A Summary of Research that Supports the Instructional Resource Teacher Positions (IRTs) in Madison's Elementary Schools

Madison School District: [1.5MB PDF]

Professional development is the manner with which we all learn and grow in our profession. The needs of our students continue to grow and change. The expectations of teachers continue to develop. Larry Wilson once said, "Our options are to learn the new game, the rules, the roles of the participants, and how the rewards are distributed, or to continue practicing our present skills and become the best players in a game that is no longer being played." Just as we expect doctors, lawyers, and other professions to be current on the latest research and methods, our teachers need to continue developing their skills through professional development.

• "Professional development is the key to the success of a school." (Holler, Callender & Skinner, 2007)
• "One of the most cost-effective methods for making significant gains in student performance on standardized tests is providing teachers with better content knowledge and instructional methods to enhance the curriculum." (Holler, Callender & Skinner, 2007)
• "In the history of education, no improvement effort has ever succeeded in the absence of thoughtfully planned and well-implemented professional development." (Guskey & Yoon, 2009)
• 'A school culture that invites deep and sustained professional learning will have a powerful impact on student achievement." (Brandt, 2003)
• According to research, high-quality teaching has about five times more statistical effect than most feasible reductions in class size (Greenwald, Hedges, & Laine as cited in Frank & Miles, 2007).
• "We have a rich, untapped pool oftalent in the millions ofmediocre teachers that are currently in the classroom. Rather than dismiss them, we need to help them grow. If we could move two million teachers from 'mediocre talent' to even 'mediocre- strong', it would have an incredible effect on student outcomes... Rather than focusing on punishing bad schools and teachers, we need to develop a culture of development and growth." (Scott, 2010.)

Fascinating.

Clusty search: "Instructional Resource Teacher". Madison School District Instructional Resource Teacher Search.

Posted by Jim Zellmer at April 2, 2010 3:53 PM
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