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Report
EFFECTIVE TEACHER PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
Published
June 5, 2017
By Linda Darling-Hammond Maria E. Hyler Madelyn Gardner
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CITATION
Darling-Hammond, L., Hyler, M. E., Gardner, M. (2017). Effective Teacher
Professional Development. Palo Alto, CA: Learning Policy Institute.
https://doi.org/10.54300/122.311.
Copy citation
Educators and policymakers are increasingly looking to teacher professional
learning as an important strategy for supporting the complex skills students
need to be prepared for further education and work in the 21st century. For
students to develop mastery of challenging content, problem-solving, effective
communication and collaboration, and self-direction, teachers must employ more
sophisticated forms of teaching. Effective professional development (PD) is key
to teachers learning and refining the pedagogies required to teach these skills.
But what constitutes effective professional development? That’s the question we
set out to answer in this report, which reviews 35 methodologically rigorous
studies that have demonstrated a positive link between teacher professional
development, teaching practices, and student outcomes. We identify key features
of effective efforts and offer rich descriptions of these models to inform
education leaders and policymakers seeking to leverage professional development
to improve student learning.
DEFINING AND STUDYING EFFECTIVE PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
We define effective professional development as structured professional learning
that results in changes in teacher practices and improvements in student
learning outcomes. To define features of effective PD, we reviewed studies
meeting our methodological criteria that emerged from our extensive search of
the literature over the last three decades.
Using this methodology, we found that effective professional development
incorporates most, if not all, of the following elements:
* Is content focused: PD that focuses on teaching strategies associated with
specific curriculum content supports teacher learning within teachers’
classroom contexts. This element includes an intentional focus on
discipline-specific curriculum development and pedagogies in areas such
as mathematics, science, or literacy.
* Incorporates active learning: Active learning engages teachers directly in
designing and trying out teaching strategies, providing them an opportunity
to engage in the same style of learning they are designing for their
students. Such PD uses authentic artifacts, interactive activities, and other
strategies to provide deeply embedded, highly contextualized professional
learning. This approach moves away from traditional learning models and
environments that are lecture based and have no direct connection to
teachers’ classrooms and students.
* Supports collaboration: High-quality PD creates space for teachers to share
ideas and collaborate in their learning, often in job-embedded contexts. By
working collaboratively, teachers can create communities that positively
change the culture and instruction of their entire grade level, department,
school and/or district.
* Uses models of effective practice: Curricular models and modeling of
instruction provide teachers with a clear vision of what best practices look
like. Teachers may view models that include lesson plans, unit plans, sample
student work, observations of peer teachers, and video or written cases of
teaching.
* Provides coaching and expert support: Coaching and expert support involve the
sharing of expertise about content and evidence-based practices, focused
directly on teachers’ individual needs.
* Offers feedback and reflection: High-quality professional learning frequently
provides built-in time for teachers to think about, receive input on, and
make changes to their practice by facilitating reflection and soliciting
feedback. Feedback and reflection both help teachers to thoughtfully move
toward the expert visions of practice.
* Is of sustained duration: Effective PD provides teachers with adequate time
to learn, practice, implement, and reflect upon new strategies that
facilitate changes in their practice.
The report also examines professional learning communities (PLCs) as an example
of a PD model that incorporates several of these effective elements and supports
student learning gains. This collaborative and job-embedded PD can be a source
of efficacy and confidence for teachers, and can result in widespread
improvement within and beyond the school level.
CREATING CONDITIONS FOR EFFECTIVE PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT: OPPORTUNITIES AND
CHALLENGES
Research has established that the educational system within which PD occurs has
implications for its effectiveness. Specifically, conditions for teaching and
learning both within schools and at the system level can inhibit the
effectiveness of PD. For example, inadequate resourcing for PD—including needed
curriculum materials—frequently exacerbates inequities and hinders
school-improvement efforts. Failure to align policies toward a coherent set of
practices is also a major impediment, as is a dysfunctional school culture.
Implementing effective PD well also requires responsiveness to the needs of
educators and learners and to the contexts in which teaching and learning will
take place.
IMPLICATIONS FOR POLICY AND PRACTICE
Examples of PD that have been successful in raising student achievement can help
policymakers and practitioners better understand what quality teacher
professional learning looks like. Below are recommended actions for policymakers
to support and incentivize the kind of evidence-based PD described here.
1. Adopt standards for professional development to guide the design,
evaluation, and funding of professional learning provided to educators.
These standards might reflect the features of effective professional
learning outlined in this report as well as standards for implementation.
2. Evaluate and redesign the use of time and school schedules to increase
opportunities for professional learning and collaboration, including
participation in professional learning communities, peer coaching and
observations across classrooms, and collaborative planning.
3. Regularly conduct needs assessments using data from staff surveys to
identify areas of professional learning most needed and desired by
educators. Data from these sources can help ensure that professional
learning is not disconnected from practice and supports the areas of
knowledge and skills educators want to develop.
4. Identify and develop expert teachers as mentors and coaches to support
learning in their area(s) of expertise for other educators.
5. Integrate professional learning into the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA)
school improvement initiatives, such as efforts to implement new learning
standards, use student data to inform instruction, improve student literacy,
increase student access to advanced coursework, and create a positive and
inclusive learning environment.
6. Provide technology-facilitated opportunities for professional learning and
coaching, using funding available under Titles II and IV of ESSA to address
the needs of rural communities and provide opportunities for intradistrict
and intraschool collaboration.
7. Provide flexible funding and continuing education units for learning
opportunities that include sustained engagement in collaboration, mentoring,
and coaching, as well as institutes, workshops, and seminars.
Well-designed and implemented PD should be considered an essential component of
a comprehensive system of teaching and learning that supports students to
develop the knowledge, skills, and competencies they need to thrive in the 21st
century. To ensure a coherent system that supports teachers across the entire
professional continuum, professional learning should link to their experiences
in preparation and induction, as well as to teaching standards and evaluation.
It should also bridge to leadership opportunities to ensure a comprehensive
system focused on the growth and development of teachers.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
This report was prepared with the assistance of Danny Espinoza.
Effective Teacher Professional Development by Linda Darling-Hammond, Maria E.
Hyler, and Madelyn Gardner is licensed under a Creative Commons
Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License(link is external).
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