The Race to the Top and Teacher Professional Development: A Longitudinal Survey of Florida Districts

• In Event: Park Central Roundtable Session 13
  In Roundtable Session: Professional Development and Evaluation of Teachers

Abstract

Based on a longitudinal survey of Florida school districts, this study examined the patterns of change in lesson study practice—an innovative teacher professional learning process implemented by the Florida Department of Education using the Race to the Top (RTTT) funding. Our analysis showed that district requirement, funding provision, and future sustainability plan were significantly associated with the level of lesson study practice before and after the RTTT program ended. The districts that either sustained or expanded lesson study after the RTTT funding ended reported the importance of teacher ownership of lesson study to embed it as a natural part of teachers’ work and administrator buy-in to allocate necessary time and resources.

Authors

• Motoko Akiba, Florida State University

• Aki Murata, University of Florida

• Cassie Howard, Florida State University

• Gareth Bryan Wilkinson, Florida State University

• Judith Fabrega, University of Florida