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Policy Meets Practice

Districts feel the impact of state regulations

By Learning Forward
Categories: Educator evaluation
December 2014
Stewart Thorson, principal of New Century Technology High School in Huntsville, Alabama, develops plans for his school’s professional learning in an environment restricted by state regulations. In Alabama’s Title I and low socioeconomic status schools and through initiatives such as Blue Ribbon Schools and the State Department of Education’s Plan 2020, individual, school-, and district-level professional learning plans are tied to school improvement goals and monitored and evaluated at each level — with online monitoring at the state department level. The regulations require local committees, special coordinators, and state-approved providers, with on-site review of the professional learning’s impact for Title I schools. Thorson sees these restrictions as “good — if a school is ready,” especially for specific targeted professional learning initiatives. This includes project-based learning,

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Authors

Helen M. Hazi and Daisy Arredondo Rucinski

Helen M. Hazi (helen.hazi@mail.wvu.edu) is a professor at West Virginia University. Daisy Arredondo Rucinski (drucinski@bamaed.ua.edu) is a professor at the University of Alabama.

References

Arredondo Rucinski, D. & Hazi, H.M. (2008). Supervision as mandated help: A policy review of professional development initiatives in selected states. Paper presented at the 2008 annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association, New York, NY.

Grossman, T. & Hirsch, E. (2009, October 26). State policies to improve teacher professional development (Issue Brief). Washington, DC: National Governors Association Center for Best Practices.

Hazi, H.M. & Arredondo Rucinski, D. (2014). Supervision as professional development: A review of state statutes. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association, Philadelphia, PA.

Hazi, H.M. & Arredondo Rucinski, D. (2009). Teacher evaluation as a policy target for improved student learning: A fifty-state review of statute and regulatory action since NCLB. Education Policy Analysis Archives, 17(5), 1-18.

Learning Forward. (2011). Standards for Professional Learning. Oxford, OH: Author.

U.S. Department of Education. (2010). A  blueprint for reform: The reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. Alexandria, VA: Author.

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Learning Forward is the only professional association devoted exclusively to those who work in educator professional development. We help our members plan, implement, and measure high-quality professional learning so they can achieve success with their systems, schools, and students.

Categories: Educator evaluation

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