective for achieving this goal (Guskey, 1995; Lee, 2001; National Commission on Teaching and America's Future, 2003; Renyi, 1996). Various types of training programs and professional development approaches have been tried and tested throughout the years, many of them with great success. In 2000, The U.S. Department of Education published a report describing effective professional development approaches that have been linked to outstanding student achievement. These approaches included, but were not limited to, group problem solving, advanced degree programs, teacher self-assessment, coaching, and mentoring.Although there is little agreement on which method of professional development provides the best results, there is an emerging consensus about what qualities it takes to make it effective (Guskey, 1995; Lee, 2001; Little, 1994; U.S. Department of Education, 2000). For example, the National Commission on Teaching and America's Future (2003) stated: "A coordinated system of teacher recruitment, quality teacher preparation, clinical practice, induction, mentorship, and continuing professional development, with accountability built in at each stage, is essential for ensuring high-quality teaching for all students" (p. 143). Other qualities include creating a learning community with supportive leadership, offering an optimal mix of methods based on the contexts and ...See the full content of this document
Sponsored links
