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ED 448 535

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ABSTRACT

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Kroeger, Marianne, Ed.; Blaser, Stephanie, Ed.; Raack,Lenaya, Ed.; Cooper, Cinder, Ed.; Kinder, Ann, Ed.Professional Development & Student Achievement.North Central Regional Educational Lab., Oak Brook, ILOffice of Educational Research and Improvement (ED),Washington, DC.2000-00-0029p.; For volume 1 number 2, see ED 438 529. Published threetimes per year. Produced in cooperation with A+ Media, Inc.NCREL, 1900 Spring Road, Suite 300, Oak Brook, IL60523-1480.RJ96006301; R168R50003; R302A50007Full text: http: / /www.ncrel.org /info /nlp /.

Collected Works Serials (022)NCREL's Learning Point; v2 n1 Spr 2000MF01/PCO2 Plus Postage.*Academic Achievement; Elementary Secondary Education;Public Schools; *School Administration; *Staff Development;*Student Financial Aid; *Teacher Improvement

Professional development is viewed from severalperspectives--time, funding, planning, and student outcomes--and includesboth an urban and a rural story. This issue provides a special pulloutsection designed as a checklist to help guide professional developmentplanning activities. The following articles are included: "Perspectives onManaging Staff Development" (Lenaya Raack), in which NCREL experts discuss avariety of key staff development issues for school administrators; "CommonGoals & Promising Practices" (Ann Kinder), in which a rural school districtand an urban school offer two successful examples of staff development;"Money Talk: Funding Professional Development" (Ann Kinder), which exploreshow states and districts allocate money to support professional development;"Improving Student Achievement around the Globe" (Gina Amenta-Shin), whichdescribes how NCREL has collaborated with the Department of Defense EducationActivity to help teachers integrate technology into classroom instruction;and "Thoughts on...Becoming a Better Teacher" (Cinder Cooper), in which asummer intern at NCREL explains the benefits of staff development andtechnology in addressing students with diverse needs. (DFR)

Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be madefrom the original document.

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DEVELOPMENT INTERNSHIP 2000

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he Carole Fine Professional DevelopmentInternship was established in 1997 to honor an

outstanding employee who believed that professionaldevelopment is most meaningful when it is based onauthentic experienceexperience that expands yourhorizons and contributes to personal as well as profes-sional growth.

Grounded in this belief, this eight-week summer intern-ship offers one outstanding teacher an opportunity towork side by side with other professionals on the fore-front of educational research and development. Potentialprojects include designing professional developmentprograms and resources, creating high-tech educationalproducts, evaluating innovative programs, or conductingeducational policy analyses.

Theintern Biel ;eee.ve

An eight-week paid summer internship with datesmutually determined by NCREL and the intern

A housing stipend

Free registrationplus travel and expensestoattend a national education conference

Invaluable professional experience.

The Apprieog -othst 3eA practicing pre-K-12 teacher in Illinois, Indiana,Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, or Wisconsin

Able to reside in the Oak Brook, Illinois, areaduring the eight-week internship

Committed to the role of professionaldevelopment in improving education

Willing to apply what is learned to improving his orher school/district professional development plan.

NCRELNorth Central Regional Educational Laboratory

1900 Spring Road, Suite 300Oak Brook, IL 60523-1480

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Carole Fine Professional

Development Internship

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NCREL

1900 Spring Road, Suite 300

Oak Brook, IL 60523-1480

NCREL

EARNI{INIG ROD f contentsSpring 2000

Cover: Bill Brandon

Cover Story

Perspectives on Managing StaffDevelopmentNCREL experts discuss a variety of key staffdevelopment issues for school administrators.

Features

Common Goals & PromisingPracticesTravel between a rural school district inSparta, Michigan, and an urban schoolin Hammond, Indiana, for a look at twosuccessful examples of staff developmentin action.

Money Talk: Funding ProfessionalDevelopmentExplore how states and districts allocatemoney to support professional development.

Improving Student AchievementAround the GlobeFind out how NCREL has collaborated withthe Department of Defense EducationActivity (DoDEA) to help teachers integratetechnology into classroom instruction.

Becoming a Better TeacherIn this interview, a summer intern atNCREL explains the benefits of staffdevelopment and technology in addressingstudents with diverse needs.

Special Pull-Out Section

Professional Development ActionPlanner

8

4

12

15

18

This work was produced in whole or in part with funds from the Office of EducationalResearch and Improvement (OERI), U.S. Department of Education, under contractnumber RJ96006301 and grant numbers R168R50003 and R302A50007. The contentdoes not necessarily reflect the position or policy of OERI or the Department ofEducation, nor does mention of trade names, commercial products, or organizationsimply endorsement by the federal government.

Volume 2, No. 1

A Special Message fromGina Burkhardt,Executive Director

Is there a connection betweenstudent achievement and teachereffectiveness? Absolutely. How-ever, many schools and districtsstruggle with a variety of issuessurrounding professional develop-ment. And, it is not just educatorswho are grappling with thesechallenges. State policymakersare tackling tough questions tomake informed decisions aboutfunding. They're also hard at workbuilding the framework for acomprehensive systemic modelof professional development.

This issue of NCREL'sLearning Point takes a look atprofessional development fromseveral perspectivestime, fund-ing, planning, and student out-comesand includes both anurban and a rural story. The spe-cial pull-out section in the centeris a checklist to help guide yourprofessional development plan-ning activities. It was taken fromLearning From the Best: A Toolkitfor Schools and Districts Basedon Model ProfessionalDevelopment Award Winners.This resource, one of many avail-able on NCREL's Web site, illus-trates the practices and strategiesof winners of the U.S. Departmentof Education's Model ProfessionalDevelopment Awards.

Learn more about NCREL'sprofessional developmentresources with an online visit towww.ncrel.org/pd/, and pleaseshare your comments on thismagazine by completing andreturning the reader survey.

NCRELS Learning PointCopyright 0 2000 by North Central Regional Edu4tional Laboratory. Editorial Offices: NCREL, 1900 Spring Road, Suite 300,Oak Brook, IL 60523-1480 (800-356-2735). Material in this issue may not be reproduced in whole or part in any form or format without special permission fromthe publisher. Published three times per year. Periodical postage paid at Oak Brook, IL, and additional entry. Printed in U.S.A. POSTMASTER: Send addresschanges to NCRELs Learning Point, Publication and Subscription Offices, NCREL, 1900 Spring Road, Suite 300, Oak Brook, IL 60523-1480.

commogoals

ammond, Indiana, and Sparta, Michigan,couldn=t-be-further apartnot in miles butrather in tins of contrasting landscapesand cultures that usually distinguish ruralfrom urban communities. A closer look,hoicv_ever, reyeais:that Hammond andSparta have a lot in common when itcomes to the successful professionaldevelopment practices of their schools.

