Students learn better when their math and science teachers participate in professional development (PD) programs with some specific characteristics, according to a recent meta analysis. The analysis from the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO), funded by a National Science Foundation grant, compiled data from 16 studies to evaluate how teacher professional development (PD) affects student learning.

The 16 studies examined in Effects of Teacher Professional Development on Gains in Student Achievement: How Meta Analysis Provides Scientific Evidence Useful to Education Leaders include four focused on PD programs for science teachers and 12 for math teachers. According to a CCSSO press release, “Three major factors stand out in the professional development programs that had positive effects in improving student achievement: a) more time (average 91 hours) was spent in providing teachers with content-based teacher development, b) active methods of teacher learning, and c) multiple follow-up activities over a six-month to one-year period were conducted in the schools where teachers work.”

Assistance with implementation and support from mentors and colleagues in their schools were among the factors common to the successful programs.

“Professional development is gaining a research base, and this study seeks to identify characteristics of professional development that support teachers and improve student learning,” says Francis Eberle, NSTA executive director. “The evidence confirms that sustained and coherent professional development is essential, and it supports that using multiple strategies and forums leads to positive student achievement.”

The analysis also notes “measures of implementation of professional development are critical to evaluation design” and suggests “multiple measures of student achievement should be included in the research design.”

The report can be downloaded at www.ccsso.org/projects/improving_evaluation_of_professional_development.