Taking Center Stage – Act II (TCSII)

A Portal for Middle Grades Educators

Ongoing professional learning for teacher satisfaction and retention

Teaching is a challenging job. According to a 2007 report from the California State University system, A Possible Dream: Retaining California Teachers So All Students Learn (PDF; Outside Source), 22 percent of California teachers leave the profession after their first four years in the classroom, and ten percent of teachers transfer away from high-poverty schools each year. High teacher turnover negatively affects the educational experience of students due to loss of continuity, experience, and expertise.1

Job satisfaction in teaching depends on a feeling of competence in managing classroom behavior and in helping students achieve grade-level standards. As a result, effective middle schools place a high priority on developing professional learning communities that will support teachers and provide them with the particular skills they need to succeed. For example, teachers need to know the “how” of pedagogy as much as the “what” of curriculum and standards. District policymakers must provide the fiscal resources and qualified personnel to support teachers if they hope to improve student learning on a systemwide basis. Teachers as well as principals must be involved in the development and implementation of districtwide initiatives to improve instruction if those initiatives are to have any real impact on teaching and learning.2 Recognizing the importance of this type of strategic support, California’s Essential Program Component (EPC) number six calls for ongoing instructional assistance and support for teachers.

The 2005 issue of the Issues Report highlighted research about the effectiveness of standards-based professional development. Researchers found that the professional development opportunities most likely to affect teacher practices and student achievement positively are:

• Of considerable duration
• Focused on specific content and/or instructional strategies rather than general
• Characterized by collective participation of educators (in the form of grade-level or school-level teams)
• Coherent (all parts are logically connected; consistent)
• Infused with active learning, rather than a stand-and-deliver model3

In a study on teachers who were effective in helping Latino students, researchers found that:

Almost all of the teachers in the study schools regularly participated in professional development activities (including attending college courses) to improve their teaching. In addition, they cultivated and maintained positive relationships with their students, showing concern for their welfare and displaying student work in school hallways. The teachers seemed to know their students well, demonstrating both respect and high expectations for them all. These teachers were successful in maintaining both a high level of discipline and a caring culture.4

School administrators and leadership teams can use a variation on the three-tier approach modeled by Response to Intervention (RTI) to design professional learning experiences (see the RTI section in Recommendation 2—Instruction, Assessment, and Intervention):

• Benchmark professional learning is a “one-size-fits all” approach to professional development for all teachers and provides basic strategies such as classroom management and differentiated instruction.
  
  
• Strategic professional learning focuses on specific subjects and practices for teachers who are struggling.
  
  
• Intensive professional development is for teachers or administrators who are at risk of dropping out because they lack certain skills needed for success.

Many schools focus their professional development efforts on hiring outside experts. Often these outsiders assume teachers come to the sessions with no prior knowledge. Letting teachers work together to create professional development modules that fit their needs is often more effective.5

In addition to school, district, and county professional development opportunities, both professional associations and the Internet offer many ongoing learning options for teachers.

Related Links

• California Teachers Association (Outside Source)
• CLMS Professional Development Events(Outside Source), California League of Middle Schools.
• Hire and retain qualified teachers, Recommendation 9—Leadership, TCSII.
• Math and Reading Professional Development Intro, California Department of Education.
• National Forum to Accelerate Middle Grades Reform (Outside Source)
• Professional Development (Outside Source), National Midle School Association.
• SB 472 Frequently Asked Questions," California Department of Education.

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Footnotes
1Ken Futernick, A Possible Dream: Retaining California Teachers So All Students Learn (PDF; Outside Source). Sacramento: California State University, 2007, vii, x.
2A Delicate Balance: District Policies and Classroom Practice. Chicago: Cross City Campaign for Urban School Reform, 2005, 4.
3Ravay Snow-Renner and Patricia A. Lauer, McREL Insights: Professional Development Analysis (PDF; Outside Source), The McREL Web site (2005), 6.
4Dan Jesse, Alan Davis, and Nancy Pokorny, High Achieving Middle Schools for Latino Students in Poverty (PDF; Outside Source), Journal of Education for Students Placed at Risk, Vol. 9 (2004), 33, 34.
5Linda Christensen, Teacher Quality: Teachers Teaching Teachers (Outside Source), Rethinking Schools Online, Vol.20, No. 2 (Winter 2005/2006).

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