The Sparta School District began toincorporate professional developmentinto its strategic plan in 1989. SpartaMiddle School Principalrecalls, "Everydistrict realizes it hasto do professionaldevelopment. Ourdistrict started toinclude it in theinitial stages of theschool improvementplanning process."

Like Sparta,Caldwell ElementarySchool in Hammondbegan implementing aprofessional develop-ment plan as part ofan overall schoolimprovement effort.Principal Don Pinnickremembers, "We weregoing through theprocess of becoming aTitle I schoolwidebuilding and were

Mary Stearns

By Ann Kinder

omisingractices

required to develop a professional devel-opment plan. It was the first time theentire staff objectively examined instruc-tional and curricular practices."

For both Caldwell and Sparta, the firststep involved analyzing a lot of data.Student performance, student attendance,student behavior, parent involvement,staff development, and curriculum andinstructional audits were all examined. Inboth school districts, it was determinedthat student performances on achievementtests were continually decreasing and

4 NCREL's LEARNING POINT / Spring 2000

teachers' professional practices were inneed of refinement.

What next? Caldwell and Spartadeveloped core teams of teachers andadministrators to begin the planningprocess. According to Stearns, the Spartaschool district conducted staff needsassessment surveys. Then the districtlistened to what its teachers had to sayin terms of the critical issues.

It was a similar story at Caldwell. Afterteachers examined the data, they identifiedand prioritized the issues that needed to beaddressed. Once the entire staff came to aconsensus on a major issue, a decisionwas made. At both Caldwell and Sparta,teacher buy-in was not a major issue.After all, the teachers were designing anddeveloping the professional developmentplans themselves.

Some noticeable changes were imple-mented at Caldwell and Sparta. Caldwellextended the length of its school day by20 minutes. This made the school eligiblefor six early-release days for staff devel-

opment. "These half days have beenextremely beneficial in working towardour goals and creating a more professionalculture at Caldwell," Pinnick explained.

One major change at Sparta was a newgrading procedure called ABC-I. The "I"stands for "In Progress" and means thestudent has not mastered the material butwill be allowed to continue to work towardan A, B, or C. The system has been usedfor more than eight years and has signifi-cantly reduced the student failure rate. Thedistrict has designated times set asidewhen students can work toward replacingtheir I grades with A's, B's, or C's.

"We have an after-school homeworkclub as well as Saturday school andsummer programs that give students theopportunity to complete their subjectrequirements," explained Stearns. "We nowgo around our county and provide inser-vices for other planning teams and tellthem how we implemented the process."

Caldwell and Sparta share anothersimilarity: mandatory staff meetings.

But as both Pinnick andStearns describe, they'renot stereotypical staffmeetings where theprincipal does all thetalking while the staffmakes lists of morework to do. Instead,both locations use theirmeetings to exploreprofessional develop-ment opportunities.

At Caldwell, the staffis required to meettwice a month and iscompensated for theirtime. A typical meetingincludes reflection onpractice sessions, shar-ing of new resources,sharing of professionalreadings, staff develop-ment mini-lessons, or

Spring 2000 / NCREL's LEARNING POINT 5

a guest speaker. Since changing theapproach of the meetings, Pinnick hasnoticed a greater level of professionalismamong his staff, but admits it took time.He believes the culture at Caldwell hasimproved through staff development.

Likewise, Sparta uses its meeting timeto discuss important issues such as

in a variety of waysstandardized testscores, observation, and quarterly assess-ments, just to name a few. Pinnick saysthis is an ongoing process and that Caldwellis continually investigating various formsof assessment. At Sparta, the MichiganEducational Assessment Program wasused to measure student achievement.

implementing new programs and assess-ing students' needs. When a staff memberreturns from a conference or workshop,the meeting time is used to train the restof the staff in the subject matter. Stearns'and Pinnick's staffs asked to be taught bytheir colleagues. Sterns explains that thischange didn't happen overnight and thatthis kind of comfort level amongcolleagues took time to evolve.

Once the staffs at Caldwell and Spartaexamined the data, put together planningteams, prioritized goals, and implementednew practices, it was necessary to deter-mine the outcomes. At Caldwell, studentperformance and behavior were measured


Also, a writing portfolio follows studentsfrom grade level to grade level to trackperformance in that particular area. Stearnsremarks, "We know that when dollars areput toward the right kind of professionaldevelopment, the pay-off is exhibited inimproved test scores for students."

Teachers and administrators at bothsites would agree there is a direct linkbetween professional development andstudent achievement. Pinnick explainshow the two are connected: "We cannotimprove student achievement in the futurewithout changing our practices. The onlyway to change our practices and beliefs isthrough professional development."

Sz.zanm the j urneyIt hasn't been an easy journey for Caldwell and Sparta. There

have been many obstacles along the way. Barriers include fund-

ing, resources, expertise, outside pressures, and support. Without

a doubt, the number one obstacle was time. As Pinnick puts it,

teachers need time to work with each other, time to reflect, and

time to plan together. They need time to develop and implement

their newfound knowledge.

Despite these obstacles, Caldwell and Sparta emerged with

successful professional development plans. Today, these two sites

are still hard at work, constantly improving their professional

development efforts. Pinnick and Stearns describe the process as a

journey and have some valuable advice for schools that are gearing

up to create a plan or those that are working to improve a plan:

Objectively examine data and current practices.

Work together as a staff.

Identify no more than three critical issues.

Research the best practices.

Consider everyone's needs.

Develop a focused and realistic plan.

Assess the plan and change what doesn't work.

Make sure the staff feels ownership, or the process won't work.

For other successful strategies...http://knowledgeloom.org/This site, hosted by the LAB at Brown University, features research-basedinformation and success stories that are searchable by topic, geographic loca-tion, grade level, and even setting. Be sure to share your own success stories!

www.nsdc.org/educatorindex.htmFull-text versions of articles from the National Staff Development Council'spublications offer a variety of effective, step-by-step models developed bypractitioners who base their methods on research and real-world experience.


