1. No Child Left Behind &
Professional Development
Prepared by Ann Waddle
May 2007
(c) 2007 Ann Waddle
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2. Resources
Information about NCLB is from
documents available on-line (May
2007) unless otherwise noted on
the slide. A complete list of
resources is available at the end of
the presentation.
(c) 2007 Ann Waddle
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3. NCLB-systemic reform
Include stakeholders
Set goals
Design and implement
Review and revise
(c) 2007 Ann Waddle
NCLB is a model of reform based on the systems theory. Bertalanaffy, Banathy,
and Laszlo are some of the classic systems theorists who were the first to suggest
that the whole organization is more than just the pieces put together. The
organization is also the interaction between all those pieces.
Stakeholders, which for us would include teachers, parents, administrators, and
community members, design the process. The process is not always to correct a
problem, because when the problem is fixed—the organization collapses. Often the
process is designed to achieve improvement, as in the case of NCLB.
An integral part of the systems model is to incorporate feedback from the process to
revise and refocus the design.
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4. All means all!
All staff is trained to meet
individual needs of all students,
but particularly the lowest achieving
students of any program that is
included in the schoolwide program.
(c) 2007 Ann Waddle
So stakeholders….look at this statement from the Iowa State Department of
Education, used in NCLB materials.
ALL STAFF includes volunteers, principals, paraprofessionals, bus drivers, and
lunch ladies in “all staff”! Time is one problem here, with having enough time to
provide professional development for support staff a problem.
Look at the rest of the sentence, too. Lowest achieving students of ANY program—
so if a child is struggling in AR, in technology, in the after school program--we need
to be sure to work to meet that child’s needs.
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5. Table Talk
Take a few minutes to discuss with
the others at your table the staff in
your school responsible for working
with the lowest achieving students.
What training does this segment of
your staff have?
What professional development is
provided for this staff?
(c) 2007 Ann Waddle
Is the person with the most training and expertise the person most often working
with at-risk students, or do volunteers and EAs work with them often? Is there on-
going training/professional development? Who plans in-service/staff development—
who picks the topics?
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6. Professional Development
High-quality
On-going
Across grade levels
Teacher-generated
Aligned with schoolwide program
goals
Research-based
(c) 2007 Ann Waddle
NCLB uses these terms to describe professional development. But what makes
“high-quality” professional development? We might assume if it is on-going, across
grade levels, and teacher generate, it would be high-quality, but are we sure☺
Also, we might infer that if professional development is aligned with schoolwide
goals in Title I schools, it would be more effective. And how about research-based?
What research is available?
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7. Who knew!
The Role of Mentoring in Promoting Use of
Research-based practices in Reading
Comparing Four Literacy Reform
Models in High Poverty Schools
Teacher Quality and Students Placed At
Risk
Accountability by Design in Literacy
Professional Development
(c) 2007 Ann Waddle
Here are a few of the articles used for background as this was created. The
complete list is in your handout.
Vaughn, S. & Coleman, M. (2004). The role of mentoring in promoting use of
research-based practices in reading. Remedial and Special Education, 25(1), 25-38.
Retrieved July 28, 2006, from Academic Search Premier database.
Tivnan, T., & Hemphill, L. (2005). Comparing four literacy reform models in high-
poverty schools: Patterns of first-grade achievement. The Elementary School
Journal, 105(5), 419-441. Retrieved January 13, 2007, from Academic Search
Premier database.
Shen, J., Mansberger, N. B., & Yang, H. (2004). Teacher quality and students
placed at risk: Results from the Baccalaureate and Beyond Longitudinal Study
1993-97. Educational Horizons, 82(3), 226-235. Retrieved April 14, 2007, from
Academic Search Premier database.
Kinnucan-Welsch, K., Rosemary, C. A., & Grogan, P. R. (2006). Accountability by
design in literacy professional development. The Reading Teacher, 59(5), 426-35.
Chard, D. (2004). Toward a science of professional development in early reading
instruction. Exceptionality, 12(3), 175-191. Retrieved July 28, 2006, from Academic
Premier Search database.
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8. Reflection
Now take a few minutes to reflect on the
professional development your school
offers staff members who work with the
lowest achieving students.
Does the PD meet these criteria?
High-quality
On-going
Across grade levels
Teacher-generated
Aligned with schoolwide program goals
Research-based
(c) 2007 Ann Waddle
Have tables report out on how they support teacher-generated staff development,
how it is on-going, how it is across grade levels/departments
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9. Research-based practices
Experiment model
Randomized
Controlled trial
Relevance to NCLB goals
(c) 2007 Ann Waddle
According to NCLB, these are the criteria for scientifically based research. You no
doubt conducted research experiments at some point in your college career.
Remember—you had to have a control group and an experimental group—and the
participants needed to be randomly selected for each group. When studying
education, however, this creates a dilemma for many researchers. Are you going to
NOT use best practices in one group? Are you NOT going to provide on-going
professional development for ½ the staff? And can you really create a matching
population to mirror the faculty at Darden? Is there another school with the same
mix of ethnicity and experience in the teaching staff?
Very little research exists that fits this model.
