Collaborative for Teaching and Learning

Dr. Linda F. Hargan, President and CEO

VOLUME 2, ISSUE 4

April 2003

IN THIS ISSUE...Teacher Professional Development
	ESEA: What the Law Says| Issues & Updates| Best Practices| How We Can Help| Recommended Reading| NCLB Resources| GreatSites!
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WHAT THE LAW SAYS

Title I And Title II Formulas

Title I
The Eisenhower Professional Development and class-size reduction programs have been consolidated and approximately $3.2 billion allocated to meet the goal of improving teaching and school leadership. Formula grants are provided first to districts that, in turn, distribute these funds to individual schools. Schools may then elect to use these funds for targeted assistance or school-wide programs (in which case funds are not resticted to staff paid by Title I but may be used for all school staff involved in the program). Activities and services for which these funds may be used include:

• Hiring additional teachers to limit class size
• Providing teacher professional development
• Supporting initiatives to retain qualitifed teachers
• Extended day, year or summer programs to increase learning time.

Title II

A "highly qualified" teacher in every core subject classroom is required by 2005-06. To this end the federal government will dispense roughly $2.8 billion in NCLB Title II funds (traditionally a major funding stream for science training). Provisions in the new law now allow for a wider range of choice in how these funds are used. School administrators may elect to support professional development in other areas as long as the expenditures facilitate the completion of the teacher quality requirement.

Eligibility for Title II grants requires conducting a needs assesssment. Based on the results of this assessment, a professional development plan, or Local Improvement Plan, is then developed. Teachers are required to be active participants in both phases of this plan that, on completion, is submitted as part of the application for funding.

ISSUES & UPDATES

The Driving Force Behind Teacher Professional Development

In 1996 the National Foundation for Improvement of Education (NFIE) conducted a survey of approximately 1000 randomly selected NEA members with a minimum of three years classroom experience to determine education reform issues of most concern to them as well as their perception about the significance of teacher professional development.

The involvement of parents in the educational process was perceived as the most critical issue (93%). Other teacher concerns included student motivation/preparation for the future and the use of technology in the classroom.

Among those surveyed the major consideration noted in their pursuit of professional growth was the impact of professional development on student performance. "When teachers study, they do so to improve student achievement," the study asserts. The report cited the following factors as most important to those surveyed:

1. Improving Student Achievement (73%)
2. Improving Teaching Skills (55%)
3. Increasing Knowledge (34%)
4. Meeting People with Shared Professional Interests (9%)
5. Advancing Career (7%)
6. Maintaining Professional Certification (5%)
7. Earning More Money (5%)
8. Other (7%)

The report, entitled Teachers Take Charge of Their Learning, can be viewed online in its entirety or purchased from the NFIE's Publications Distribution Center in Annapolis Junction, Maryland.

BEST PRACTICES

Professional Development

Teachers are central to achieving the student performance targets set by ESEA/No Child Left Behind. The law requires increases in student learning as measured by standardized assessments, initially in reading and writing, with science added during the 2007-08 school year. These increases must not only occur in overall student achievement, but by subgroup as well. This means that teachers must know their content and pedagogy in reading, math and science and know how to teach diverse students, including those of poverty and color, those whose first language is not English and those with special needs.

It is no surprise then, that the law stipulates no less than five perecent of Title dollars be spent on professional development. The question remains how these dollars should be spent to enable teachers to increase student learning. Following are some guidelines representing several decades of research on effective professional development.

• Professional development content should derive from data on student learning. These data include test scores and accompanying analysis, examination of student work for patterns across groups of students as well as the needs of individual students, and teachers' anecdotal observations of students engaged in classwork.

• Since each content area has its own pedagogy, professional development should equip teachers to teach well within a specific discipline. For example, professional development in reading needs to provide teachers with a deep understanding and specific strategies they can use to help students decode words (phonics), recognize patterns in sentence structure (syntax), and make meaning from what they read (comprehension). In addition, teachers must have facility with formative assessment of student reading and know which interventions to apply for struggling readers at all levels, primary through high school.

• Within content pedagogy, professional development should address what it takes to equalize opportunities to learn for subgroups of students. In some instances, this means recognizing different discourse patterns or learning styles for groups of students. In others, it means directly teaching students skills they need to succeed across subject areas, such as organizing and prioritizing their work, breaking down the steps of a task, and assessing the quality of their own work.

• The design of professional development should situate teachers' learning within their own job setting. Sending people to conferences or to hear speakers, while it may spark thinking and create a willingness to learn, rarely translates into real changes in classroom practice. At school, classroom-centered professional learning enables teachers to determine their own classroom needs and to try out new strategies and evaluate their effectiveness based on the work their students produce.

• Formal learning should be augmented by informal learning opportunities and classroom coaching by someone knowledgeable about content and pedagogy. None of us develops new skills by hearing about something once. Instead, we need multiple opportunities to practice with feedback and a chance to refine our skills over time.

