Professional Development is provided to all schools through the Instructional Coaching Program.

Lead Coach, Math Coordinator and Technology Integration Coach: Nancy Booth

Middle School/Elementary Programs, Professional Lending Library: Connie Napier

MSP Math Coach/Math Teacher Leader: Roger Bennett

MSP wiki: http://wiki.k12.wv.us/boone_math/

Call: 369.4565 for more information

Professional Development Research Summary:

Increasing evidence supports the importance of having effective, highly qualified teachers.  Studies in Tennessee and Texas found that students who have highly qualified teachers for three years in a row scored 50 percentile points higher on a test of math skills than those whose teachers were ineffective (Sanders and Rivers, 1996).  Highly qualified teachers Boone County Schools have identified the need for sustained professional development in standards based teaching. Few teachers have the tools, background, preparation or appropriate opportunities for developing critical insight into teaching practices.  Research shows that reading coaches build collegiality and collaboration among school faculty by providing insight, modeling best-practices, serving as a resource for curriculum implementation, aiding in research evaluation, and analysis of assessment data (Lord, 1994; Guirney, 2001).  Collaborative support will enable teachers to develop efficacy, self-directedness and remain life-long learners.  This will support the flexibility and expertise necessary to collect, analyze and apply research and student assessment data on an ongoing basis.

            Joyce and Showers’ (1995) study examined effective staff development in which student achievement was improved.  Several specific commonalities were identified in successful programs: (1) The programs all brought educators together to study content in the curriculum and instruction. (2) All of the programs provided extensive staff development to all school personnel who were critical to their new initiatives in curriculum and instruction. (3) Content of the highest quality was implemented to change student learning. (4) All involved personnel had an understanding of the goals and how to achieve them. Successful staff development was critical in each instance; furthermore, “Embedded staff development…sustained the initiative.” (http://www.ascd.org/publications/books/102003/chapter2.html, p. 2)  The impact on student achievement was consistently positive and began to occur almost as soon as teachers began to implement curricular changes. Coaching provides teachers with ongoing, sustained support for implementation of change.  This support raises the percentage of teachers who actually put professional development strategies into practice from a mere 5% to a huge 95-100%.

            Successive studies have supported Joyce and Showers’ results, identifying the critical role of sustained, purposeful staff development with ongoing support as one of the identifiable factors in successful school improvement programs that improve student achievement.  “Ongoing in-house professional development that coaches provide teachers- modeling classroom teaching techniques, spearheading collaborative engagement in evaluating student work, connecting staff to the most recent research on best practice-turns out to be an invaluable tool in the commitment to improving student achievement.” (Guirney, 2001)

 

 

Bean, R.M. (2004) The Reading Specialist: Leadership for the Classroom, School and Community. New York: Guilford Press.

 

Guirney, E. (2001) Coaching Isn’t Just for Athletes: The Role of Teacher Leaders.  http://www.pdkintl.org/kappan/0106gui.htm  Phi Delta Kappa International.

 

Joyce, B. & Showers, B. (1995) Student Achievement Through Staff Development: Fundamentals of School Renewal.  White Plains, NY: Longman.

 

Lord, B. (1994). “Teachers’ Professional Development: Critical Colleagueship and the Role of Professional Communities”.  The Future of Education, Perspectives on National Standards in America, ed. Nina Cobb.

 

Sanders, W., and Rivers, J.  (November 1996) Cumulative and Residual Effects of Teachers on Future Academic Achievement.   Knoxville, Tenn.: University of Tennessee Value-Added Research and Assessment Center.