All Means All: Professional Development Helps Close Achievement Gaps

By Chet D. Linton, CEO, The Video Journal of Education and TeachStream

Hard to believe, but in 2004 the federal No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act will be three years old. Within the vast, sometimes intimidating, realm of NCLB's mandates and provisions, there remains one overarching goal: to close the achievement gap between students in affluent school districts, and those growing up in more challenging economic circumstances.

In the view of President Bush, there's no reason why a child from a disadvantaged background cannot thrive in school. To assume otherwise — as Bush put it, indulging in "the soft bigotry of low expectations" — cheats students and society alike.

During more than a dozen years of providing professional development to K-12 schools, We've found that many of the so-called "obstacles" to learning — everything from low-income families to large class size — have little impact on student progress if the faculty is trained correctly. When principals are knowledgeable in instructional leadership . . . when teachers are up to speed on differentiating instruction . . . when paraprofessionals are schooled in student-centered strategies . . .even the most disadvantaged students have been shown to make impressive academic progress.

Training for everyone . . . but what kind?

In pursuit of closing the achievement gap, Title II of NCLB requires that all new teachers and principals receive training. If that news comes as a surprise to you, you're not alone. Many schools are unaware of such mandates, and later find themselves in a precarious position of "catching up" as Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) reports come due.

At the same time, today's professional development efforts must show results. That's no small challenge when you consider that so much of the value educators bring to their students is based on the "soft skills" of motivation, encouragement, empathy and insight. Those important qualities are not easily quantified!

NCLB requirements have helped shape the format of professional development trends. Among other aspects of education, today's training focuses on these concerns:

• Leadership training. Instructional leadership from the top is crucial to a successful school system. Principals must be kept apprised of what it truly means to maintain a student-centered and learning-focused school. He or she must be confident that the decisions made will have the greatest positive impact on learning.
• Data-driven decisions and assessment preparation. Because NCLB places so much emphasis on adequate yearly progress, it's normal for teachers and administrators to feel anxiety over assessments. Professional training in understanding class and student data and how to more effectively hit learning targets can help ease the way to increased student performance.
• New teacher training and mentoring. Educators can reap many benefits from observing the best practices of leaders in their field. Mentoring, learning- focused schools, building learning communities, and classroom management are just a few of the training courses that can foster excellence among new instructors and administrators.
• Instructional strategies. How do you best meet the needs of all students in your classroom? In an increasingly diverse environment, the answer lies in the power of proven strategies. There's more than one way to get the message across, and teachers who come into class with training in differentiated instruction are in a much stronger position to identify and close achievement gaps.

Measuring success

How do we know if your professional development is doing its job? In the past, there was little way to equate teacher training with student achievement. Today, state assessment scores are one way to mark progress. Video Journal of Education is also investing in new programs designed to help administrators and teachers evaluate the success of professional development and its impact on student achievement.

A quality education for every child

Beyond the mandates of NCLB, beyond the focus on test scores, we return to the one overarching goal of today's teacher: to provide a quality education to every child. No legislation, of course, can truly replace the passion and enthusiasm you as educators devote to your students every school day. Mandated or not, professional development training serves to help channel that positive energy into happier, more successful students — and teachers.

Chet D. Linton is CEO of The Video Journal of Education and TeachStream (VJE), since 1991 a leader in professional development training for K-12 educators and administrators. The VJE staff visits some 200 classrooms each year, capturing the best practices of highly successful teachers and administrators throughout North America.