Thomas R. Guskey
Thomas Guskey is a professor emeritus in the College of Education at the University of Kentucky, whose work is dedicated to helping teachers and school leaders use quality educational research to help all of their students learn. The author/ editor of 25 books and more than 250 articles and book chapters, he is an expert on educational measurement, evaluation, professional learning, assessment, and grading. His five-level framework of professional learning evaluation is a seminal resource in the field.
All Articles
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Evaluating professional learning
Evaluation is essential for understanding whether professional learning works, for whom, when, and why. Experts Thomas Guskey and Joellen Killion discuss strategies and tools you can use to examine and improve your professional learning. The presenters break down the steps of evaluation to show how to make it feasible and […] -
Look beyond the satisfaction survey
Professional learning is vital to address the multiple issues facing educators today. Recovering from declines in student achievement brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic requires educators to prioritize learning goals and develop new ways to accelerate students’ learning progress. Political discord, social tensions, and global conflicts compel teachers to guide […] -
Chart a clear course
When we engage in professional learning, we do it for one big reason: to get better at supporting students. Rigorous and thoughtful program evaluations can provide the critical connection between well-designed programs or initiatives and continuous improvement that builds essential knowledge and skills for educators. Evaluation helps us examine what […] -
Flip the script on change
Teaching is a demanding profession. Teachers dedicate themselves to having all their students learn well and take pride in seeing their students’ learning success. But what happens when students don’t succeed? How do teachers explain students not learning well or not reaching expected levels of achievement? In a recent research […] -
The Mythbusters Guide to Educational Research
Douglas Reeves of Creative Leadership Solutions, and Thomas Guskey from the University of Kentucky, give a 30-minute preview of their full-day Learning Forward Annual Conference session. This webinar discussed how to become better advocates for the best available research and unpacked some prevailing myths in education. -
Where do you want to get to?
In Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, Alice asks the Cheshire Cat, “Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here?” “That depends a good deal on where you want to get to,” the cat tells her. “I don’t much care,” Alice says. “Then it doesn’t […] -
Using Data in Professional Learning
In this webinar, Authors Thomas Guskey and Patricia Roy explore key components of Learning Forward’s Data Standard and provide insights into crucial role of data in designing, implementing, and evaluating professional learning. Topics in this webinar include an overview of the five levels of professional learning planning, and strategies for […] -
The Rules of Evidence
A few years ago, I learned an important lesson about gathering evidence on the outcomes of professional learning endeavors. Several colleagues and I were asked to evaluate the effects of a new program that had been implemented in elementary schools throughout an entire state. The program involved extensive professional learning for […] -
Fast track to literacy
Improving the literacy skills of struggling high school readers remains one of the greatest challenges educators face today. Students who are two or more years behind grade level in their language arts skills have little chance of successfully completing a rigorous program of studies in high school and are the […] -
Scooping up meaningful evidence
The No Child Left Behind (NCLB) legislation places new demands on educators at all levels. But perhaps no group will be more affected than staff development leaders. The accountability requirements under this federal program drastically reshape their roles. More notably, the legislation compels staff development leaders to refocus their perspectives […]
