Professional Development Leading to Sustainable Change

Presented by: Catherine Stickney First Core Advisor: Dr. Nadine Bonda Dissertation Presentation: February 24, 2012

Goal for this PresentationMy goal is that you will develop an enduring

understanding of the themes that I will present to broaden your knowledge of

professional learning.

Furthermore, it will result in a new perspective toward planning and participating in professional

learning experiences.

http://stickneyprofessionallearning.wikispaces.com/

Agenda Introduction – 15 minutes Review of seminal research – 20 minutes Activity – 25 minutes Research - 30 minutes Findings – 30 minutes Discussion and questions – 30 minutes

Why professional learning? The need for professional learning and the

manner in which it is provided has changed drastically over the course of time.

My research provides insight into themes and considerations for planning professional learning to sustain change within an educational setting. My position My learning style My leadership style

Statement of the Problem Sustained change is the holy grail of

educational reform.

Fullan (2008), admittedly spent “seven years and a million change stories later…(addressing) the same question: What do we know about successful organizational change under complex conditions?” (Fullan, 2008, P. vii).

My problem…

How do we, as an educational community, create sustainable change in student achievement by means of professional learning?

Driving Questions

Question one: What are the most important components of

professional development or a professional development framework that translate into practices that demonstrate academic improvement for students?

Question two:

What are the most effective strategies for providing professional development that lead to sustainable improvements in the quality of instruction and classroom management?

Question three:

How does the training that accompanies a curriculum that outlines the systematic delivery of instruction improve the quality of instruction and classroom management of teachers?

Historical perspective

Professional learning is not a new concept. Ancient Greece - Socrates -> Plato -> Aristotle

Aristotle – Methodology: reflection on the art and practice of teaching skills

Horace Mann (1830’s) (1830’s) – Training for pre-service teachers and standardization of curriculum

Ralph Tyler (1920’s) – Criteria for evaluating curriculum; teacher training; federal policy; started what is now known as ASCD

Historical Perspective Elementary and Secondary Education Act

(ESEA) of 1965 – established federal funding for schools

Creates a link between teaching and learning by developing the concept for in-service training – establishes the paradigm for professional learning

Historical Perspective No Child Left Behind (2001)

2006 – regulations are put in place to ensure that teaching staff must be highly qualified

Additionally, continued professional development must occur in order for professional staff to be recertified

Race To the Top (2009) School turn-around Use of data systems that measure student achievement to

inform teachers and administrators as to how to improve their practice (www.2.ed.gov)

That was then…this is now.

Introduction to Professional Learning

~ A look into a common understanding of the ideal that we seek

Seminal Research Goodlad (1997), Glickman (2003) present

cases for continuous progress toward school reform

Goodlad (1997) encourages staff members to work cooperatively toward common goals

Glickman (2003) suggests building internal stability with building leadership

“A covenant of beliefs, a governance structure for school wide decisions, and an action research process for continuous internal study” (p.17)

Recurring theme of leadership

Smith and Andrews (1989) – four main roles for school leaders: communicator, visible presence, instructional resource, resource provider

Glickman, Ross, Ross-Gordon (1995) – effective instructional leadership: application of action research, effective staff development activities with applications to curriculum development, development of collaborative groups to provide direct assistance to teaching staff with activities

Leadership Elmore (1999, 2000), Spillane (2004),

Gehrman (2009) present concepts of distributed leadership

Marshall (2006) discusses the extent to which principals are stretched with responsibilities

Supovitz and Buckley (2008) – report that 175 principals surveyed spent an average of 17%, or 75 minutes, each day on activities involving instructional leadership

Shared Leadership Fletcher and Kaufer (2003), Printy and Marks

(2006) – shared leadership between teachers and principals creates a greater impact on student achievement

Improvement in communication Improvement in trust and collaboration Improvement in school climate

Leadership themes Fullan (2001) – importance of relationships

and trust Peterman and Seligman (2004) – need for

positive organizational scholarship Wagner et al. (2008) – importance of data,

accountability, and relationships as change agents

Correlations to coursework

Cameron, Dutton, and Quinn (2003) – POS (Positive Organizational Scholarship) promotes a sense of collaboration and support for working relationships

Peterman and Seligman (2004) – development of the capacity of the culture

Vojtek and Vojtek (2009) – stress working collaboratively “to succeed in accomplishing a shared morally compelling mission” (p. 30)

Additional considerations Blase and Blase (1999) – Reflection for

growth Marshall (2009) - Supervision Sagor (2010) – Action research Reeves (2010) –Focus

Rather than large-scale initiatives – “clear focus on four imperatives for effective professional learning” (p.4)

