What Works in Professional Development?

TLDR

The study examines what is known about the link between professional development and student learning, the reliability of evidence supporting that link, and the traits of truly effective PD, prompting a large inclusive synthesis. The authors aim to stimulate improved research on the effectiveness of professional development in education. Researchers from the American Institutes for Research reviewed over 1,300 studies on PD effects, with support from the Regional Education Laboratory‑Southwest and the Institute of Education Sciences. The analysis revealed a complex relationship between professional development and student achievement, offering new insights into how PD influences learning outcomes.

Abstract

hat do we really know about the relationship between professional development and improvements in student learning? What evidence validates that relationship, and how trustworthy is that evidence? What does that evidence tell us about the characteristics of truly effective professional development activities? These questions guided one of the largest and most inclusive syntheses of research on effective professional development conducted to date. Scholars from the American Institutes for Research analyzed findings from over 1,300 studies that potentially address the effect of professional development on student learning outcomes. The project was sponsored by the Regional Education Laboratory-Southwest (REL SW) and funded by the Institute of Education Sciences of the U.S. Department of Education. The findings from this comprehensive analysis, titled Reviewing the Evidence on How Teacher Professional Development Affects Student Achievement (Yoon et al. 2007), shed new light on the complex relationship between professional development and improvements in student learning. It is hoped that they also will lead to new and better research on this vitally important dimension of the educational improvement What Works in Professional Development?