Learning Forward
Equity and excellence in teaching and learning.
IDEAS
Curriculum-based professional learning shows great promise
By Elizabeth M. Chu, Grace McCarty and Molly Gurny
Categories: Collaboration, Continuous improvement, Data, Evaluation & impact, Leadership, Research, ResourcesDecember 2022
Walk into a classroom in Seaford, Delaware, on a Tuesday afternoon, and you will find a room full of learners in deep discussion grounded in strong instructional materials. Pouring over content-rich texts or real-world math problems, these learners are engaging in close reading to identify textual evidence to support arguments and inferences, prompting one another to explore new mathematical strategies, and supporting each other to articulate next steps for their learning journeys. What’s special about this Seaford class is that the desks are not filled with students. Rather, they are filled with teachers (both general education teachers and specialists who support students with disabilities) and leaders (including principals, assistant principals, and coaches) who come together regularly to engage in collaborative professional learning focused on how
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References
Chu, E., McCarty, G., & Gurny, M. (2022). Curriculum-based professional learning: The state of the field. Center for Public Research and Leadership. cprl.law.columbia.edu/sites/default/files/content/CPRL-CBPL-Report-FINAL-0908.pdf
Doan, S., Fernandez, M.P., Grant, D., Kaufman, J.H., Setodji, C.M., Snoke, J., Strawn, M., & Young, C.J. (2021). American instructional resources surveys: 2021 technical documentation and survey results. RAND Corporation. doi.org/10.7249/RRA134-10
EdReports. (2022, May 25). State of the instructional materials market 2021: The availability and use of aligned materials. Author.
Farnham, L., Nothmann, E., Tamaki, Z., & Daniels, C. (2020). Field building for population-level change. The Bridgespan Group. bridgespan.org/insights/library/philanthropy/field-building-for-population-level-change
Rivet Education. (n.d.). Professional learning partner guide. plpartnerguide.org/
Short, J.B. & Hirsh, S. (2022). Transforming teaching through curriculum-based professional learning: The elements. Corwin.
Elizabeth Chu (emc2170@tc.columbia.edu) is executive director, at the Center for Public Research and Leadership at Columbia University.
Grace McCarty (gam2131@columbia.edu) is associate director of research strategy and policy at the Center for Public Research and Leadership at Columbia University.
Molly Gurny (mg4034@columbia.edu) is senior director of legal strategy and policy at the Center for Public Research and Leadership at Columbia University.
Categories: Collaboration, Continuous improvement, Data, Evaluation & impact, Leadership, Research, Resources
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