Exploring Teachers' and Principals' Perceptions of Systemic Change in Professional Development in the Talladega County School System PDF Download
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Author: Suzanne Lacey
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : School management and organization
Languages : en
Pages : 216
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Book Description
Author: Suzanne Lacey
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : School management and organization
Languages : en
Pages : 216
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Book Description
Author: Lori Kelsey
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Organizational change
Languages : en
Pages : 264
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Book Description
The purpose of this evaluative case study was to explore teachers' and administrators' perceptions of the organizational capacity during an initial implementation of a systemic change in professional development at a K-8 school. Educational reform acts such as the No Child Left Behind Act of 2002 pressure public school systems to increase student achievement. School district personnel abide by making systemic changes in professional development. For organizations to make such systemic changes, first the culture must change. In an era of ongoing educational reform, it remains important to continually build upon the evidentiary body of literature so that the nation's students will potentially benefit from the highest quality of instruction provided by teachers working within a system of highly developed organizational capacity. Through application of Guskey's evaluation model, the researcher employed a mixed methodology approach that examined the following five critical aspects of organizational capacity: school vision and leadership, collective commitment and cultural norms, knowledge or access to knowledge, organizational structure and management, and resources. Data collection of the purposeful sample occurred in three phases and included a two-part teacher participant survey, teacher focus group interviews, and administrator semi structured interviews. Key findings emerged from cross case and within case data analysis. These key findings emphasized that perceptions of collective commitment and cultural norms may potentially influence other critical aspects of organizational capacity and therefore may potentially increase or decrease the complexities of systemic change during the initial implementation of a professional development program. Recommendations for future research include studies designed to explore the collective commitment and cultural norms of successful local schools' within the context of systems that sustain a continuous cycle of learning. Recommendations for future practice include assessing collective commitment and cultural norms prior to systemic change and during the life of a program.
Author: Joan Wrobleski Whitman
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Classroom management
Languages : en
Pages : 222
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Book Description
Designers of professional development training often presume that teachers are able to apply new concepts classroom practice, but fail to include teacher voice, provide systemic follow-up, collegial support, and evaluation (Guskey, 2002; Joyce & Calhoun, 2010; McAdams, 2007). The study investigated differences between new, non-tenured and experienced, tenured teacher perceptions of the impact of one or more graduate courses offered through a school district designed professional development program. Participation was voluntary for experienced teachers and mandatory for new teachers. The study also explored teacher perceptions of impact on classroom practice based on Guskey's (2000) Five Critical Levels of Professional Development Evaluation. This case study utilized mixed methods and included a researcher-generated survey and three focus groups. The sample was comprised of prek-12 teachers from a Midwest, urban school district. Teachers revealed their perceptions of impact on classroom practice by identifying one or more researcher-generated Impact Statements linked to each course. The study concluded that teachers perceived only one graduate course had a significant impact on classroom practice. Tenured teachers reported course topics and activities related to their learning needs but did not impact classroom practice. Non-tenured teachers concluded that the graduate course topics were similar to the undergraduate level, should not be mandatory, and did not meet the professional needs of new teachers. Teachers also evaluated course impact in relationship to Levels 1 and 2 of Guskey's (2000) Five Critical Levels of Professional Development Evaluation, but not sufficient to impact change in classroom practice and student learning. The implications of the study suggest the need for prek-12 organizations to address learning needs according to tenure and engage teachers and adminstrators as collaborative partners in the design, implementation, and evaluation of professional development. Professional development would have greater value if school district efforts included research-designed models, such as Guskey's (2000) and Joyce and Showers (1987), which purposefully focus on the transfer of knowledge and skills from the workshop to the workplace. Moreover, the credibility of school leaders would improve if they assumed an active role in learning with teachers and providing resources necessary to change teacher practice to impact student outcomes.
Author: Robert L. Walker
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Follow-up in teacher training
Languages : en
Pages : 134
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Book Description
The need for systemic academic improvements may significantly impact the way professional development is perceived and practiced in high schools today. The purpose of the present qualitative case study was to examine the perceptions of teachers and administrators in five high schools in south central Pennsylvania regarding staff development. This study examined how novice and veteran teachers and administrators perceived the (a) context, (b) process, and (c) content vital to the process of staff development. Furthermore, this study sought to find the interconnectedness between the current body of research and the perceptions of novice and veteran administrators as well as novice and veteran teachers regarding the impact of collaborative professional learning experiences in order to improve professional practice. Finally, this study investigated the perceived change in classroom practice as a result of implementing new practices gained from professional development experiences. These perceptions were gathered through (a) surveys, (b) interviews, and (c) group interviews. This study used five suburban high schools in two counties in South Central Pennsylvania. The most prevalent themes that established a connection to change in teacher behavior as a result of professional development activities identified in this study were (a) collaboration with other teachers, (b) personal value, (c) limited objectives, and (d) connections to evaluation. This study could serve school districts as a resource to evaluate and improve current professional development systems within their schools with intent of improving the efficiency and effectiveness professional development activities.
Author: Angela B. Peery
Publisher: R&L Education
ISBN: 9781578860487
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 156
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Book Description
Many reforms undertaken in the name of greater student learning also apply to the ongoing learning of teachers. In Deep Change, Peery examines both theory and practice and recommends five key processes for increasing teacher learning, which will improve staff development at a minimal cost. Peery also includes numerous examples of teacher growth taken from diverse contexts.