By Lenaya Raack

Managing the staff development process is no

easy assignment for any school administratorHowever, when the process is working, all stake-

holders (including students, teachers, parents,and school leaders) enjoy many benefits.Learning Point asked three NCREL staff mem-bers to share their expertise on professionaldevelopment: Kristin. Ciesemier, directorof the North Central Regional Technologyin Education Consortium, which helpseducators make effective use of tech-nology to improve student learning;Gina Amenta-Shin, a program associ-ate who leads online professionaldevelopment for educators teaching invarious parts of the world; andClaudette Rasmussen, the projectdirector of Blueprints: A Practical Toolkitfor Designing and Facilitating ProfessionalDevelopment, a soon-to-be-released CD-ROM.

"The single most important factorinfluencing student achievement is the

quality of the teacher. If you have ahigh-quality teacher, students will be

receiving good learning opportunities."Kristin Ciesemier, director, North

Central Regional Technology in

Education Consortium


Timing Is EverythingFor more and more school administrators,

developing "high-quality teachers" translatesinto providing ongoing professional develop-ment, a hot topic these days. Teachersveter-ans of one-day workshops and visiting speak-ersmay wonder where they will find time forsomething they're not convinced will make adifference. For principals and district adminis-trators the question often is, "How do we findthe time and use it wisely, and how can we tellif it's working?"

Ciesemier points out that finding time forprofessional development is a critical issue formost schools. "First and foremost," she says,"is getting the district commitment and then

putting the dollars behind it. The principal andteachers have to determine everything theycould do at their school, knowing that there arespecific things that the district administrationand school board may expect them to accom-plish. This doesn't necessarily mean waitinguntil there is a new board policy; educatorscan come to a consensus on what needs to bedone, who is going to do it, and how it willbe done. Having sorted through the differentpriorities and expectations, you can beginplanning strategies."

One Size Doesn't Fit AllAdministrators need to make sure their

professional development time is tailored totheir teachers' needs. According to GinaAmenta-Shin, "research shows that traditional,one-size-fits-all staff development doesn't

work. Too frequently this consists of a formalworkshop or class that is selected by theadministration. Teachers may not be involvedin deciding what they're going to learn."

Another problem, says Amenta-Shin, isthat "often, professional development is notled by educators or people who have recentclassroom experiences. In such cases, teachershave a hard time connecting what's beingpresented to their everyday, real-life class-room experiences."

Claudette Rasmussen agrees and adds,"What also doesn't work very well is a passivetype of experience that simply raises teachers'awareness about an issue. If teachers aren'tactively engaged in the process, it usuallydoesn't get applied in the classroom. Whatworks best for student learners also worksbest for adult learners. All learners need to

build on the knowledge and experiencethey already possess. It is from that basethat they can become actively engaged innew learning."

"Administrators need to think aboutthe objectives they want to meet and their

commitment to making them happen," saysCiesemier. "Then they need to come up

with creative strategies that address commonchallenges," she adds. One of those, saysAmenta-Shin, could be release time forteachers, "so, for example, a substitute couldfree up two teachers to observe anotherteacher in a classroomand then take timeto talk about it." Ciesemier notes that moredistricts are finding that just by starting fiveminutes earlier each day, every other week,they get half a day or a couple of hours theycan then use for professional development.

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Some districts have teachers stay after schooland come in on weekends. However, issuessuch as workload and compensation can makethis less of an option.

Rasmussen pointsout that some schoolsystems address staffdevelopment through"block scheduling,which usually means,not only team teaching,but also team planningtime. In this case,teachers have time builtinto their school day totalk about their teaching and truly engage inmeaningful discussions that focus on instruc-tion and learning. That is real professionaldevelopment in action: there is the collabora-tive curriculum development, collaborativeteam teaching, and the opportunity to thenlook back together and say, 'this workedwell, this didn't, and what else do we needto know or do?"' Rasmussen believes that inthese situations, "professional developmenthappens very naturally within the context ofthe job, always in relation to what's going onin the classroom."

in a classroom teacher's approach is going tomake the difference for the students."

Another form of assessment, says Rasmussen,is data-driven decision

"One of the first things you can

look for in assessing how effective your

professional development has been is

determining if there is a change in your

teachers' attitudes. The next step is

finding out if they have a clear plan to

reach their new goals."

What's the Payoff?So how do we know staff development is

paying off so that teachers and students arereally learning? "If you want to know if it'sworking," says Amenta-Shin, "go back tothe school reform process: What were yourexpected outcomes? Are you seeing studentsget there? Are your teachers reaching the goalsyou all agreed upon?"

According to Ciesemier, "One of the firstthings you can look for in assessing howeffective your professional development hasbeen is determining if there is a change in yourteachers' attitudes. The next step is finding outif they have a clear plan to reach their newgoals. Research shows that if the teachers havethought about what they are going to do, thereis a good chance that something will actuallychange. But if there has been little reflectionon how they are going to integrate what they'velearned, chances are, it will never happen. Youmay have altered some attitudes, but a change


F

making. "It's more thana trendy phase," sheexplains. "We can onlybe accountable for ourprofessional developmentand we can only look atits impact on teachingand learning if we collectand examine data andknow how to use it in ourplanning and implemen-

tation of professional development," she notes."Most people see evaluation as a difficult

task," says Ciesemier, "but it doesn't need tobe. If schools have done their needs assess-ment and identified their priorities, then theycan evaluate change using standardized tests.

Ifthereareotherissues thatwould not beeasily tested (suchas the behavior of stu-dents toward each other),you would develop other criteriato assess outcomes. For example, theevaluation could be a simple count. Let's saythat one of your teachers finds a pattern of eightchildren per day turning in incomplete homeworkassignments. As she evaluates her homeworkinstructions for the class, she decides to offerthem additional tipsand she sends home a note

for parents. As a direct result, she notices theproblem diminishing."

"Some districts look first and foremost atassessment results, especially standardized testsand often the state tests," says Rasmussen."However," she notes, "many schools look atstudent work over a period of time, whetherthey've collected them in a portfolio or justselected various samples. Sometimes, they lookat the work to help develop assessments; othertimes they want to gain a better understandingof the student learning over time." Ramussensees the longer-term evaluation of student per-formance as "a very effective approach to theassessment of the professional development."

In conclusion, Rasmussen believes that pro-fessional development's biggest impact occurswhen there is some alignment between yourindividual teacher goals for professional devel-opment and those of your school and district."When you have a common focus," she pointsout, "and when you have identified your needsand set your goals, you are more likely to havea real impact on student learning. Workingtogether, administrators and teachers will findit easier to identify the instructional strategiesand the staff development approaches thatreally work."

The National Staff DevelopmentCouncil has standards for professionaldevelopment that are helpful in plan-ning and evaluating professionaldevelopment. Visit their Web site atwww.nsdc.org /educatorindex.htm

Fifth Discipline Field Book byPeter Senge offers lessons that walkreaders through the attitudes staffmembers must have. Included areactivities on how to begin a visioningprocess, for example, to do gapanalysis, which would be requiredto design a program that would createa learning organization.

