Professional Development to Support Instructional Improvement: Lessons from Research

Abstract

Substantial funds are expended on professional development to facilitate teachers’ learning throughout their careers. Research shows, however, that the funds are not always used strategically and thus are not often effective in improving instruction and student outcomes. This paper acknowledges the issue of nonstrategic use of professional development resources and describes lessons from research on how professional development could be better designed to achieve desired impacts on instruction and student learning.

CEP contact: Alix Gallagher