10 Apr 2017
Podcast

Learning from Mixed Results: What's Next for Teacher Professional Development?

Research from three studies found that intensive, content-focused professional development improved teachers’ knowledge and some aspects of their practice, but did not improve student achievement. The studies are summarized in our brief, Does Content-Focused Teacher Professional Development Work?

In this podcast, Kirk Walters sits down with AIR’s Mike Garet, who led the research, to get his reactions to the findings. Walters also engages in a lively discussion with additional experts to get their perspectives: Linda Curtis-Bey, Executive Director of STEM, New York City Public Schools; Karen Fuson, Professor Emerita, Northwestern University; and Daniel Weisburg, CEO of TNTP.

Special thanks to these experts and to the Institute of Education Sciences for funding the research in the brief.

Related Work

6 Nov 2016
Brief

Does Content-Focused Teacher Professional Development Work?

Federal and local governments continue to invest billions of dollars each year in professional development for teachers. Until recently, there has been little rigorous evidence to inform the design and delivery of these programs. This brief outlines the key findings from three random assignment PD evaluation studies and proposes areas for further research.
Topic: 
Education, Mathematics Education, Teacher Preparation and Performance
28 Sep 2016
Report

Focusing on Mathematical Knowledge: The Impact of Content-Intensive Teacher Professional Development

In an era of increasingly rigorous state standards, teachers at all grade levels face heightened expectations to deepen their students’ understanding of mathematical concepts. This report examines the impact of content-intensive professional development on teachers’ math content knowledge, their instructional practice, and their students’ achievement.
Topic: 
Education, Mathematics Education, Teacher Preparation and Performance
25 May 2011
Report

Middle School Mathematics Professional Development Impact Study: Findings After the Second Year of Implementation

This study examines the impact of intensive mathematics professional development (PD) on teachers' knowledge and teaching skills for 7th grade mathematics in rational number topics such as fractions, decimals, percent, ratio, and proportion. The intensive PD studied includes over 100 hours of support in the form of summer institutes, seminars, and in-school coaching.

Topic: 
Mathematics Education, Teacher Preparation and Performance
2 Sep 2008
Report

Impact of Two Professional Development Interventions on Early Reading Instruction and Achievement Report

To help states and districts make informed decisions about the professional development (PD) they implement to improve reading instruction, the U.S. Department of Education commissioned the Early Reading PD Interventions Study to examine the impact of two research-based PD interventions for reading instruction. This report describes the implementation of the PD interventions tested, and examines their impacts at the end of the year the PD was delivered.
Topic: 
Education, Teacher Preparation and Performance

Further Reading