Professional development involved looking at research and school-based professional development models, examining student achievement data and school progress, creating a plan to improve students' literacy, peer coaching, and reporting findings to the greater school faculty. Partnering with researchers from the Regional Laboratory at Brown University, ESL, bilingual, and content teachers explored the problem of standards implementation in classrooms that include English language learners by drawing upon knowledge and experience of standards and education reform, second language development, and effective educational practices for English language learners. These strategies hold promise for ongoing reform at the school level, because with practice they can be used independently. The goal is for teachers to adapt these strategies for use in school-based study groups. Conclusion Demographic trends suggest that the profile of U.S. public school students will continue to be diverse.
Education reform requires that educators provide quality schooling for all of their students.
Clearly, professional development must equip teachers for this challenge. There is growing evidence that professional development approaches that are guided by teacher input and that view teacher learning as continual and transformative makes schools a better place for students and staff. Professional development for implementing standards in culturally diverse schools. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, Teachers College, Columbia University, New York. Mainstream teachers and ESL students.