Student Achievement Through StaffDevelopment by Bruce Joyce andBeverly Showers helps you plan acomprehensive system of staff devel-opment. It takes a look at the gover-nance, design, and implementation ofspecific programs within that system.You'll also find recommendationsbased on the study of a wide range ofstaff development programs, researchon teachers and teaching, informationabout the workplace, research on howteachers learn, and ideas about how todesign effective programs.

The Teaching Gap by James W.Stigler and James Hiebert is a power-ful book that discusses dynamicprofessional development strategies.

Blueprints: A Practical Toolkit forDesigning and Facilitating Profes-sional Development in Mathematicsand Science is a CD-ROM, availablein May, with extensive professionaldevelopment content and research andmore than 300 resources.


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By Ann Kinder

State funding forprofessional devel-opment is on theminds of educators,

administrators, and policy-makers these days. Butbefore any major decisionsare made about this criticalissue, some challengingquestions must be tackled.

Who is ultimatelyresponsible for professionaldevelopmentthe state,the local school district, theindividual school, or theteacher? How is funding

for teacher developmentlinked to student perfor-mance? How will studentoutcomes be measured?

These questions andothers are addressedin two recent reportspublished by the NorthCentral RegionalEducational Laboratory(NCREL): State Policy onProfessional Development:Rethinking the Linkagesto Student Outcomes andState Programs for FundingTeacher Professional

Development. These docu-ments were developed inresponse to a growingnumber of requests fromstate policymakers whohave been under pressureby their state's departmentof education for additionalprofessional developmentfunding.

NCREL's Learning Pointtakes a closer look at thistimely issue in the followinginterview with SabrinaLaine, director of NCREL's

(Continued on page 13)


rofessional Development Action Planner:Introduction

The North Central Regional Educational Laboratory (NCREL) has recently published a toolkit forschools and districts based on model professional development programs. This practical resource wasdeveloped from the results of The National Awards Program for Model Professional Developmentcreated by the U.S. Department of Education. A key objective of the toolkit is to help educatorsand/or administrators tailor their professional development to the students, teachers, goals, and visionsof their school or district.

The success of a professional development program lies in the content of professional development(PD), the process used to create and implement PD, and the staff and students' learning results.The linkage of content and process is inherent in determining PD's level of impact on studentlearning. Staff and students' learning results should show a strong bond between professionaldevelopment and school performance. When implemented effectively, professional developmentcontributes to enhanced school performance.

Below is a graphic illustrating how The Professional Development Cycle incorporates key components.

a

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT CYCLE

Desion NeedsAssessments.

SchoolPD Goals

BestPracticeResearch(ongoing)

II I

PD Implementation

PD Content,:Process

On the following three pages is an Organizer's Checklist (reprinted from the toolkit). This organizationaltool gives you the action steps and decisions you need in order to make professional development anactive part of your school or district.

To order the complete toolkit, please visit our online catalog(www.ncrel.org/catalog/) or call 1-800-356-2735.

*e.

Professional Develo era ctionOrganizers' Checklist

Instructions:Use this checklist to plan your organizing steps and meetings.

Step One: Designing Professional Development

1. Include professional development particip is and organizers in theprofessional development design process.

[:1 Decide who should be involved in the initial PD design working team.

Decide what role other stakeholders will have in PD design, both initialand ongoing.

Invite/notify stakeholders to participate in PD design.

Determine leadership roles for the PD design working team.

Determine the process for the PD design working team: When shouldyou meet? What do you need in advance and who will provide it?Who will collect and distribute additional agenda items and supportingmaterial? Are standing meetings mandatory? What happens if someonecannot attend? Who will facilitate the meeting to ensure that youprioritize and get through all critical agenda items? How will you makedecisionsby consensus, vote, or other? Under what circumstanceswill you make decisions outside of group meetings? How? Who isresponsible for communicating decisions to those who cannotparticipate? What will each of you do when a decision or action withwhich you disagree is made without your participation? Other issues?

Create a standing agenda for all PD working team meetings, includingupdates on work in progress, new issues/problems, identification ofpreparatory work for next meeting, communication (who needs to beinformed of decisions made in this meeting), and documents from thismeeting that need to be saved in the main file.

2. Make a clear plan that includes:

a. How professional development supports the school/district'slong-term plan.

Lji Review existing educational goals for the state, district, and school.

"Map" district and school educational goals to ensure they are linked.

Make a plan for linking team and individual classroom educational(not PD) goals to school goals in the future, including who will ensurelinkage, when, and using what tools, and who will review and approvethe goals.

b. A professional development needs assessment process.

Plan and implement a student needs assessment process.

Identify expert sources to assist with needs assessment, if required.

Choose comparison groups.

Choose sources of data, both existing and customized.

Develop tools, as needed, to gather data.

Gather data.

Complete a summary of student needs after student assessments arecomplete.

Plan a teacher/staff needs assessment process.

Identify expert sources to assist with staff needs assessment, ifrequired.

1:j Identify staff skills/competencies needed to close student achievementgaps.

Identify the actual skill/competency level of staff.

Complete a summary of your staff's gaps and strengths afterassessments are complete.

c. Professional development goals.

Create professional development principles (general goals andparameters).

Create professional development objectives (specific goals).

d. Professional development content, process, and activities.

Plan a process for selecting PD content and activities at eachorganization level (district, school, team, and individual staff).

Complete the following tasks for each organization level:

Identify specific PD content required to meet each PD goal.

Identify potential activities to learn PD content.

Research potential activities.

Select activities at each organizational level.

e. Research that supports the chosen content/process for professionaldevelopment.

Include research into best practices in the initial PD design.

16

f. Resources available to support professional development.

[:1 Identify sources and uses of financial resources.

Identify needs and sources of expertise for each selected PD activity.

Identify needs and sources of expertise for PD design,implementation, and evaluation processes as needed.

Identify needs and sources for PD-related facilities.

g. Professional development evaluation steps.

Identify success measures for each PD goal and each supportingactivity.

Identify data sources and gathering method for each measure.

Plan a process for reporting evaluation findings.

Determine who will lead the process for making PD improvement.

3. Share the plan.

Make a plan for ongoing communications, including informationabout the initial PD plan, with the school community.

Step Two: Implementing Professional Development

Stay abreast of and incorporate best practices into teaching, learning,and leadership.

Make sure school/district policies and practices support actual PDimplementation for staff in schools.

