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 iBCM5nU12053; Sun, 12 Dec 2004 17:05:49 -0500 (EST) Date: Sun, 12 Dec 2004 17:05:49 -0500 (EST) Message-Id: <121220042204.22039.41BCC05900086D4C000056172200750330020A9C019D060B@comcast.net> 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: djrosen@comcast.net To: Multiple recipients of list <nifl-aalpd@literacy.nifl.gov> Subject: [NIFL-AALPD:1804] Professional Development Research X-Listprocessor-Version: 6.0c -- ListProcessor by Anastasios Kotsikonas X-Mailer: AT&T Message Center Version 1 (Nov 22 2004) Status: O Content-Length: 3077 Lines: 53 NIFL-AALPD Colleagues, I think Tom Sticht has asked a useful question, but I doubt that he's going to find a "gold standard" study of adult literacy education professional development. Of the very few resources spent on adult literacy research of any kind, very little has been spent on professional development. But I think there is a lot of (largely uncaptured) professional wisdom about professional development in our field. Many of the people on this list have it. It would be useful, if anyone is interested, to try to document what we know -- or think we know -- and to develop and refine some hypotheses for research. (Not necessarily evidence-based research. Good qualitative or descriptive research can be useful, too.) If anyone is interested in working to capture professional wisdom in this area, let me know. I'll send you an e-mail with the email addresses of everyone who responds, and I'll introduce you to a new way to work together online to build and refine your documented thoughts. Email me at djrosen1@comcast.net David J. Rosen djrosen1@comcast.net jataylor wrote: > [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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