• Many educational theorists believe that learning is socially constructed--for students and adults. Professional development should allow time for groups of teachers to work together to deepen their understanding of content and pedagogy, and to collaboratively design assessments that will guide them in understanding what their students know and are able to do. Professional development aimed at creating learning communities where teachers feel safe to take risks to improve their practice, have the greatest likelihood of increasing student learning.

With diminished state funds and increasing demands on teachers' time, those who design professional development face challenges in providing adult learning that is research-based. It is important to remember that even when professional development focuses on a particular content area or small groups of teachers, the intent is to move all teachers forward in their practice, and to connect classroom interventions with school level changes so that student learning is achieved.

WE CAN HELP

NEW for 2003 are the Institutes for Educational Leadership. These three-day institutes, occurring around Kentucky this July, are being offered by the Collaborative to help districts build the capacity to offer their own high quality professional development. 2003 Institute topics are

• Closing the Achievement Gap
• Literacy for Learning in the Middle and High School

The Institutes will have a direct impact on districts’ ability to help their schools improve the quality of teaching and learning. Institutes are reasonably priced, designed to be interactive and energetic, and will provide strategies and materials for conducting your own highly effective PD back home. There are also opportunities for custom designing an Institute for districts who would like their own Institute.

The Collaborative is currently developing professional development tools to help educators meet ESEA/NCLB requirements. All courses of study, available summer 2003, can be further customized based on individual school or district need. For additional information, please contact Dr. Deborah Walker.

New Products
Transforming Practice: The Middle Grades	Available NOW! Multimedia CD-ROM demonstrating new teaching strategies and instructional approaches.
Developing a Balanced Literacy Approach in the Elementary Classroom	Engaging in comprehensive student-centered literacy: 1 year school-level course of study, including formal training, on-site coaching, and classroom modeling
Leading in a Standards-Based Environment	Developing skills and strategies for instructional leaders: 1 year district-level course of study, including formal training, coaching, and school visits
Reading and Writing to Learn in the Middle School	Developing a comprehensive cross-disciplinary literacy program: 2 year school- or district-level course of study, including formal training and coaching
Gathering Evidence of Student Learning	Assessing student performance to assure student progress
Closing the Achievement Gap	Strategies for closing the achievement gap, collecting and analyzing data, and expanding instructional practices

The following products and services are currently being offered by the Collaborative for Teaching and Learning to build on whole school quality and performance:

Existing Products
Different Ways of Knowing	Arts-infused practices to insure success for all learners
Standards Based Teaching & Learning	Solid framework for continuous improvement
Accelerated Schools Project	Whole faculty involvement to insure powerful learning

For additional information on the Collaborative's programs, please visit our website or contact Christie Maloney

RECOMMENDED READING

Major Changes to ESEA in the No Child Left Behind Act
[Learning First Alliance Online]

NCLB RESOURCES

Professional Development Defined
Outline of activities included in the NCLB definition of teacher professional development

KDE Competitive Grants

GreatSites!

Summer’s quickly approaching so this month’s GreatSites! is thinking ahead to the warmer months. In our last issue for this school year, we’re happy to provide several sites to help you plan for fun, safe and interesting travels. Our best wishes to you and yours for safe and fun-filled summer break!

Kentucky: It's That Friendly
Packed with information for making your Kentucky get-away fun and informative. The site includes a trip planner, calendar of events, lodging and dining information for all regions of the state, and much more.

Kentucky State Parks
The Bluegrass State is famous worldwide for the quality of its state parks. Visit one this summer.

The Backpacker
From beginners to seasoned hikers, this site will help find a suitable trail anywhere in the US.

The Literary Traveler
From the haunts of Hemingway to the “more than just bunnies” province of Beatrix Potter, this guide will help you plan a literary twist to your next trip.

Take Spot With You
Going on the road and plan to bring your pet? This site helps you find hotels and motels that accept Fido and Boots.

Poison Center
The kids will soon be out of school. Post the numbers of your local and vacation spot poison centers on your fridge.

FEEDBACK

Your comments and suggestions are important to us.  If there are specific topics you'd like to see addressed in this newsletter, email Mary Cinnamon.

The Collaborative for Teaching and Learning is a non-profit, tax exempt corporation founded in 1994 to assist schools in the implementation of comprehensive school reform. Please feel free to contact any of the Collaborative's officers for additional information on the organization and its work.

Dr. Linda F. Hargan/President and CEO

Dr. Deborah Walker/Senior Vice President

Mr. Dennis Horn/Vice President, Resource Development and Communications

Ms. Christie Maloney/Vice President, Programs

Collaborative for Teaching and Learning
Spring River Business Park 2303 River Road Suite 100 Louisville KY 40206 1010
Phone 502 895 9500 Toll Free 800 995 3965 Fax 502 895 9521 Email info@ctlonline.org
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