Read Part 1 of this essay Greg Nicholson is LAEP's Manager of Research and Publications. He can be reached via email at gnichols@lalc.k12.ca.us. Bibliographic Information: Elmore, R.F., & Burney, D. "Investing in teacher learning: Staff development and instructional improvement in community school district #2, New York City." New York: National Commission on Teaching & America's Future, 1997

Improving Student Achievement Through Teacher Professional Development By Greg Nicholson Los Angeles Educational Partnership PART TWO OF TWO TWO OF THE SEVEN PRINCIPLES spelled out by Richard Elmore speak to the main idea that one must keep the focus on instructional change through professional development over a long period of time. These principles state that instructional change is a long, multi-stage process and that it must be a system wide effort at improvement. Both of these, of course, imply that an extended period of time is needed to accomplish meaningful change. In fact, some of the professional development efforts Elmore goes on to describe were in place in District #2 for eight years at the time of the report. Finally, Elmore articulates two principles that speak to how change should be brought about. From the management point of view, it is important to set clear expectations and then decentralize, allowing everyone to be involved in, and responsible for, improving instructional practice through effective professional development. The second principle here describes the culture required for making change. District #2 tried to establish a culture of collegiality, caring, and respect. This, Tony Alvarado thought, was more important than any specific management technique in effecting change. Of course, all of these principles rely to some degree on the people hired to implement them. In particular, it is necessary to have agreement that instructional improvement is the means to student achievement and therefore is the work of all administrators. Effective decentralization and creating a collegial culture also depend largely on the proper mix of personnel. It should be noted that Tony Alvarado "replaced more than 20 principals in a system of roughly 30 schools" (Elmore, 26) in an eight year period. To Elmore, the basic mechanisms used to deliver professional development in District #2 were less important than the organizing principles keeping the focus on instructional improvement over a long period of time. Nonetheless, Elmore does describe five methods of professional development used in District #2. These methods include; Professional Development Labs, Instructional Consulting Services, Intervisitation and Peer Networks, Off-site Training, and Oversight and Principal Site Visits. Not all of these methods existed the entire time of Elmore's study, but they were developed and added or modified to fill particular needs identified by the district. The most common theme of these various methods of professional development seem to be that they allow the teachers to learn and experiment in a classroom setting. For example, the Professional Development Labs were set up in classrooms where excellent teachers worked with their own students to demonstrate their practice to visiting teachers. The visiting teachers observed the classroom practice of the excellent teacher for a period of three weeks. Afterwards, the demonstrating teacher would go to the visiting teachers' classrooms and offer feedback as the visiting teacher implemented what they had learned. The Instructional Consulting Services involved actual classroom experiences as well. Consultants identified by the district would work in schools with individual teachers, and occasionally with whole departments, modeling excellent practice with students and offering feedback to teachers. According to Elmore, this model demonstrates; "change in instructional practice involves working through problems of practice with peers and experts, observation of practice, and steady accumulation over time of new practices anchored in one's own classroom setting" (Elmore, 19). This philosophy is evident in the Intervisitation and Peer Networks model as well. Both teachers and principals are assigned "buddies" whom they visit regularly, share ideas about instructional practice, and observe in action. Monthly principal network meetings are also held. These meetings can be considered a part of professional development because the focus is always on instruction. The same is true of the Oversight and Principal Site Visits. District administrators frequently visit schools and principals to ascertain the school's progress against its yearly plan. This is professional development because the school's plan is focused on improving instruction and district administrators offer their expertise and ideas for successful implementation. Ultimately, school principals are held accountable for the success of their plan, but the site visits aren't seen simply as an evaluation of performance but rather are viewed as part of the professional development process because of their focus on improved instructional practice. The only professional development method used by District #2 which is not directly related to the classroom is the off-site training. This usually occurs over the summer when teachers and principals attend training institutes. However, schools are involved in planning the content of the trainings and thus are able to insure that the summer institutes are tied to the professional development activities that occurred in the school classrooms all year. Finally, these summer institutes focus on the same content areas year after year. Thus, they adhere to the overall principles of focusing on instructional improvement and keeping the focus over a long period of time. As an individual teacher or administrator in a large district, you may feel you cannot implement some of these models designed for systemic change and professional development. However, the key elements can be implemented in many ways. Remember to keep the focus of everything you do on improving instructional practice. Work collaboratively with others, share your ideas, and strive to create the culture of a learning organization at your site. Finally, remember that change does not happen overnight, it is a long process. If the result is improved instructional practice, the surest way to increased student achievement, then the time and effort are certainly worth investing.