Identify critical factors for successful implementation and problemsolving.

Ensure that resources remain available to organize and implement PD.

Identify opportunities to make PD part of everyday school life; revisitperiodically to improve.

Step Three: Evaluating and Improving Professional Development

Ensure implementation of the evaluation plan.

[:1 Schedule time to review and improve the evaluation process after thefirst round of evaluation/improvement.

Step Four: Sharing Professional Development Learning

Keep records of PD aecisions to guide future decisions.

[:) Keep implementation materials organized and available to others.

17

(Continued from page 12)

Evaluation and PolicyInformation Center andcoauthor of the reportsmentioned above.

NCREL's Learning Point:Explain how professionaldevelopment is currentlyfunded.

Laine: Basically, states anddistricts fund professionaldevelopment in more than oneway. This makes it challeng-ing to determine how muchmoney is really being invest-ed. In our research, we identi-fied two kinds of subsidiesembedded subsidies, whichprovide money for such thingsas release time for teachertraining and professionaldevelopment, and directsubsidies which come throughprogrammatic funding.

Actually, in most casesthere are funds currentlyavailable for professionaldevelopment. The challengeis trying to clearly earmarkthem in the school or districtbudget (or clearly identifyand tap into them so that thefunds can become part of theschool or district budget).

How are states linkingprofessional developmentfunding to studentachievement?

Laine: States are justnow building frameworksfor assessing these linkages.The State Policy on Profes-sional Development reportoffers a way to reshapestate policy for fundingprofessional development,providing state policymak-

ers with questions to guidethem through this process.The report points out thatpolicies providing profession-al development opportunitiesfor teachers and schoolsshould focus on activitieswith a high probability ofimproving student outcomes.

What do administratorsand educators need to knowwith regard to professionaldevelopment funding?

Laine: Principals andteachers need to become moreinvolved in helping policy-makers and the public see thevalue of professional develop-ment. Over the years, profes-sional development has notalways been delivered veryeffectively. One-shot work-

shops or sit-and-get lecturesthat are not tied to localschool improvement effortsare examples of this. As aresult, professional develop-ment has a reputation for notbeing a sound investment forschools seeking to improvestudent outcomes. The bottomline is that it is very difficultto convince anyone of thebenefits of professionaldevelopment with anecdotalevidence or rhetoric.

What specific steps canadministrators and educatorstake to get more involved?

Laine: Schools and districtsshould provide policymakerswith data that show how muchis being spent on professionaldevelopment. The return on

Connecting ProfessionalDevelopment Funding WithStudent Outcomes1. Link your professional development

process with desired student outcomes.

2 Define how your interventions are likelyto influence these outcomes.

3. Provide evidence that your activitieshave led to improvements in outcomes.

4 Develop methods of accounting forprofessional development funding.

S. Create a model. that links funding forprofessional. development tostudent outcomes.

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14

that investment shouldbe measurable improvementsin student achievement.Documenting these effortsand sharing the results withpolicymakers should guidedecision making.

Has research providedany evidence that linksprofessional developmentto student achievementand other outcomes?

Laine: Little research hasbeen done on the issue ofprofessional developmentspecifically. However,William Sanders at theUniversity of Tennessee hasdeveloped a model calledValue Added Assessment.Used in Tennessee, thisaccountability model deter-mines actual gains of studentsin relationship to their expectedgains. One finding shows thatwhen students have threequality teachers in a row, defi-nite improvement is achieved.Conversely, when students

have three underqualifiedteachers in a row, a significantdrop in learning occurs.This example shows howresearchers are starting to linkteacher quality and teacherexpertise to student outcomes.What is still missing is thenext step: linking investmentsin professional development tostudent outcomes.

Answers to the questionsof responsibility for profes-sional development and itslink to student performance,and how we measure studentoutcomes are still not clear.

However, progress is beingmade toward integrating theseimportant questions into theearly phases of the policymak-ing process. School principalsand teachers can help policy-makers and the public see theimportance of professionaldevelopment for higher studentachievement and the funda-mental role of funding.

State Programs for Funding TeacherProfessional Development

This 17-page report documents the resultsof a state funding study for teacherprofessional development. The researchersexamined specific state requirements; therelationship among professional develop-ment, certification, and continued employ-ment; and various funding strategies.

IUisearchers

8iire start-fl

to fltink

teacherquality8ind

teacherexpertisetostudentoutcomes:

State Policy on ProfessionalDevelopment: Rethinking Linkagesto Student Outcomes

Conducted by the Regional Education PolicyResearch (REPR) Consortium, this study pro-vides a framework (based on five questions)for policymakers to determine whetherincreased spending on teacher professionaldevelopment affects student achievement.

To request individual copies of these reports, visit NCREL's online product catalogat www.ncrel.org/catalog/ or call our order department at (800) 356-2735.

Quantities are limited. Free while supplies last.

NCREL's LEARNING POINT / Spring 2000

Ernprving alma71chLvement Arot,, dei

By Gina Amenta-Shin

n the constant battle toprepare teachers to usetechnologies that supportstudent achievement,

NCREL has joined forceswith the U.S. Department ofDefense Educational Activity(DoDEA). Headquartered inWashington, D.C., DoDEAprovides educational servicesto Department of Defense mil-itary and civilian dependents(preK-12) at school sitesaround the world.

In 1999, NCREL partneredwith DoDEA to design andassist in the creation andimplementation of a staffdevelopment technology plan.The primary goal of thiscombined technology initia-tive was to fully incorporatetechnology into the design,development, delivery, andassessment ofinstruction.

"The relationship betweenthe Department of DefenseEducational Activity andNCREL has been extremelyfruitful in moving our schoolsforward in technology inte-gration," explained FannetteWelton, DoDEA instructionalsystems specialist, education-al technology. "The successof any program is largelydependent upon commitment,and thus far, we have foundthat schools participating inthis initiative are far more

committed tousing technologyand have found ways towork 'outside the box' withtheir respective school staffs."

One of the first steps inNCREL's effort to incorporate technology was develop-ing the TechnologyCompetencies Profile Toolfor DoDEA educators. Thisself-assessment tool is prov-ing to be a good startingpoint for teachers. It gener-ates a profile identifying ateacher's level of expertisein teaching and learningtechnologies. Teacherscan use this tool to marktheir progress as theyparticipate in professionaldevelopment activities.

