INTRODUCTION
One strategy for improving student achievement is to provide teachers with specializedtraining. In addition to training provided prior to the start of the teaching career – i.e., preservice training – teachers also receive training during their careers. This strategy iscalled in-service training or professional development. (PD) Today, virtually all publicschool teachers participate in professional development programs each year (Choy, Chen,and Bugarin, 2006, p. 47). Professional development programs are also a focus in NCLB, through which states and districts spent approximately $1.5 billion on teacher professional development in 2004-05 (Birman et al., 2007).Although NCLB provides resources for teacher professional development, the broader effect of NCLB has been to promote accountability for student achievement. NCLB alsoencourages school districts to adopt programs and practices that have been proven byscientifically based research. There is thus a significant need for rigorous studies of theeffect of teacher professional development on student achievement. Sponsors of professional development initiatives, such as the National Science Foundation, are particularly eager to find ways to evaluate the effects that their professional development programs have on student achievement.As we note later, the existing literature demonstrates that carefully constructed professional development, delivered on a small scale, can have an effect on studentachievement. However, many question the effectiveness of typical professionaldevelopment and are skeptical about whether PD as currently practiced can improveachievement in challenging school contexts.This paper provides a discussion of issues that must be confronted in designing studies of the impact of teacher professional development interventions using randomizedcontrolled trials. Although not the only method for studying impact, randomizedcontrolled trials address the problem of selection bias – the problem that those “selected”to receive an intervention are often different from those not receiving it. Selection bias is particularly problematic for those studying professional development. Many districtshave professional development offerings that they expect only a small cadre of ambitiousteachers will join. To complicate matters further, professional development is oftenmandated for all teachers in school that have been identified under accountabilitysystems. Clearly those participating in the mandated intervention are likely to bedifferent from those not participating.Researchers designing new randomized controlled trials focused on teacher professionaldevelopment interventions face a common set of methodological challenges. This paper will begin with a review of recently completed studies of teacher professionaldevelopment. The paper will then discuss a series of design issues associated with usingrandomized controlled trials to study teacher professional development. Because there isalready a significant methodological literature on experimental design, the focus of this1
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