| dc.description.abstract | The New England Charter School (NECS; a pseudonym) is a public charter school located in New Haven, Connecticut. I used an explanatory sequential mixed-methods design, which involved collecting survey data first followed by a focus group, to address the following questions:
1. In what ways do teachers describe the features of teacher PD opportunities offered at the school in 2021–2022, and during the 2021 summer, and how do these descriptions compare to the literature standard of effective teacher PD?
2. In what ways do teachers describe contextual factors as impeding their perceptions of learning in teacher PD opportunities?
3. In what ways, if any, do teachers’ expectations of student success against grade level standards change over the course of the school year?
Drawing upon quantitative and qualitative strands of research, I found that:
1. Teachers reported spending most time in formal PD, which they described as one-off, sparse, and disconnected.
2. Teachers reported a neutral level of satisfaction towards PD, which they perceived as not relevant to their classroom practice and not differentiated to meet their needs.
3. Teachers reported regular participation in collaborative activities, and they described some of these activities as more or less helpful than others.
4. Teachers reported differences in participation rates and perceived intensity of PD during the summer and during the school year.
5. Teachers described summer PD as too intensive and not coherent with their learning in PD during the school year.
6. Teachers’ descriptions of PD were related to three core features: duration, active learning, and collective participation.
7. Teachers reported that PD was ineffective and described a lack of coherence.
8. Teachers indicated that lack of access to consistent, high-quality instructional support impeded their learning in PD.
9. Teachers indicated that misuse of planning time challenged their learning in PD.
10. Most teachers were found to have low expectations for all learners.
I recommend that moving forward, the school develop a deeper understanding and alignment of teachers’ needs with PD opportunities, primarily through closer inspection of the school’s implementation capacity and restrictions in this learning environment. | |
