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

Professional Development, Standards, and Education Reform

As most teachers and other educators will tell you-and more policymakers are recognizing-an essential dimension in responding to these new demands is high-quality, career-long professional development. It is important not just for teachers, but also for administrators, curriculum specialists, teacher educators, paraprofessionals, school board members, and many others. They all contribute to teaching and learning environments where professional development can be transformed into improved instruction and increased student learning.

A focus for professional development is found in OERI-supported work on developing standards for beginning teachers-the Interstate New Teacher Assessment and Support Consortium (INTASC)-and for expert teachers-the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS).

INTASC's efforts are defining the knowledge, skills, and attitudes that initial teacher preparation programs should emphasize. NBPTS will provide a similar vision for the continuing development and assessment of experienced teachers. Teachers who have been preparing portfolios for the NBPTS assessments, for example, have described the experience as the best professional development activity of their careers. An OERI grants competition scheduled for release in May will fund school, university, and community partnerships in designing, implementing, and evaluating high-quality professional development programs aligned with INTASC, NBPTS, and related teacher preparation and ongoing staff development standards.

OERI contracts examining educational reform initiatives are also looking at the role of professional development in bringing about significant change. One in particular is looking at how to strengthen the professionalism of educators. This case study will provide information about the way that simultaneous renewal of schools and university programs affect the preparation and development of teachers and other educators.

Expert teachers and other educators must be supported and rewarded for excellence in teaching and for exercising leadership in their profession. A $1 million OERI grants competition that recently closed will support practitioner-led inquiry and reform activities in local schools. Additional spring competitions will be focused on supporting technology-based, staff development-oriented networks of teachers (applications due April 29) and on improving science and mathematics teachers' use of technology in their classrooms (applications available around May 13).

In collaboration with the American Educational Research Association, the American Association of Colleges of Teacher Education, and the Association of Teacher Educators, OERI is planning a conference this year to develop a research and improvement agenda that will examine interprofessional collaboration for the delivery of services to children and families. The conference will include discussions of professional development for teachers and for those in other professions who need improved knowledge and skills in order to coordinate their services for the benefit of children and families.

OERI-sponsored initiatives already underway provide much research, knowledge, and practical wisdom to inform these improvement efforts. The National Education Research Centers and Regional Education Laboratories are key resources. For example, the National Center for Research on Teacher Learning at Michigan State University has conducted studies of how teachers learn from research, peers, multimedia materials, mentors, collaborative inquiry into practice, and school restructuring efforts. For a publications list, call 517-353-4994.

Other centers on teacher evaluation, student learning and assessment, educational leadership and policy, technology, and school restructuring have much to offer. For information about the centers, call 202-219-2079.

The ten Regional Educational Laboratories are involved in helping education practitioners and policymakers examine research results and consider their implications for professional development and other strategies for improving teaching and instruction. Each lab also has special emphases on mathematics and science education and on rural education. For information about the labs, call 202- 219-2116.

As OERI approaches the new century with a new structure as the result of reauthorization, it will be looking to educators and other consumers of education research and information for suggestions on priorities. Professional development will continue to be at the top of the list. For further information about OERI's professional development initiatives, contact Joseph Vaughan, 202-219-2193.

Contents Public Meetings About Reauthorization