NCREL's next task was thecreation of the Technology

`vs 1.11. 4A3

4i

Leadership Team (TLT)Institute. This five-daytraining course helps schoolleaders customize their pro-fessional development plan toaddress the use of technologyto support engaged learning.During the Institute, teammembers go through a prob-lem-based learning process inwhich they examine research,communicate with experts,learn from each other, anduse tools and strategies tohelp them improve their plan.School leadership teams:

Examine technology's rolein learning.Investigate teacher change.Apply principles of effectivestaff development.


"Th5 SU©©52.3 of Emu

pzogruara aurg511y

iparadl5aat wiip© comm'tatt."

Develop strategies to over-come obstacles.Use a variety of online tools.Explore curriculum software.Learn new technical skills.Launch follow-up andnext-step strategies.A unique component of

the TLT Institute is the sharingof successful models fromschools that make meaningfuland creative use of technologyin their instruction. "Featuredschools" explain what they did

to become models of technol-ogy instruction in engagedlearning environments.Institute participants hearabout teaching, learning, andtechnology integration notonly from DoDEA schools butalso from schools outside thesystem. This gives partici-pants the opportunity to gainfrom the expertise of otherschools that share the sameissues and obstacles of inte-grating technology.

/ Spring 20002

School leadership teamsleave the institute with a planthat addresses the uniqueneeds of their learning com-munities. The first of manyTLT Institutes was heldAugust 1999 in Leesburg,Virginia. Linda Curtis, princi-pal of SHAPE ElementarySchool in Belgium, describesthe impact that the first TLTInstitute made on her school inthe following e-mail message:"You cannot imagine thegrowth teachers and studentshave made this year. The TLTInstitute we attended in Augustgave us a focus to get kidsengaged in learning by infus-ing technology into the cur-riculum. Our plan has been sosuccessful that we would loveto share our experience withother school teams. We atSHAPE Elementary Schoolare blossoming!"

Providing ongoing supportto TLT Institute participantslocated throughout the worldhas created a challenge forNCREL. However, with theuse of online support systems,NCREL created virtualcollaborative workspaces.These workspaces offer anincredible opportunity toreach every teacher and toshare the wisdom of theTLT Institute program.

Many follow-up opportuni-ties are provided for partici-pants of TLT Institutes. Oneexample is the online graduate-

level course Leadership inEducational Technology(LET). This course allowsteams to continue buildingtheir learning communityaround professional goals andcommon interest areas.

Course discussions focus onthe integration of technologyinto teaching and learning.NCREL provides schooltechnology teams withconcepts, strategies, and toolsfor carrying out the goals oftheir plans.

An additional opportunityfor school leaders is the thriv-ing online professionalcommunity called TAPPEDIN. Summaries of onlinegroup discussions that takeplace via TAPPED IN areposted to the LET CourseForum so participants cancontinue discussions on theirown time. Also, frequentlyasked questions and informa-tion about resources related tothe discussion topics are post-ed to the LET Course Forum.Eventually, the responsibilityfor hosting and facilitating theonline sessions will rotateamong the participants.

"I enjoy using TAPPEDIN as a forum for tech-

nology integration dis-cussion," remarks

Nora Mulhern ofBurrows Elemen-tary School inQuantico, Virginia."My school teammeets for theonline chats and

later regroups toreflect on the topics.

We share our feelingsabout how the issues

discussed may affect theimplementation of our staff

development technology plan."Plans are in the works to

make the TechnologyCompetencies Profile Tool,the TLT Institute, the LETcourse, and TAPPED INaccessible to all educators.

Over time, results of theNCREL/DoDEA partnershipshould show that usingtechnology in teaching as ameans to enhance studentoutcomes has become anatural process. This shouldresult in effective instructionfor teachers and in improvedachievement for students.

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Thoughts on...

Becoming a B ttBy Cinder Cooper

Can a summer internship have an impact on yourteaching? Yes, according to Tracy Van Peeren, akindergarten teacher at Greenwood Elementaryin St. Clair Shores, Michigan. Van Peeren, who was

the 1999 Carole Fine Professional Development Intern atthe North Central Regional Educational Laboratory,explains in the following interview how her perspective oninstructional strategies was broadened as she was exposedto new people and innovative teaching ideas.

NCREL's Learning Point:What challenges or issuesdo you face as a kinder-garten teacher?

Van Peeren: One of thebiggest challengesI face is teachingchildren with dif-ferent skill levelsand learning styles.It can be very diffi-cult meeting theirdiverse needs inone classroom.

Another challengeis delivering my cur-riculum in a waythat's developmentallyappropriate. In akindergarten class-room you're respon-sible for a specificcurriculum, but thatdoesn't mean all mystudents are ready for it.

very knowledgeable aboutvarious aspects of education,including early childhoodeducation, literacy, and tech-nology. Their expertise

opportunity to review how Istructure my classroom to seeif it is developmentally appro-priate to best meet the needs ofall my kids.

Working on the projectCritical Issue: Addressing theLiteracy Needs of Emergentand Early Readers[www.ncrel.org/sdrs/areas/issues/content/cntareas/reading/li100.htm], and having accessto materials from the StrategicTeaching and Reading Project(STRP) was very helpful.

These assignmentsgave me a wealthof research tosupport how andwhy I do things inmy classroom.

Being a part of anNCREL project withthe Department ofDefense EducationActivity (DoDEA)[see story on page 9]added anotherdimension to myexperience: itallowed me tofocus on technol-

ogy integration andprofessional development.Technology is one way to helpaddress the needs of diverselearners.

I came out of the experiencevalidated, feeling good that, yes,I really was on the right track. Ialso came away with some newstrategies that could enhance myclassrooni instruction.

"mffessbnal devellopment shoulldn'tb2 viewed ps optbnaHtt

As educators w have anoblligafion to pantidpate

prdessford development in order

pmvide the best 4u$©ñTor our students °

they Ere cradled to 1'7

qisse

How did the Carole FineInternship add to or enhanceyour instruction?

Van Peeren: My work atthe lab allowed me to interactwith professionals who are

ranged from delivery and bestpractices to assessment.

Most valuable was a wholeset of excellent resources Inever knew were available, notjust for me, but for others inmy school and district. TheKindergarten Audit Tool [nowin development] gave me the

18 NCREL's LEARNING POINT / Spring 2000;',)

reachWhat types of things wereyou able to experienceduring the internship thatyou might not have hadtime for otherwise?

Van Peeren:Classroom teachers canbecome isolated and nothave opportunities totalk and collaborate withspecialists in the field.Thanks to the internship,I was able to focus oninstructional research andthe collaborative aspects ofeducation.

What was the most rewardingpart of the internship?

Van Peeren: I had a verypositive experience at NCRELbecause of the people I workedwith. Everyone was very openand willing to help me.As I expressed inter-est in learning about aspecific topic, therewas always someoneready to share his orher information andresources.

