Connecting Professional Development and Workplace Learning

Overview

Recent studies and commentaries on the successful implementation of education-and-work reforms highlight the importance of redesigning teacher education programs. Implementation of these reforms will require that educators have a substantial understanding of reform principles and ways in which work-based and school-based learning can be used to enhance curriculum and instruction. It is critical that institutions of higher education rethink their vision for teacher education programs to align education-and-work reforms and "authentic" curricula. To inform this new vision, it is also essential to understand how promising professional development programs have impacted student learning and career development.

The National Commission on Teaching and America's Future (NCTAF) reported in 1996 that, "A recent study of more than 1,000 school districts concluded that every additional dollar spent on more highly qualified teachers netted greater improvements in student achievement than did any other use of school resources" (pp. 7-8). But, what is the nature of these "improvements?" How do we know professional development programs are effective? Guskey and Sparks (1996) suggest guiding the evaluation of professional development practices on student outcomes with questions such as: "What improvements in student learning do we seek and what changes must be made to get those results? What types of staff development are required to make those improvements? How will we know if staff development led to these improvements?" (p. 34). Ultimately, we are interested in the improvement of student outcomes through challenging teaching environments. Thus, understanding the relationship of promising professional development practices and improvements in student outcomes is essential for redesigning teacher education programs.

Another key consideration in reforming teacher preparation lies in understanding how colleges and universities can support related institutional change. To succeed in developing a framework for a "new" teacher education model, we must also understand the institutional context and commitment of colleges and universities, given the fact that they are usually reluctant to change (Cochran, DeRuiter, & King, 1996). Following a decade of NCRVE research and dissemination efforts to advance new or emerging models of implementing school reform, much work remains to be done (Grubb, 1997). The fact is, most colleges of education have yet to embrace the principles of contextualized learning and connecting school and work in their teacher education programs.

While institutions of higher education are notoriously slow to adopt reforms, one would expect to find some of these principles in the educator preparation programs of NCRVE institutions. What can we learn from the experience of NCRVE-member institutions? How have the knowledge base and resources (generated in the past decade) facilitated new approaches to teacher preparation? How can the university capacity be enhanced? What kind of institutional mechanisms and structures should be in place to implement "new models" for teacher preparation? Questions such as these should also be addressed to complement new knowledge on "authentic" teaching.

Purpose

To address these important questions and issues, the 1998 NCRVE Teacher Education Initiative will:

• Conduct two case studies to gain an understanding of how advanced professional development models for teachers enhance student achievement and/or educational reform outcomes.
• Assist teams of teacher educators from selected NCRVE institutions in developing "design initiatives" aimed at incorporating education-and-work concepts and practices in teacher or administrator education programs.

The framework, generated with results from 1996-97 project work, will be refined by examining the relationship between professional development and student outcomes. Project activities will be complemented with revisions of current teacher education programs at up to three NCRVE-member institutions. Project staff will be supported by a steering team that has served on this initiative since 1996.

Case Studies

As noted above, the link between professional development and student achievement is both complex and under-studied (Guskey & Sparks, 1996). Documenting this relationship is essential for redesigning teacher education initiatives. To address this issue, two case studies will be conducted, both focusing on student outcomes at the high school level.

Using the network of contacts and nominated programs established in the 1997 project, a national search will be conducted to seek advanced educator workplace learning programs. Specifically, the search will target programs that meet two baseline criteria: (a) educator workplace learning initiatives have been in place for a minimum of five years, and (b) data and other forms of evidence that indicate changes in student achievement (e.g, high school attendance and dropout rates, changes in aggregate academic achievement scores, etc.) are available. For comparison purposes, a site with similar demographic indicators at initial stages of participation in workplace learning will also be selected.

The core questions guiding case studies will be designed around promising professional development practices and their impact on student outcomes. These research questions will be refined with the assistance of the steering team and additional review of relevant literature. Findings from case studies will articulate the impact promising professional development programs have on instructional practices and student outcomes.

Building University Capacity

In collaboration with up to three NCRVE-member institutions, the project will support university-based efforts to rethink and enhance the design and implementation of reform-oriented teacher education programs. Through a 4-6 month demonstration project approach, each participant institution will engage teams--composed of deans, NCRVE researchers, and teacher education faculty--in documenting institutional supports and ways to enhance institutional capacity. Teams will be provided with the resources, institutional support, and experience needed to integrate education-and-work reforms with new designs for teacher education. The ultimate goal is to enhance institutional capacity by allowing deans, department heads, and interdisciplinary faculty teams to re-examine their current system and develop a new vision for teacher education. By engaging NCRVE-member institutions on these projects we will ensure future demonstration sites for other universities interested in reviewing institutional structures that support teacher education programs. Once the scope of work is defined, each team will be expected to develop an action plan.

Additionally, two seminars will be designed, each reflecting a key theme for the redesign of teacher education emerging from NCRVE work on key elements of school reform (e.g., integrating work- and school-based learning, enhancing career development options, and connecting secondary and postsecondary institutions).

Available Publications

The following briefs describe projects findings from research conducted in 1996-1997 and are available through the center on Education and Work:

• Changing Work, Changing Learning: The Imperative for Teacher Learning in Workplaces and Communities
• Innovative Professional Development Opportunities: Key Elements for Successful Development
• Educator Internship Programs: Providing a Quality Learning Experience
• The Use of Professional Development Schools to Inform Educators about the School-to-Work Initiative

To order briefs, please call (800) 862-1071 or (608) 265-2929. Case studies of promising programs and a database of references and resources are also available on the CEW project web site: www.cew.wisc.edu.

References

Cochran, K. F., DeRuiter, J. A., & King, R. A. (1993). Pedagogical content knowing: An integrative model for teacher preparation. Journal of Teacher Education, 44(4), 263-272. Grubb, W.N. (1997). Not there yet: Prospects and problems for "education through occupations." Journal of Vocational Education Research, 22(2), 77-94. Guskey, T. R. & Sparks, D. (1996, Fall). Exploring the relationship between staff development and improvements in student learning. Journal of Staff Development, 17(4), 34-38. National Commission on Teaching and America's Future. (1996). What matters most: Teaching for America's future. New York: Author.