Author: Joseph H. H. Semadeni
Publisher: ASCD
ISBN: 1416612114
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 244
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Book Description
How can every teacher, school, and district improve the quality of their schools? The answer is to empower teachers to take charge of their own learning, says author and teacher Joseph H. Semadeni. In this book, you'll learn how the Fusion professional development model can help you do just that. This accessible, customizable, and affordable model gives you proven ways to successfully establish teaching and learning practices that are grounded in solid educational research. In some schools, you may wish to begin the program with just a few teachers and let it gain recognition, support, and buy-in from the biggest skeptics. In other schools, the whole staff may be inspired to create their own lists of best practices, funding levels, and new school-day schedules. In both scenarios, schools have successfully implemented Fusion where it was needed the most. What's most appealing to teachers is that this approach gives them the chance to determine what strategies they want to learn, how much professional development they want to access, and when it best fits their schedules. As teachers learn, use, observe, and are observed practicing the strategies in their classrooms, they determine which practices best fit their students and foster achievement. With experience, teachers become eligible for related pay increases and Fusion helps teachers to foster the qualities, attitudes, and behaviors necessary to establish and nurture a collaborative culture within the school community.
Author: Anna Theresa Perry
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Teacher effectiveness
Languages : en
Pages : 169
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Book Description
The value of professional development continues to be emphasized on educational and governmental levels. Even as this study was being conducted, the U.S. Department of Education launched a $4.35 billion dollar grant that includes improving teacher effectiveness as a core component of the grant's purpose. While the importance of the professional development of educators is clear, what is less clear is the type of professional development that transforms teaching practices and positively impacts student outcomes. Evaluations of professional development programs are critical in identifying ways to impact teacher practice and ultimately student outcomes. Guskey (2000) provides a model for evaluating professional development that includes five stages of information collection. The purpose of this study was to evaluate a professional development initiative in one large school system in North Carolina by applying Guskey's model to examining specific elements of the initiative, surveying teacher and administrator perceptions of the initiative, and analyzing trends in student outcomes that occurred during the six year period the initiative was implemented. A mixed methodology approach combining quantitative and qualitative methods was used. Electronic survey responses from 2,309 teachers and administrators were analyzed quantitatively using frequency distribution statistics, as well as the Fisher's exact test to analyze the relationship of responses between teachers and administrators. Additionally, trends in proficiency student outcome data as well as trends in AYP status were examined during the period the professional development initiative was implemented in the school district. For the qualitative data, open-ended survey responses from 77 principals were analyzed using frequency distribution statistics. This study corroborated the finding from other research studies in the professional literature that indicate the difficulty of linking professional development to student outcomes. The results of this study also support the literature suggesting that specific elements must be present in order for the professional development to be translated into teaching practice. This study has many implications for school leaders as they plan professional development initiatives. Recommendations for planning, implementing, and evaluating, professional development initiatives are included.
Author: Meagan England
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 126
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Book Description
According to researchers, teachers participated in professional development to improve practice and improve students learning outcomes (Wei, Darling-Hammond, Andree, Richardson, & Orphanos, 2009); however, there was little direct evidence related to what types of professional development were directly related to teachers implementing change in their classroom (Jaquith, Mindich, Wei, & Darling-Hammond, 2010; Wei, Darling-Hammond, & Adamson, 2010; Wei et al., 2009). The purpose of this qualitative study was to identify what instructional practices teacher implemented in their classroom after attending formal and informal professional development and to determine teachers' perceptions of their experiences with formal professional development. The researcher found that the data depicted six key themes related to professional development: 1) teacher-led, 2) teacher choice, 3) related to the classroom, 4) time for practice, 5) student engagement, and 6) content specific instructional practices.
Author: Cheryl S. Reichert
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 142
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Book Description
This qualitative case study investigated the professional development for teachers in one Missouri school district from the perspective of principals and teachers to determine whether Knowles (1990) adult learning theory assumptions are applied in the planning and implementation of professional development. The definition of professional development utilized in the study was “building capacity of teachers to help students learn” (DiPaola & Hoy, 2014, p. 101). Professional development has been the mode to improve instruction through teacher training ultimately to produce higher student achievement (Miller, Garciduenas, Green, Shatola, & Enumba, 2008). Creating change with teachers required study into how teachers learn (Gregson & Sturko, 2007). Caruth (2014) defined adult learning theory as the study of how adults learn. The study focused on the perceptions of principals and teachers in regards to professional development and its planning and implementation through the lens of the six adult learning theory assumptions: self-directed, need to know, life experiences, readiness to learn, internal motivation, and orientation to learning. A qualitative case study approach allowed the researcher to examine the six assumptions of adult learning theory within one school district. A qualitative case student approach provided opportunities for in-depth answers and richer feedback (Mertens, 2005). For this research, the case study consisted of one school district and two high schools. Semi-structured questions, encouraging open ended answers, were asked to the two building principals and a focus group (containing 5-6 participants) from each building. Through data analysis, the six assumptions of adult learning theory were examined. These themes provided insight as to the perceptions of principals and teachers about the professional development offered within their buildings.
Author: Ann Lieberman
Publisher: Teachers College Press
ISBN: 9780807740996
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 280
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Book Description
Because what we do in staff development can best be understood in terms of Contexts, Strategies, and Structures, the remainder of the book features distinguished educators who write from their own unique experiential and theoretical stances. Jacqueline Ancess describes how teachers in New York City secondary schools increase their own learning while improving student outcomes • Milbrey W. McLaughlin and Joel Zarrow demonstrate how teachers learn to use data to improve their practice and meet educational standards • Lynne Miller presents a case study of a long-lived school, university partnership • Beverly Falk recounts stories of teachers working together to develop performance assessments, to understand their student’s learning, to re-think their curriculum, and much more • Laura Stokes analyzes a school that successfully uses inquiry groups. There are further contributions (including some from novice teachers) by Anna Richert Ershler, Ann Lieberman, Diane Wood, Sarah Warshauer Freedman, and Joseph P. McDonald. These powerful exemplars from practice provide a much-needed overview of what matters and what really works in professional development today.