I left the internshipexcited about comingback to my classroomand eager to put intopractice all the thingsI learned.

For example, DoDEA providedsome great opportunities fornetworking with educators whowere not just teaching here inthe United States but aroundthe world. It was invaluable tosee the work educators aredoing in other parts of thecountryand around the globe!

A

\ AA

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order to provide the besteducation for our studentsbecause they are entitled to it.The Carole Fine Internship isa wonderful way, not only toreceive professional develop-ment but also to experiencepersonal growth. At the lab

you'll find a wealth ofresources and knowledge.

"The most mbile ©Tata=of my dente is altsia

11 bener 'Rather,which ally Wens my=dna devellopment.'

What type of networking wereyou able to do?

Van Peeren: I was able tonetwork within the lab and withsome of its external partners.

exile

@lire

What advice would you give tofuture (or potential) interns?

Van Peeren: Professionaldevelopment shouldn't beviewed as optional; it's essen-tial. As educators, we have anobligation to participate inprofessional development in

What were some specificoutcomes of your profes-sional developmentinternship?

Van Peeren: I left thelab a more knowledgeableteacher with betterpractices and a newcollection of resourcesto draw from. The most

valuable outcome of myexperience is that I left abetter teacher, which directlyimpacts my students' develop-ment. This year my kidsare getting a higher qualityeducation as a result of myprofessional developmentinternship.


it

Learning With Technology Course ResourcesAvailable Online

Resources from the Learning With Technology CourseParticipant's Manual and Facilitator's Guide previously wereavailable only to course facilitators or participants. Nowanyone with access to the Internet can use these materialsto help design professional development programs thatfocus on student learning.

The documents are available as downloadable PDF files.They may be reproduced without alteration fornoncommercial, educational purposes. Available online:www.ncrtec.org/pd/pd.htm

ti

White House Advisor

Comes to NCREL

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On February18, 2000, White House

, r--

met with 1

Advisor Andrew Rotherham

superintendents,principals,

and other--,

school leaders to talk about teacher qual-

1 ity, school governance,state standards,

by the North Central Regional EducationalLaboratory (NCREL). Rotherham highlighted

and othertopics at a meeting facilitated

some of the education initiatives proposed in the President's State of the Union Address:

closing the achievementgap, fixing failing schools, and rewarding exceptional teachers.

During his conversationwith the school leaders, the issue of teacher

quality was raised

often. Rotherhamtalked about a teacher-quality

initiativedesigned to help improve student

performancetheTeaching to High Standards Initiativeand

another initiative that has

been proposed to help superintendents,principals,

and other school leaders guide their

schools to higher levels of performanceTheSchool Leaders Initiative.

To learn more about FY2000 major initiativesand funding opportunities,

visit:

www.ed.gov/inits/FY2000/-- -- - - - _

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4 pathWaYS9 Fifth -.Anniiversary by Visfitring ,$,\

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the New Coltice lissue cp, k

For the past five years the NCREL Pathways

team, along with scores of education expertson onand

exceptional teachers, has brought you informati

topics you wanted to know more about. The award-

winning Pathways to School Improvement site continues

its legacy of excellence by boasting a new critical isson

technology/professionaldevelopment. The critical issue,

Providing Professional Development for Effective

Technology Use, offers valuable insight surrounding

integrating technology into the curriculum. This critical

issue is packed with need-to-know information

ranging from advice on using technology effec-

tively in the classroom to strategies for finding

time for professional development.

vvww.ncrel.org/sdrs/areas/issues/methods/technlgy/

te1000.htm

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Mark Your Calendar!The U.S. Departmentof Education's

2000 ImprovingAmerica's

Schools

(IAS) Conferenceis coming

soon to a city in your region. The conferences

issuesand challenges

facing today's educators.

will provideopportunities

to learn about new programsand to address the

The Midwesternregional conference

will be held October,it

Kentucky.Six out of seven NCREL states are-part

of the IAS Midwest

region: Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan,Minnesota,

and Wisconsin.Ohio is

WashingtonD.C.

in the IAS Easternregion; that conference

will be held December13-15 in

Wonderingif you should attend?

Well, if youare a teacher,

principal,

superintendent,parent, grant or program

administrator,national

or state

educationorganiation,

local or state educationofficlal, or other education

stakeholder,then the IAS conference

is for you. For more detailsabout the

IAS conferences,please visit the conference

Web site at:

c.J

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or

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I V

PROFESSIONAL

DEVELOPMENT

A roolAtt for Schoolsand Diskirts Anal

on ModelPAdeslional DevelopnvolAward WAMM's

NCREL

ProfessionalDevelopment: LearningFrom the Best(Free while supplies last!)

In 1996, the U.S.Department of Educationestablished the NationalAwards Program for ModelProfessional Developmentto recognize schools anddistricts that are leading thenation in professional devel-opment. To date, the programhas recognized 20 outstandingschools and districts fromacross the country.

Based on the lessons andexperiences of these 20 award-winning sites, NCREL hasdeveloped a step-by-stepguide to help other schoolsand districts implement strong,sustainable professional

development that drivesachievement of studentlearning goals. ProfessionalDevelopment: Learning Fromthe Best describes the stepssites must take to design,implement, evaluate, improve,and share successful profes-sional development programsfor teachers. The guide alsoincludes a checklist andnumerous worksheets to aidin the process.

A Better Return onInvestment: ReallocatingResources to ImproveStudent Achievement(Free while supplies last!)

Standards-based educationreform has created a climateof accountability thatencompasses both resultsand resources. Schools anddistricts must play a key rolein deciding how resourcesshould be used. Indeed, manyschools are looking for waysto reallocate resources inorder to achieve their educa-tional visions.

This multimedia packethelps educators make senseof this complex issue. Thetwo audiotapes examine

issues of resource allocationfrom a national and morelocal perspective. Featuredguests include an economist,a college dean and several

fOaV

A Better Returnon Investment:

Reallocating Resourcesto Improve

eStudent Achievement

professors, and businessleaders as well as a superin-tendent, principal, and schoolboard member.

