Beatrice F. Birman

What Makes Professional Development Effective? Results From a National Sample of Teachers

This study uses a national probability sample of 1,027 mathematics and science teachers to provide the first large-scale empirical comparison of effects of different characteristics of professional development on teachers’ learning. Results, based on ordinary least squares regression, indicate three core features of professional development activities that have significant, positive effects on teachers’ self-reported increases in knowledge and skills and changes in classroom practice: (a) focus on content knowledge; (b) opportunities for active learning; and (c) coherence with other learning activities. It is primarily through these core features that the following structural features significantly affect teacher learning: (a) the form of the activity (e.g., workshop vs. study group); (b) collective participation of teachers from the same school, grade, or subject; and (c) the duration of the activity.

Effects of Professional Development on Teachers’ Instruction: Results from a Three-year Longitudinal Study

This article examines the effects of professional development on teachers’ instruction. Using a purposefully selected sample of about 207 teachers in 30 schools, in 10 districts in five states, we examine features of teachers’ professional development and its effects on changing teaching practice in mathematics and science from 1996–1999. We found that professional development focused on specific instructional practices increases teachers’ use of those practices in the classroom. Furthermore, we found that specific features, such as active learning opportunities, increase the effect of the professional development on teacher’s instruction.

Evaluating the Effectiveness of Education Funding Streams

For close to 40 years, since the passage of Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1964 (ESEA), the federal role in education has continued to expand. Federal support for education has grown through a variety of programs aimed primarily at improving education for at-risk students. These programs have had many purposes. They have aimed, for example, to increase resources for schools in high-need areas, to ensure equity for students with special needs, and in recent years, to raise educational standards for all students. Improving student achievement may be only one of many purposes of a federal education program, but policymakers have considered it the bottom line program outcome. Policymakers consistently have wanted to know whether federal education programs

The politics of the national assessment of chapter 1

This article describes the events associated with the National Assessment of Chapter 1, a study mandated by Congress in December 1983 in anticipation of its 1987 reauthorization of Chapter 1. The assessment occurred at the time the Reagan Administration was seriously challenging many of Congresss favorite educational programs, including Chapter 1. Despite their serious differences in views about Chapter 1, both Congress and the administration expected the assessment to serve their own needs and each group was worried that the other would have undue influence on the assessment. The article illustrates the politics associated with evaluation by describing the activities of the assessment, the responses of each of these two audiences, and the efforts of each side to control the assessments agenda. It raises questions about whether an evaluation can really serve multiple audiences.