Examining Professional Development Practices, Perceptions, and Policy Among U.S. Music and Non-Music Teachers

• In Event: Exploring Issues Impacting Music Educators

Abstract

Using data from the National Teacher and Principal Survey, I evaluated whether the music teacher professional development (PD) landscape in 2017–2018 aligned with principles of effective PD (content specificity, social interaction, sustained duration, relevance, agency, policy support) and whether there were material differences in the PD experiences of music teachers, other arts teachers, and teachers in higher-stakes subject areas (e.g., math, English). Findings support a mixed judgment. While participation in content-specific and socially interactive PD was robust, and most music teachers described their PD experiences as relevant, compared to their higher-stakes colleagues, music teachers spent less time in PD and were considerably less likely to view their schools as supportive of their PD endeavors.

Author

• Justin West, University of Texas at Austin
  Presenting Author