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10. WWW.WHATWORKS.ED.GOV
The US Dept. of Education has
created a website that is a
“Consumer Reports” for teachers.
Beginning Reading,
Elementary Math,
ELL, and
Early Childhood.
(c) 2007 Ann Waddle
The government has found 7 research reports that meet their criteria for beginning
reading—that is, reading intervention for K-3, designed to increase skills in phonics,
phonemic awareness, vocabulary, and comprehension.
5 reports on elementary math—that is math intervention designed for use in
elementary schools with attention to student outcomes related to math
achievement.
8 reports on ELL--intervention is offered to students in K-6 classrooms.
In addition, curricula are being characterized based on whether they target special
subpopulations of children (e.g., learning disabled, language impaired, ESL). The
review could include studies in which students may no longer be considered limited
English proficient by the school, but where students still possess limited English
language skills.
8 reports on early childhood--designed for use in center-based settings with 3- to 5-
year-old children who are not yet in kindergarten or children who are in preschool,
with a primary focus on cognitive and language competencies associated with
school readiness
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11. Scientifically-based RESEARCH
Title II funds in the past have been
used for disconnected, one-time
workshops as well as for yearlong
study groups focused on literacy.
Little research is available on the
outcomes of these.
(c) 2007 Ann Waddle
Only 28 reports met the criteria for early childhood and elementary. Nothing is
posted for professional development.
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12. Highly-qualified Teachers
Two conferences = doctoral degree
95% are highly qualified, but 25%
are certified in content area.
(c) 2007 Ann Waddle
States have been allowed to set the criteria for “highly-qualified” teachers. Yet the
standards vary dramatically. For instance in Georgia, attending 2 conferences is
considered the same qualification as earning a doctoral degree. I attended a very
effective conference for kindergarten teachers as well as a national reading
association conference, but work on my doctoral degree is not at all the same.
In Utah, 95% of teachers are considered highly-qualified, but only 25% of secondary
school teachers in Utah are certified in the area they teach. If teachers are not
certified in the area they are teaching, how can they be highly qualified?
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13. Highly-qualified Teachers
High poverty vs. low poverty
Urban vs. rural
New teachers
(c) 2007 Ann Waddle
Peter Tuerk in 2005 found the number of highly qualified teachers is related to the
level of poverty of students in a school, and is also connected to the community
context—large city, small urban, or rural. Large city contexts had a much stronger
negative relationship between quality teachers and percentage of students from
poverty than rural contexts. Also, new teachers could be rated based on their
college GPA, but when placed in high poverty schools and/or in urban settings, their
performance was much lower than their GPA predicted.
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14. Subject-area knowledge
Highly-qualified teachers with
subject-area knowledge have a
positive effect on student
achievement.
New teachers have a negative
effect.
(c) 2007 Ann Waddle
Shen, Mansberger, and Yang published a report in 2004 based on information from
1993-1997. The results might be different now, after 5 years of NCLB, but they
found a negative affect on student achievement from new teachers with varying
qualities, such as college GPA and level of certification.
What about Title I reading and math teachers? NCLB’s Toolkit for Teachers says
“Such a teacher must pass a rigorous state test in the subject are OR demonstrate
competency in that subject through the state’s high, objective, uniform state
standard of evaluation (HOUSSE) procedures.”
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15. New Teachers
On the other hand, new elementary
school teachers must pass a
rigorous state test in all areas of
the elementary school curriculum.
As a practical matter, most states
are already requiring new teachers,
whether generalists or specialists,
to pass a general test before they
can obtain full state certification.
(c) 2007 Ann Waddle
In these states, teachers who choose to pursue subject-area specializations will
already have satisfied the requirements for being highly-qualified in elementary
school.
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16. Table Talk
Discuss with your colleagues how our state
defines highly-qualified teacher criteria.
Are all members of your staff highly-
qualified? Did they all meet the same
standard?
How many new teachers are on your staff?
Do you have many doctoral degrees on
your staff? Do you have many who have
attended 2 conferences?
Who are you recruiting?
(c) 2007 Ann Waddle
Have tables report out on highly-qualified staff issues—how many have masters or
doctoral candidates or degrees in your schools? What about para-professionals?
How are they qualified?
Title I reading and math teachers—how much experience, how many degrees?
Pre-retirement role?
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17. NEXT STEPS…
As you and your leadership team plan
for professional development—
(c) 2007 Ann Waddle
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22. Resources
Theorists for systems model
Ludwig von Bertalanffy
Banathy
Laszlo
Fullan
Senge
Also, a handout is available with all resources listed!
(c) 2007 Ann Waddle
In your handout—you have this list of resources that have been used in creating this
presentation. Some have been highlighted that deal most specifically with
professional development for literacy and for students living in poverty and/or at
risk.
Also, you have a copy of excerpts from some of these articles. Remember—these
have been pulled out of context, but if you see something that interests you, I’ll be
glad to help you locate the entire document.
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23. Resources on professional
development
Anderson, B. T.; Brown, C. L.; Lopez-Ferrao, J. (2003) Systemic reform: Good educational practice with positive impacts and
unresolved problems and issues. Review of Policy Research, 20 (4), 617-627.
