Language and Literacy Education Commons^™

A Study Of Professional Development At Three Midwestern, Urban, Public, Elementary Schools With Increased Student Achievement In Reading, Valerie Hastings Gregory

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

This study investigated principals' and teachers' perceptions about professional development and conditions for change. Specifically, the following research questions were answered: (1) How do principals describe professional development at their schools? (2) What professional development experiences did teachers report as having an effect on their teaching practice? and (3) What common factors or conditions did teachers at the three schools report as influencing whether they change their classroom practices after participating in professional development initiatives?;Data collection incorporated both qualitative and quantitative methodologies using principal interviews and teacher surveys. Simple descriptive statistics were used to analyze and describe professional development type …