Reshaping State Policy

This examination of recent state policies on professional development reveals that some states have developed programs to improve student outcomes. Further, the comprehensive approach being used in Ohio and the incremental approach being used in Indiana include strategies that encourage schools to adapt cohesive approaches to professional development. Thus, both states provided guidelines for developing coherent programs, although the linkage between professional development projects and student outcomes could be better specified. However, these programs do not yet show evidence that they have had an influence on student outcomes. In our view, comprehensive professional development programs have merits in terms of teacher satisfaction and improvement in the quality of the teaching force, even if they do not result in measurable improvements in student outcomes.

Nevertheless, at least some state legislators and other public officials are asking questions about whether spending on—or rather investments in—the professional development of teachers will lead to improvement in student outcomes. One possibility is to follow the paths pioneered by these states, which is to design statewide strategies that recognize the complexity of the task of improving teacher quality. If this method is chosen, then we recommend that states design comprehensive strategies, then systematically assess results to see if there are discernable gains in student outcomes. The alternative is to promote designs for professional development programs with discernable linkages to student outcomes, taking a more activist approach.

In this paper, we developed a preliminary framework, focusing on building linkages between professional development and education practices that can potentially improve student outcomes. However, these linkages need to be more systematically specified before the framework can be used as a basis for evaluation studies. Clearly the discourse must move beyond focusing on increases in the amount of time teachers receive for professional development, to encouraging teachers and schools to develop local strategies that address student outcomes that are important in the local school context. As a conclusion, we suggest a specific set of questions that state officials can ask in their efforts to develop refined approaches to planning, implementing, and assessing statewide professional development programs; then, we suggest steps that facilitating organizations, such as NCREL, might take to encourage these developments in states.

Questions to Guide Policy Development

Some of the questions that could be asked to encourage education officials to address the linkages between professional development programs and student outcomes are outlined below.

Does the professional development program encourage educators to assess the locally situated learning needs of students?

If ongoing professional development is going to link directly to improvement in student outcomes, then educators who are engaged in designing local interventions need to start by thinking through what challenges exist for their students. Some questions educators might ask themselves when they assess student learning needs are:

What educational outcomes are of most critical concern to the school community?
Are there problems with student retention, drop out, or special education referral that could be mitigated if new educational strategies were adopted?
Which student achievement outcomes are of most concern in the school? Are students in some grades doing better than students in other grades on math and reading achievement tests?
Are the developmental issues facing students appropriately addressed in the curriculum or other school programs? Are students assigned work that is appropriate for their development? Are interventions needed to encourage student development? Are families adequately involved?
Are students learning how to use the new technologies? Do students use technology to complete assignments? Are students encouraged to use computers and the Internet in assignments that involve critical thinking? Are there discernable and appropriate linkages to employment in middle and senior schools?

Are the funded professional development activities linked in discernable ways to the learning needs of students in the schools where teachers work?

This question is perhaps the most critical for policymakers to ask educators who make proposals for investment in ongoing professional development. There is certainly a value in investing in professional development for the benefit of teachers. However, if the intent of new investment in professional development is to improve student outcomes, then it is important to make sure there are linkages between the funded activities and learning needs of students. Legislators reviewing proposals for new programs may want to ask those proposing the programs whether their proposals include these direct links. As we have seen from the reviews and case studies above, these linkages usually are not well specified. Educators planning for professional development activities in schools should address some specific questions:

Does the professional development plan address critical student outcomes in the school (defined by a site-based assessment of student outcomes)?
How will the ongoing professional development program include exposure to new and best practices (related to the instructional, organizational, and parental involvement program features) that could logically lead to improvement in desired outcomes?
How does the proposed professional development activity relate to the professional development needs of the teacher?
How will the experiences gained through professional development influence the ongoing practices and activities in the school?

Does the professional development activity use a research-based or inquiry-based approach?

It is important that the research base be used to inform educational decisions, not only at the global design level but, more important, at the level of teacher action. It is important that the plans not only specify what outcomes are linked to the proposed professional development process, but also how teachers will assess and communicate the improvements in student outcomes that result from the professional development process. These activities would “close the loop” between the intent of the policy and the method of evaluation. Locally designed professional development programs can be directly linked to a research base by:

Choosing professional development strategies with a sound research base.
Designing new interventions (and professional development activities) that are informed by relevant research literature.
Designing interventions with tight linkages to student outcomes (through program activities that are related to the outcomes of most central concern) and monitoring progress.
Integrating sound site-based evaluation designs into the professional development project, thereby encouraging teachers to take an inquiry-based approach.
Collecting, reviewing, and analyzing site-based evaluations.
Conducting independent evaluations of the professional development programs.

Does the state have an established method of accounting for public subsidies to professional development?

Currently states lack any systematic method of accounting for the direct and indirect subsidies for professional development. Clearly, if such systems are developed it is important to avoid extensive new system development costs. However, it is appropriate for state legislatures to ask questions relative to subsidies provided for professional development. Some possible questions include:

What categorical programs have a professional development component (the first component of specially directed subsidies)?
What portion of funds for professional development programs subsidized ongoing professional development (the second component of specially directed subsidies)?
How many professional development days are subsidized through the state funding formula (the first component of estimating embedded subsidies)?
What is the average daily subsidy (e.g., release time, substitutes, etc.) for professional development (the second component of estimating embedded subsidies)?
How do local districts use specially directed and embedded funds to support professional development (a missing component of most attempts to estimate total subsidies for professional development)?
How do state mandates for professional development influence local expenditures on professional development (another missing component of most attempts to estimate the total subsidies for professional development programs)?

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