Learning Forward
Equity and excellence in teaching and learning.
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Discovering recipes for professional learning success
By Rebecca Taylor-Perryman and Ariana Audisio
Categories: Evaluation & impactJune 2025
Scaling up successful professional learning efforts can help ensure that all students experience the benefits of strong instruction. Unfortunately, initiatives with positive results in one setting can fall short in new contexts with different conditions (Hill et al., 2021). In the face of disappointing national achievement trends (National Center for Education Statistics, 2024) we must identify how to spread the bright spots where research-based professional learning is working and do so in context-appropriate ways so that all educators and students can benefit (Brown & Bouffard, 2025). Building optimal conditions for professional learning that aligns with Learning Forward’s (2022) Standards for Professional Learning is complex, ever-evolving work. Meeting the standards requires leaders to make a series of choices involving time and resources. As school systems seek
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References
Audisio, A.P., Taylor-Perryman, R., Tasker, T.B., & Steinberg, M.P. (2024). Does teacher professional development improve student learning? Evidence from Leading Educators’ fellowship model. Journal of Research on Educational Effectiveness, 1-40. tinyurl.com/tmw3crz3
Brown, F. & Bouffard, S. (2025). NAEP scores call for a united response to support educators and students. Learning Forward. tinyurl.com/4fe7ydbf
Hill, L.G., Cooper, B.R., & Parker, L.A. (2019). Qualitative comparative analysis: A mixed-method tool for complex implementation questions. The Journal of Primary Prevention, 40, 69-87.
Learning Forward. (2022). Standards for Professional Learning.
Lee, S.S. (2014). Using fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis. Epidemiology and Health, 36, Article e2014038. tinyurl.com/3se9h387
National Center for Education Statistics. (2024). The nation’s report card. U.S. Department of Education. tinyurl.com/54zmdsxd
Mihaly, K., Opper, I.M., & Greer, L. (2022). The impact and implementation of the Chicago Collaborative Teacher Professional Development Program. RAND.
tinyurl.com/2tbt5dsb
Mello, P.A. (2021). Qualitative comparative analysis: An introduction to research design and application. Georgetown University Press.
U.S. Department of Education. (n.d.). Selecting evidence-based practices for Tiers 1, 2, and 3: Navigating clearinghouses and databases.
tinyurl.com/yx667dva
Rebecca Taylor-Perryman (rtaylorperryman@leadingeducators.org) is the managing director of research and data at Leading Educators.
Ariana Audisio is a seasoned education researcher with a strong background in program evaluation and quasi-experimental methods, holding degrees from Johns Hopkins University and Catholic University “Andrés Bello.” As Director of Research at Leading Educators, she leads mixed-methods studies using advanced causal inference techniques to evaluate the impact of professional learning on student outcomes and to examine how programs can be adapted to different contexts and system needs. Her work centers on using research to answer critical questions for education leaders and policymakers, while also supporting the effective use of evidence in decision-making.
Categories: Evaluation & impact
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