Measurement and Evaluation of Teacher Professional Development: Focusing on Inquiry-Based Teacher Practices Using Classroom Observations

• In Event: 51.068 - Shifting the School Culture: An Inquiry-Based Approach to Professional Development in an Urban Context

Abstract

The proposed study aims to evaluate an inquiry-based professional development (PD) intervention in an elementary school residing in an urban, high poverty NYC community. This first year of a three-year evaluation plan was developed in collaboration with the Borough of Manhattan Community College (BMCC) faculty, as well as teachers and administrators at the target school. The paper describes the development of the evaluation plan designed to assess the effectiveness of the PD sessions on teacher and student outcomes. Through a collaborative model, researchers worked alongside school administration, teaching faculty and content specialists. From this work, a ground-up observational tool was created for use across pre-k through 5th-grade classrooms to examine the role of inquiry within classroom instruction. Initial findings suggest that there is great variability across classrooms in their implementation of inquiry-based instructional supports. This work will help inform the content and process for how professional development will be implemented in year two of a three-year evaluation.

Authors

• Jennifer Astuto, New York University

• Kalina Gjicali, The Graduate Center, CUNY