At A Glance

Researchers examined 910 studies of professional development to identify effective K-12 mathematics interventions. Overall, the study concludes that there is limited guidance based on causal research to guide mathematics professional development interventions for K-12 teachers.

The study

Gersten, R., Taylor, M.J., Keys, T.D., Rolfhus, E., & Newman-Gonchar, R. (2014). Summary of research on the effectiveness of math professional development approaches (REL 2014-010). Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance, Regional Educational Laboratory Southeast. Available at https://ies.ed.gov/ncee/edlabs/projects/project.asp?projectID=391.

What This Means For Practitioners

Researchers provide additional confirmation that practitioners have little guidance from experimental or quasi-experimental research studies to guide decisions about K-12 mathematics professional development. Studies that meet What Works Clearinghouse evidence standards are obviously limited. The number of studies failing to employ effectiveness measures that meet What Works Clearinghouse evidence standards calls to question both the quality and intensity of professional learning intervention and the usefulness of past and current research designs.

Experimental and quasi-experimental studies of professional development require substantial investments and will continue to be infrequent and produce limited effects without better designed interventions, additional investments, and more consistency among researchers on what effective professional learning is.

Additional experimental studies may be useful to provide deeper understanding about the effectiveness of professional learning, particularly if they are spread across content areas and employ professional learning interventions that meet all the Standards for Professional Learning.

Until these opportunities occur, researchers must continue to study the effects of professional development using other research designs. Practitioners must both analyze and implement effective professional learning. Practitioners, too, must commit to evaluate and share the results of professional learning to expand the field’s knowledge and refine its practice.