Professional Learning Communities DuFour, DuFour, Eaker, and Many (1998,

2004, 2008) Lead to a re-culturing of a school community to

highlight values, beliefs, habits, and expectations Establish a structure for analyzing data to direct

instruction and improve student achievement PLCs represent distributed and shared leadership* Utilized as the example for common understanding

in the survey portion of the research

ActivityGoal: Articulate common understandings

Assemble a group of 3-4 people: Choose 1 to record, 1 to report

Discuss your definition and examples of high quality professional development

Using chart paper, record your work Compare the DESE document (2012) to your chart

and discuss Report out to the large group for comparison

Research - Planning Completed dissertation proposal – April 2011

Obtained permission from Human Subject Review Panel – September 2011

Developed methodology - Mixed methods design: Creswell (2008), Merriam (2009) Qualitative – interview results and questionnaires Quantitative – survey results Triangulation of the data

Research - Process Three components

Qualitative data: Interview – January 2012 Quantitative data: Survey – October 2011 (Qualitative data: Questionnaire – February 2011)

Triangulation of data – February 2012 Creswell (2008) – Triangulation enables a blending a

data to highlight a phenomenon within the results

Survey - Data Collection Survey – Survey Monkey

Parameter: Elementary schools (K- Grade 5) that had adopted a new literacy or math program within the past three years

Schools were identified from a MASS listserv document, DSAC recommendations, and peer recommendations

Five elementary schools in a 30-mile radius of Boston; Sixty-two respondents

Results are stored on-line and in a database on my personal computer; Analyses occurred by Survey Monkey and in written format by the researcher

Introduction to the Survey

Please note the following definition for clarification of the survey questions: DuFour, DuFour, and Eaker (1998) define a Professional Learning Community as “educators committed to working collaboratively in ongoing processes of collective inquiry and action research to achieve better results for the students they serve. Professional learning communities operate under the assumption that the key to improved learning for students is continuous, job-embedded learning for educators” (DuFour, DuFour, Eaker, & Many, 2006).

Survey Responses

Interview

Interview – Twelve teachers from three elementary schools

Ranged from Kindergarten-Grade 5 Engaged in a literacy or math program adoption within the past

three years Interviews occurred over a 10-day period in January 2012

Occurred at teacher’s school Lasted 20-35 minutes each

Interviews were transcribed using Dragon Dictation. Responses were coded by questions. Open coding and axial coding were completed in written format.

Interview Questions You have implemented a new literature

program. Could you describe the training that accompanied the implementation? Would you please describe the expectations on you that went along with the training? Who decided what those expectations would be?

Describe your most recent experience with on-going professional development that followed a specific program implementation. What were the stages of implementation? What if anything were you expected to do between trainings? Did you keep a journal? Would you be willing to share the journal? What aspects of the training and implementation process did you find most beneficial?

Did the implementation differ from other program implementations you have engaged in in the past? If so, how?

What are your specific needs in professional development activities? Are there aspects of professional development that you believe make implementation easier for you? - Aspects that you believe aid in lasting implementation of a new program or concept?

When you have attended a one-day professional development that was not supported with an on-going expectation for implementation, what components had the most impact upon your practice? What have you maintained in your daily practice?

What types of professional development do you feel have the most impact upon your practice?

When you participate in professional development, do you prefer to do it by yourself or with a partner? What are the benefits to you of the method that you have chosen?

What has been the effect of the implementation of this new program on student achievement?

How would you define sustained change? What are the factors that contribute the most to sustained change?

What types of professional learning support sustained change?

Interview Synthesis Interviewees – very open regarding their

experiences and their views On-going, personalized support is occurring

in 17% of the settings. Interviewees – express a desire to work with

colleagues to assist in planning and alignment of curriculum

Limited evidence of written reflection or student achievement data

Questionnaire Information obtained by first presentation Provided the information for the survey Thirteen respondents completed an open-

ended questionnaire regarding experiences and perceptions regarding professional development.

These responses were coded and compared to the interview responses and survey results.

Questionnaire Synthesis 100% - Acknowledged the importance of focus on

the goal of what the participant will know and be able to do when PD is completed

100% - Administrative support is critical 100% - Collaboration in planning/follow-up is vital. 40% - Must be aligned with district and school goals Theme - Addressed the goals of professional

learning rather than the purpose of effective student outcomes

Results and Implications

Four major themes emerged.

Theme one

Implementation of a curricular program is a challenging process.

Sub-theme: Preparation Sub-theme: Training Sub-theme: Support

Theme two

There are vital components of successful professional learning.

Sub-theme: Format Sub-theme: Engagement Sub-theme: Purpose

Theme three

Administrative support for professional learning is crucial.

Sub-theme: Articulation of responsibility Sub-theme: Supervision Sub-theme: Focus

Theme four

An emotional component exists between educators and professional learning.

Sub-theme: Trust Sub-theme: Attitude

Summary Job-embedded Professional Development

(PD360)

For sustainable change, educators and leaders must work collaboratively to develop a balance of efforts addressing each theme as discovered in the research.

Discussion and Questions

Special appreciation to Dr. Nadine Bonda, Dr. Lynne Celli, and Dr. Linda Denault

Thank you ~Cathy Stickney – castickney@comcast.net