Archived: Designing Effective Professional Development: Lessons From the Eisenhower Program - Executive Summary (Effectiveness of Eisenhower-assisted Professional Development Activities)

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

Designing Effective Professional Development: Lessons From the Eisenhower Program - Executive Summary - December 1999

Effectiveness of Eisenhower-assisted Professional Development Activities

To measure the effectiveness of Eisenhower-assisted professional development activities, we asked teachers to report on the extent to which participation enhanced their knowledge and skills in six domains: (1) in-depth knowledge of mathematics/science; (2) curriculum; (3) instructional methods; (4) approaches to assessment; (5) use of technology; and (6) approaches to diversity.

Indicator. Teacher's Skills and Classroom Instruction. By 1998, over 50 percent of a sample of teachers will show evidence that participation in Eisenhower-assisted professional development has resulted in an improvement in their knowledge and skills, and by 2000, over 60 percent will show such evidence. By 1999, over 50 percent of a sample of teachers in selected sites will show evidence that participation in Eisenhower-assisted professional development has resulted in improved classroom instruction.

Overall, the results on effectiveness are mixed. When asked directly, many teachers in SAHE-grantee activities report that participation in Eisenhower-assisted professional development led to enhanced knowledge and skills and changes in their classroom teaching practice. Somewhat fewer teachers in districts report that participation in Eisenhower-assisted activities led to these positive teacher outcomes. (See Exhibit ES.1.)

Forty-eight percent of teachers in district activities and 68 percent of teachers in SAHE-supported activities report enhanced in-depth knowledge of mathematics or science; and 63 percent of teachers in district activities and 79 percent of teachers in SAHE-supported activities report enhanced knowledge of instructional methods.

Percentages are lower for the use of technology and approaches to diversity. (About 24 percent of teachers in district activities and 50 percent in SAHE-grantee activities report enhanced knowledge and skills in technology; 26 percent in district activities and 35 percent in SAHE-grantee activities report enhanced knowledge and skills in approaches to diversity.)

SAHE-grantee activities meet ED?s standard for changes in teachers? knowledge and skills (see box) in four of the six domains measured by the evaluation, and district activities meet this standard for two domains.

EXHIBIT ES.1

Source: Mail Survey of Teachers Participating in Eisenhower-assisted Professional Development Activities, 1998.

How to read this exhibit: The first bar shows that 48 percent of the teachers who participated in district activities report their in-depth content knowledge and skills have been enhanced substantially as a result of professional development. Each bar and the number on the top of it represent the percent of teachers for each category.

Note: "Districts" refers to teachers who participated in Eisenhower-assisted activities provided through the district component of the program. "SAHE Grantees" refers to teachers who participated in Eisenhower-assisted activities supported through the SAHE component of the program. Due to difference in missing data across items, the district n ranges from 731 to 750; the SAHE Grantee n ranges from 233 to 240.

SAHE-grantee activities meet benchmarks for reported teacher outcomes set by other exemplary professional development programs.

A comparison of our data for SAHE-grantee activities with the results obtained for 34 exemplary summer institutes in mathematics and science, supported by the National Science Foundation, the Department of Education, and other agencies, indicates that teachers participating in SAHE-grantee activities report enhancement of knowledge and skills in mathematics and science content roughly comparable to the results for the 34 exemplary activities.^[17] Teachers participating in district Eisenhower activities show weaker results than do teachers in the 34 exemplary activities.

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[The National Evaluation of the Eisenhower Program]

[The Quality of Eisenhower-assisted Activities]