It's Complicated: An Examination of High- and Low-Performing Projects' Professional Development Programming Features

• In Event: Roundtable Session 5
  In Roundtable Session: Professional Development in Math and Science

Abstract

This study examines four professional development (PD) projects within one larger statewide Math-Science Partnership (MSP) program identified as low-performing or high-performing according to mathematics knowledge for teaching (MKT) gains. A previous study by AUTHORS (2014) found some core features of effective PD (Garet et al, 2001) were significantly related to gains in MKT. We examine two low-impact and two high-impact projects to better understand these features. The projects differ in terms of number of PD hours, group participation and opportunities to engage in active learning. Project’s summary narratives indicate that high-performing projects are more successful in responding to challenges such as mid-year scheduling, recruitment and teacher retention than low-performing projects.

Authors

• Debra L. Junk, The University of Texas - Austin

• Yasemin Copur-Gencturk, University of Houston