A r c h i v e d  I n f o r m a t i o n

Model Professional Development Programs Win Recognition

A Navajo Nation intermediate school in an isolated Arizona valley. A New York City international high school, where over 70 percent of the students have limited English proficiency. An elementary school in an affluent Georgia community. A controlled-choice school in inner-city Boston with a predominantly African-American enrollment. These markedly divergent schools, among the 20 winners in the U.S. Department of Education's National Awards Program for Model Professional Development, provide compelling evidence that model programs can flourish in an array of settings. They also illustrate that high quality professional development can and does bring about improved student learning--if it is initiated, implemented, and monitored with exactly that in mind.

Begun in 1996 to highlight and recognize schools and school districts with exemplary professional development programs, the Program identifies a variety of comprehensive pre K-12 models that exemplify the Department's mission and principles of professional development. The Office of Educational Research and Improvement developed these criteria based on the best available research on effective practice and after discussion among a wide range of education constituencies. Thus, each model:

• cultivates professional growth as an integral part of school culture;
• addresses the needs of all students;
• promotes professional development practices that ensure equity; and
• improves student learning.

Educators at the Ganado Intermediate School, part of the Navajo Nation in Arizona, had all of these criteria in mind when they targeted professional development efforts to improve reading achievement. Teachers and staff created their own instructional plans and research-based strategies, and evaluated their practice based on student achievement. Critical as well was the need to in corporate the cultural needs of Navajo students. Their efforts paid off when Ganado students, including those in special education, registered increased average scores on state-mandated tests.

Across the continent in New York City, the International High School (IHS) achieved success in a radically different setting. Established in 1985 as part of the city's alternative high school system, IHS enrolls limited-English speaking adolescents who have been in the United States 4 years or less. After deciding that student need should drive professional development efforts, the school organized into six 75-member teams, with faculty for each team setting professional development goals, planning activities, and providing constant monitoring and evaluation of practices. This strategy led to higher graduation rates, an attendance rate of 95 percent, and a dropout rate below the city average.

The principal of Boston's "least chosen" school transformed it into the city's "12th most selected." She achieved this by encouraging teachers to engage in professional development that was grounded in analyzing student achievement data and by using research on best practices to reform instruction. Reading and writing received a major emphasis, and students at the Samuel Mason Elementary School in Roxbury showed gains over a 3-year period on standardized tests and other measures.

To learn more about the National Awards Program for Model Professional Development and the 13 schools and school districts previously recognized, visit http://www.ed.gov/inits/teachers/research.html. This year's winners can be found at http://www.ed.gov/PressReleases/08-1999/model.html. For additional, information, call Sharon Horn at 202-219-2203 or e-mail sharon.horn@ed.gov.

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