Cross-Career Learning Communities: A Case Study of a Critical Friends Group Model With Promising School-Level NCATE (National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education) Professional Development School Standards Outcomes

• In Event: Multiple Perspectives on Professional Development School Research

Abstract

This is an evaluation case study (Yin, 2009) of Cross Career Learning Community’s (CCLC) unique, year long, monthly, full-day, group coach training model employed within the Network for Enhancing Teacher Quality (NET-Q) Partnership, a large-scale, multi-district, university and K-12 PDS partnership that provides induction and support activities in schools within high need districts. Results support that membership in CCLCs does have meaningful intrapersonal, interpersonal, and knowledge utilization outcomes based on Guskey’s (2000) Five Levels of Professional Development. Using a quasi-experimental design, One-way ANOVA analysis with Tukey’s HSD showed that personnel endorsed NCATE PDS Standards I, III, and V significantly higher in schools with Voluntary CCLCs than schools with no PLCs, CFGs, or CCLCs.

Authors

• Harley Gordon Granville, Georgia State University

• William L. Curlette, Georgia State University

• Robert Hendrick, Georgia State University

• Susan L. Ogletree, Georgia State University

• Gwendolyn T. Benson, Georgia State University