MISSION | CONSTITUTION | EXECUTIVE BOARD & STAFF | REGIONS | ADVOCACY
- We support high-quality professional development for all educators. Teacher quality and school leadership are the top school-related factors that have an effect on student learning.
- Research shows that improving principals' leadership abilities leads to an increase in average student achievement.
- We support flexibility for local school districts to determine the best course of professional development to build instructional and leadership capacity.
Current Status
Under No Child Left Behind (NCLB), Title II, Improving Teacher Quality, is the primary federal program for professional development of teachers, principals, and other administrators. Title II, which is funded at $2.8 billion for 2006, primarily supports grants to states and school districts. The funds may be used to hire, retain, and recruit teachers; establish mentoring programs; and reform teacher and principal certification procedures. Additional allowable uses include improving early childhood teaching and literacy development, and enhancing teacher subject mastery and technology programs. Under the proposed budget for fiscal year 2007, the House and Senate have asked to reduce funding for this program by almost $140 million.
Teacher quality grants are a categorical grant program; therefore, the money flows to school districts based on formulas. States receive funding through formula grants that are based 65 percent on poverty and 35 percent on population. The states are then required to direct 95 percent of the money to school districts. The formula that the states use for this disbursement is 80 percent based on poverty and 20 percent on population.
Although there are other opportunities for professional development resources and programs, Title II is the largest federal program that meets this need. Other professional development opportunities and resources are available through competitive grants. For many school districts, however, pursing a competitive grant is an insurmountable obstacle because they do not have the capacity to complete the extensive process.
The American Competitiveness Initiative, which was proposed this year by President Bush to provide incentives to increase the number and skills of teachers in math and science, presents another opportunity for professional development resources. This initiative includes additional resources to recruit and train new teachers in math and science.
ASCD Supports Professional Development for All Educators
ASCD supports high-quality professional development, including leadership development for all educators. Students are better served when local school districts are given ample resources and flexibility for professional development to build instructional and leadership capacity.
Currently, many professional development programs focus on teachers and their impact in the classroom. Helping teachers to understand the content they teach and how students learn that content is a vital aspect of professional development. The importance of high-quality teachers cannot be overstated—teachers who know their content and how to teach it have the greatest potential for improving student achievement. Many studies show the importance of this type of professional development for math and science teachers. There is a need for more research to examine the effect of professional development on language arts, social studies, and other areas of the curriculum.
Teachers are not the only educators in need of professional development. According to the Wallace Foundation, school leadership is second only to teacher quality among school-related factors that have an effect on student learning. School leadership matters. This was the finding of a recent study by Mid-continent Research for Education and Learning (McREL). Using 25 years of education research, McREL determined that improving principals' leadership abilities by one standard deviation would lead to an increase in average student achievement of 10 percentile points. Professional development must meet the needs of school building and school district leaders, including district personnel who influence curriculum, learning materials, and school improvement.
ASCD calls upon the U.S. Congress to provide increased resources and flexibility for comprehensive, high-quality professional development. To improve student achievement, school districts need both quality teachers and quality school leaders. High-quality professional development opportunities must be available to all educators in a school district. Teachers and educational leaders who are highly qualified through ongoing professional learning in all career stages have the greatest effect in improving student learning. |