The accompanying bookletdescribes the process ofchange that can lead toresource reallocation and tellshow schools are paying fortheir reform efforts in bothrural and urban settings.

rThree Ways to Order1. Order online at:www.ncrel.org/catalog/2. Fax your request toNCREL's Order Departmentat: (630) 571-4716

3. Call our toll-free ordernumber: (800) 356-2735

WestEd

Teachers WhoLearn, Kids WhoAchieve: A Look atSchools with ModelProfessionalDevelopment

Order No. PD-00-01The book Teachers

Who Learn, Kids WhoAchieve: A Look at

Schools With Model Professional Developmentexamines the practices of eight schools that wereacknowledged by the National Awards Programfor Model Professional Development. Published

22 NCREs LEARNING POINT / Spring 2000

by WestEd, this resource includes profiles ofeach school, annotated lists of related readingsand planning tools, information on implementa-tion approaches, and much, much more.

To OrderThis resource is available for $9.95 plus $2.50

for shipping and handling (add local taxes if youare ordering from CA, AR, MA, or Washington,D.C.). Receive a 20% discount on all orders of20 or more and a 25% discount on all orders of50 or more. For an order form, visit WestEd'sonline catalog at:www.wested.org/wested/pubs/catalog/

27

ECONTIRTONmBoTA

kliWg0M1111

Third National Summit on Best Practices forEnhancing Student Achievement and Safety

Apri il'\=a3g 2000Ambassador West Hotel; Gold Coast Downtown Chicago

Sponsored by:

HOPE oun(Harnessing Optimism and Potential Through Education)

%gamAfter decades of leadership development alongside pioneers likeW. Edwards Deming, AI Shanker, Edward Zig ler, James Comer,Mary Futrell, Richard Green, Peter Senge, and scores of others,we have found that the Lion in the Wizard of Oz had it right:"It takes Courage!"

Leadership of today's schools clearly requires courage, butalso the skills and ongoing support to:

create climates that place all students' safety and successat the center of activitybalance between managing and collaborative, instructionalleadershipgain community support for vital initiativesfocus and maximize resources for better resultsmeet mandates and standards, while maintaining focuson learninguse data to drive decisions and continuous improvement

-onference DesignFundamental to success in the areas listed above is thecultivation of trusting relationships. In Courageous Leadershipfor School Success, we will use a highly interactive,axperiential design to model approaches that you can useimmediately afterward to build those relationships and asense of community both in and outside of your school(s).

You will come away with new skills, a close network oflike-minded peers, and a renewed sense of commitment to:mating true learning communities.

ZEIT MCID3

Richard Du FourThree-time winner of the U.S.

Department of Education'sExcellence in Education Award,and Superintendent of the Year,Ad lai Stevenson, District 125,

Lincolnshire, IL

Barbara Eason-WatkinsPrincipal, McCosh School, PhiDelta Kappan Educator of theYear, and winner of ChicagoPublic Schools OutstandingPrincipal Leadership Award,

ChicagoIL q).

Keynote PresentationsTwo keynote presentations will provide catalysts to discussions,planning, and activities.

Anne ByrantExecutive Director,National SchoolBoards Association

RIM glo Conference daOn Friday, April 28, you can spend the morning and early afternoonwith your peers visiting a model school in downtown Chicago(McCosh Elementary & Middle School) or in Lincolnshire, Illinois(Adlai Stevenson High School District), to see many of the bestpractices discussed during the conference in action. Lunch andtransportation are included.

Expedition!

Thomas SergiovanniAuthor of The Lifeworldof Leadership: CreatingCulture, Community, andPersonal Meaning in OurSchools, and RadfordProfessor, University ofRochester, Rochester, NY

Gt9:5The rate of $395 covers materials, lunches, continental breakfast,and all sessions for the first two days of the conference (April 26-27).For an additional $125, you can join the expeditionary learning tourto a model school in the Chicago area. Lunch, transportation, and aguided tour are provided.

Save up to $100 on your conference fee!We understand that it usually requires at least a small, dedicatedteam for real change to occur. So we are providing $50 off eachregistration for teams of three or more.Save $25 when you pre-pay your registration fee by check orcredit card. (Sorry, but a P.O. does not count as pre-payment.)

MP@Attendees at Courageous Leadership can receive Illinois AdministratorAcademy Credits or a certificate of participation.

register cu ccom800-62R =CM2-323-81

phone:

Eronot am rugBloomington,

e-mail:

Foundation,

(69

IMN47402-0906

[email protected]

North Central Regional Educational Laboratory

Gina Burkh`ardt,Executive Director

PUBLICATION STAFFEditorial Director: Julio AbreuEditors: Marianne Kroeger,Stephanie Blascr, Lcnaya Raack,Cinder Cooper, Ann KinderArt Director: Enrique. Cruz Jr.Graphic Design: Faith Weeks,Pat WilliamsCopy Editor: Nancy DreherAssistant Editor: Bernadette Freund

4I

LEARNING PINTA publication of the North Central RegionalEducational Laboratory

EDITORIAL OFFICESNorth Central RegionalEducational Laboratory1900 Spring Road, Suite 300Oak Brook, Illinois 60523-1480

. (800) 356-2735Fax: (630) 571-4716E-mail: [email protected] site: www.ncrcl.org

NCRELs Learning Point is producedin cooperation with A+ Media, Inc.

(847-205-3071).

Printed on recycled paper

-

GIVr-YOURSELF A PAT ON THE_BACK-,Dont rrITS'S-this opportunity to give yourself, your sclioali'or

your.diAtrict.apat on...the back for a job well done That's tight,-

we4iii6;(eattire youl professional development -Success=1E----.,,.storitStiWAe next _issue of NCREL's Learning Point._

-

What were your greatest obstacles? How did you overcome -them?Whitifirio\iitiVe rips can you offer other readers? WhiaS-Yifiiii-secret.tai-prtgEssional development success? _

-

Selidytitit,'Siff2des-s-stoty to NCREL (Attention Ann1900 iSiriiiiik-o-ad-,-5uite 300, Oak Brook, IL 605234480. Help, - -

pavegx4-2WAy-itowlessi.pnal development,successiovotherricf is iEfs by sharing

EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARDPaul Barada, President, Barada Associates, Inc., Indiana; GwendolynGriffith-Adell, Assistant Principal, Merrillville Community Schools,

Indiana; Susan Manikowski, Lead Associate for ProfessionalDevelopment and Quality Improvement, Robbinsdale Area Schools,

Minnesota; Carl Munson, Director, Wisconsin Graduate Program,Aurora University; Thomas Pickering, Dean, School of Educationand Human Services, University of Southern Indiana; MaureenTaylor, School Improvement Consultant, Heartland Area Education

Agency 11; Iowa; Margaret Trent, Director, Board Relations and

Support Services, Ohio Department of Education.

North Central Regional Educational Laboratory1900 Spring Road, Suite 300Oak Brook, Illinois 60523-1480

Route To:PrincipalLibrarianTeachersCurriculumDirector

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