Online Professional Learning: Reconceptualizing Teacher Outcomes, Connecting to Student Reading Growth

• In Event: AERA Poster Session Wednesday 9:45am
  In Poster Session: AERA Division K Section 6 In-Service Educators - Poster Session 1

Abstract

Enhancing student reading achievement through professional learning has been the goal of numerous initiatives. Understanding how professional learning may “work” for teachers nonetheless remains elusive. This observational study of 41 teachers in 16 schools during the 2024-25 school year explored possible associations of a state-sponsored online professional learning system with teacher outcomes of reading knowledge, data usage during instruction, self-efficacy for teaching reading, and observed quality of reading instruction as well as student reading assessments. Findings suggested that the online professional learning system was associated with greater teacher use of data to inform instruction, which was in turn associated with higher student reading scores. An important covariate, teacher experience, also emerged in association with teacher and student outcomes.

Authors

• Mary Bratsch-Hines, University of Florida

• Stephanie Snidarich, University of Florida

• Julianna Banks, University of Florida

• Rui Xu, University of Florida

• Erin Mowry, University of Florida

• Tyran Butler, University of Florida