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

National Awards Program for
Model Professional Development

Dear Applicant:

As part of a continuing effort to honor excellence in education, the U.S. Department of Education is pleased to announce this fourth competition under the National Awards Program for Model Professional Development. The goal of this program is to recognize public and private (preK-12) schools and school districts that engage their staffs in high-quality, professional development that exemplify the Department's Mission and Principles of Professional Development.

Detailed instructions for applying for this award are provided within this application package. To be considered, an application must demonstrate alignment with the Department's Mission and Principles of Professional Development by responding to the criteria included in Sections A-E. In doing so, applicants should be sure to address the following instructions:

• Respond to Sections A-E in order.

• Carefully consider the guiding questions in each section.

• Comply with formatting instructions.

The Mission and Principles of Professional Development emphasize that ultimately professional development needs to be evaluated "on the basis of its impact on teacher effectiveness and student learning." Applicants should pay particular attention to Section D of the Selection Criteria, "Objective Evidence of Success", which requires them to:

• present objective data that illustrate the relationship between professional development activities and increases in student achievement, and

• provide evidence that achievement gaps between groups of students have been narrowed as a result of professional development.

Please note that the selection criteria now require applications to include data on student achievement that reflect multiple measures and cover a period of three years or more. As many school districts are only now beginning to implement performance assessments that are aligned with new content standards, applicants are expected to use whatever data sources they have relied upon during this multi-year period to measure student achievement. In addition, high quality applications can be expected to clearly address the linkage between needs assessments, improvement plans, professional development activities, and teacher and student outcomes.

Thank you for your interest in the National Awards Program for Model Professional Development. For profiles of previously recognized schools and districts, see the following URL: http://www.ed.gov/inits/teachers/research.html If you have questions, please contact Sharon Horn at the Office of Educational Research and Improvement, U.S. Department of Education, 555 New Jersey Avenue NW, Room 506e,Washington, DC 20208-5644, phone 202-219-2203, fax 202-219-2198, or by e-mail: sharon.horn@ed.gov.

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[Mission and Principles of Professional Development]

[Application Package]