Professional Development

Team Leader: Susan Loucks-Horsley

Project goal: How can professional development for science and mathematics teachers be made more valuable? The NISE's Professional Development Team identifies various strategies for effective professional development  and documents the knowledge, beliefs, and contextual issues that need to be considered as educators design and carry out professional development initiatives.

Products: From its inquiries into research and practice, the Professional Development Team built a vision of effective professional development in science and mathematics education and created a Design Framework to guide professional developers in constructing more effective experiences for teachers. The Design Framework helps professional developers expand the range of professional learning strategies they offer beyond the traditional format of workshops and institutes, deepening understanding of both content and pedagogy over time. 

The team's recent book, Designing Professional Development for Teachers of Science and Mathematics (1998), has become a big seller for Corwin Press—its third most heavily sold item. Two short forms of the book (one on mathematics and one on science) completed by the Eisenhower National Clearinghouse, are being widely circulated by the U.S. Department of Education.

The team has extended its study to examine the "disconnect" between preservice and the ongoing professional development of teachers. The gap between these two parts of the teacher development system has contributed to a lack of coherence and a subsequent loss of quality in the ongoing development of teachers. A monograph, Working Toward a Continuum of Professional Learning Experiences for Teachers of Science and Mathematics, describes the different ways that preservice and inservice education are disconnected and identifies strategies and recommendations for closing the gap.

Fellow: Cheryl Brown-Kovacic  

NISE Publications of the Professional Development Team

NISE-Related Publications of the Professional Development Team