Birman, B. F. & Porter, A. C. (2002). Evaluating the effectiveness of education funding streams. Peabody Journal of Education,
(77)4, 59-85. Retrieved April 12, 2007, from Academic Premier Search database.
Brownell, M. T., Adams, A., Sindelar, P. , Waldron, N., and Vanhover, S. (2006) Learning from Collaboration: The Role of Teacher
Qualities. Exceptional Children, 72(2), 169-185. Retrieved April 14, 2007, from Academic Premier Search database.
Chard, D. (2004). Toward a science of professional development in early reading instruction. Exceptionality, 12(3), 175-191.
Retrieved July 28, 2006, from Academic Premier Search database.
Dole, J. A., Liang, L. A., Watkins, N. M., & Wiggins, C. M. (2006). The state of reading professionals in the United States. Reading
Teacher, 60(2), 194-199.
Gersti-Pepin, C. I. & Woodside-Jiron, H. (2005). Tensions between the “science” of reading and a “love of learning”: One high-
poverty school’s struggle with NCLB. Equity & Excellence in Education, 38, 232-241. Retrieved April 14, 2007, from Academic
Search Premier database.
Hirsh, S. (2005). Professional development and closing the achievement gap. Theory Into Practice, 44(1), 38-44. Retrieved July
17, 2006, from Academic Premier Search database.
Kinnucan-Welsch, K., Rosemary, C. A., & Grogan, P. R. (2006). Accountability by design in literacy professional development. The
Reading Teacher, 59(5), 426-35.
Porter-Magee, K. (2004). Teacher quality, controversy, and NCLB. Clearing House, 78(1), 26-29. Retrieved April 10, 2007, from
Academic Premier Search database.
Rhodes, C. S., Wolf, L. B., and Rhodes, G. J. (2005). “Professional Development Laboratory: Center for Literacy and Community
Services”. Journal of Children and Poverty, 11(1), 77-85.
Shen, J., Mansberger, N. B., & Yang, H. (2004). Teacher quality and students placed at risk: Results from the Baccalaureate and
Beyond Longitudinal Study 1993-97. Educational Horizons, 82(3), 226-235. Retrieved April 14, 2007, from Academic Search
Premier database.
Thornton, B., Peltier, G., & Perreault, G. (2004). Systems thinking: A skill to improve student achievement. Clearing House, 77(5),
222-227.
Tivnan, T., & Hemphill, L. (2005). Comparing four literacy reform models in high-poverty schools: Patterns of first-grade
achievement. The Elementary School Journal, 105(5), 419-441. Retrieved January 13, 2007, from Academic Search Premier
database.
Tuerk, P. W. (2005). Research in the high-stakes era: Achievement, resources, and No Child Left Behind. Psychological Science,
16(6), 419-425. Retrieved April 14, 2007, from Academic Search Premier database.
United States Department of Education (March 2006). Designing schoolwide programs: Non-regulatory guidance. Retrieved May
11, 2007, from http://www.ed.gov/policy/elsec/guid/edpicks.jhtml?src=ln
Vaughn, S. & Coleman, M. (2004). The role of mentoring in promoting use of research-based practices in reading. Remedial and
Special Education, 25(1), 25-38. Retrieved July 28, 2006, from Academic Search Premier database.
Walpole, S., Justice, L. M., & Invernizzi, M. A. (2004). Closing the gap between research and practice: Case study of school-wide
literacy reform. Reading & Writing Quarterly, 20, 261-283. Retrieved on July 15, 2006, from Academic Premier Search.
(c) 2007 Ann Waddle
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24. Resources on background of NCLB
and systems model of change
Banathy, B. H. (1996) Designing social systems in a changing world. New York: Plenum
Press.
Bertalanffy, L. von (1968) General system theory: Foundations, development,
applications, (rev. ed). New York: George Braziller.
Fullan, M. (2001). Leading in a culture of change. New York: Jossey-Bass.
Hoff, D. & Manzo, K. (2007) Bush claims about NCLB questioned. Education Week,
26(27). Retrieved June 25, 2007 from Academic Search Premier database.
Laszlo, E. (1996) The systems view of the world: A holistic vision for our time. Cresskill,
NJ: Hampton Press, Inc.
Senge, P. M. (2006) The fifth discipline: The art and practice of the learning
organization. New York: Currency-Doubleday.
Sternberg, R. (1997, March). What does it mean to be smart? [Electronic version].
Educational Leadership, 54(6), 20-24.
United States Department of Education (March 2006). Designing schoolwide programs:
Non-regulatory guidance. Retrieved March 10, 2007, from
http://www.ed.gov/policy/elsec/guid/edpicks.jhtml?src=ln
United States Department of Education, (n.d.) A capsule view of the history of federal
education legislation(pdf). Retrieved March 10, 2007, from
http://www.ed.gov/policy/gen/leg/edpicks.jhtml?src=ln
Whitehouse, 2007. Building on results: A blueprint for strengthening NCLB. Retrieved
March 17, 2007, from
http://www.whitehouse.gov/stateoftheunion/2007/initiatives/education.html
(c) 2007 Ann Waddle
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