Return-Path: <nifl-aalpd@literacy.nifl.gov> Received: from literacy (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by literacy.nifl.gov (8.10.2/8.10.2) with SMTP id iBALY1U00061; Fri, 10 Dec 2004 16:34:01 -0500 (EST) Date: Fri, 10 Dec 2004 16:34:01 -0500 (EST) Message-Id: <001201c4deff$c59bb800$f9d7c043@ReflectionPool> Errors-To: listowner@literacy.nifl.gov Reply-To: nifl-aalpd@literacy.nifl.gov Originator: nifl-aalpd@literacy.nifl.gov Sender: nifl-aalpd@literacy.nifl.gov Precedence: bulk From: "Catherine B. King" <cb.king@verizon.net> To: Multiple recipients of list <nifl-aalpd@literacy.nifl.gov> Subject: [NIFL-AALPD:1794] Re: From Tom, Any scientific evidence for professional development? X-Listprocessor-Version: 6.0c -- ListProcessor by Anastasios Kotsikonas X-Mailer: Microsoft Outlook Express 6.00.2900.2180 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Content-Type: text/plain; Status: O Content-Length: 2914 Lines: 73 Tom: Are you questioning that teachers learn by going to school (or other kinds of PD); that learning is understanding, and that teachers who understand more are better teachers; and that, further, better teachers equate to better classrooms; and that better classrooms make for better instruction for students who are in those classrooms? Perhaps you cannot find such "hard" evidence (besides what happens in classrooms most or all of the time) because most of us rightly assume that better educated teachers are better teachers and that our students benefit from betterment? I remember you question from before; and I still am mystified at it. Catherine King ----- Original Message ----- From: "jataylor" <jataylor@utk.edu> To: "Multiple recipients of list" <nifl-aalpd@literacy.nifl.gov> Sent: Friday, December 10, 2004 12:47 PM Subject: [NIFL-AALPD:1792] From Tom, Any scientific evidence for professional development? > [The following inquiry is from Tom Sticht, please read on ~ Jackie] > > On April 15, 2003, following a strand of messages about "evidence-based" > instruction and how AALPD members had gone about providing professional > development to encourage "evidence-based" teaching, I asked Jackie to > post a message for me in which I noted that I have been looking for > reports in which it has been demonstrated in a "scientific, > evidence-based" manner that adult literacy professional development has > produced actual improvements in some aspects of adult literacy education > somehwere. > > For instance, has some one demonstrated with "hard" evidence that > professional development lead to more enrollments, or perhaps better > retention, or maybe greater learning, or increased gains on standardized > tests, more people reporting they reached personal goals, and so forth. > > Some 20 months later I am still looking for some researcher, professional > developer, or other adult literacy expert who has documented in a > "scientific, evidence-based" manner that they have gone to an existing > adult literacy/ABE program somewhere and improved its functioning in some > way. > > I have followed the various NIFL discussion lists for several years, I > have read numerous books and journal articles from national and state > literacy research and development centers, and I have tracked federal > government web sites. I still cannot find any reports in which the > researchers, professional developers, or other adult literacy experts > actually went to an existing program and made it better providing > scientifically acceptable evidence of their accomplishments. > > Has any professional developer who has posted messages on the AALPD list, > or any researcher that reads the AALPD list accomplished any demonstrable > improvements in an existing program anywhere that they can share > information about? > > Thanks for your help! > > Tom Sticht > tsticht@aznet.net > >
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