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author:
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Iris R. Weiss, Diana L. Montgomery, Carolyn J. Ridgway, Sally L. Bond
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published in:
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Horizon Research
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published:
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02/04/1999
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posted to site:
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02/04/1999
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December 1998
Horizon Research, Inc.
111 Cloister Court - Suite 220
Chapel Hill, NC 27514- 2296
The Local Systemic Change through Teacher Enhancement: YearThree
Cross-Site Report was prepared with support from the National Science
Foundation under contract number RED- 9255369. These writings do
not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.
Table of Contents
List of Figures
List of Tables
List of Boxes
Acknowledgments
Chapter One: Introduction to the Local Systemic Change Initiative
An Overview of Cohorts 1, 2, and 3
Description of Core Evaluation Data Collection and Analysis
Chapter Two: Participation in LSC Activities
Teacher Involvement in LSC Professional Development
School Involvement in LSC Activities
Issues for Full Involvement in LSC
Summary
Chapter Three: Quality of LSC Professional Development Sessions>
Description of LSC Professional Development Sessions
Observer Ratings of Session Components
Overall Assessment of Observed Professional Development Sessions
Summary
Chapter Four: Quality of LSC Professional Development Programs
Teacher Ratings of LSC Professional Development Programs
Evaluators' Assessment of LSC Professional Development Activities
Evaluators' Overall Program Ratings
Summary
Chapter Five: Quality of Leadership Components of LSC Projects
Leadership Content in Observed Professional Development Sessions
Evaluators' Overall Assessment of Leadership Content
Summary
Chapter Six: Current Status of Teachers' Beliefs and Practices
Description of Targeted Teachers' Beliefs and Practices
Observers' Descriptions of Classroom Practice
Summary
Chapter Seven: Impact of Local Systemic Change Activities
Impact From the Teachers' Point of View: Questionnaire Composites
Principals' Impressions of Impact
Impact as Measured by Classroom Observers
Lead Evaluators' Analyses of Impact
Comparison of Impact Data
Summary
Chapter Eight: Supportiveness of Context
Strategies to Increase Stakeholder Support
Evidence of the Impact of the LSC on Stakeholder Support
Status of District Policies and Practices
Overall Ratings of Supportiveness
Summary
Chapter Nine: Sustainability of Reform
Elements of Sustainability
Overall Ratings of Sustainability
Summary
Chapter Ten: Summary and Recommendations
Quality of Professional Development
Leadership Development
Impact on Teachers and Teaching
Supporting and Sustaining Local Systemic Reform
Appendix Tables
Year- Three (1997) Composites by Cohort
Year-Three (1997) Composites by Treatment
Comparison of 1996 and 1997 Composites for Cohort 1
Comparison of 1996 and 1997 Composites for Cohort 2
List of Figures
1. Percentage of LSC Schools in Various Types of Communities
2. Race/ Ethnicity of Students to be Impacted by the LSC Projects
3. Involvement of School Personnel in Addition to Classroom Teachers
4. Involvement of Non- School Personnel
5. Number of Hours of Participation in LSC Professional Development
6. LSC Professional Development Sessions Including Each Category as a Presenter/ Facilitator
7. Race/ Ethnicity of Presenters/ Facilitators
8. Content Areas of K- 8 Science Professional Development Sessions
9. Content Areas of K- 8 Mathematics Professional Development Sessions
10. Content Areas of 7- 12 Mathematics Professional Development Sessions
11. Professional Development Session Ratings: Design
12. Professional Development Session Ratings: Implementation
13. Professional Development Session Ratings: Disciplinary Content
14. Professional Development Session Ratings: Pedagogical Content.
15. Professional Development Session Ratings: Classroom Culture
16. Observers' Overall "Capsule Ratings" of Professional Development Sessions
17. Composite: Quality of Professional Development
18. Comparison of LSC and Non- LSC Professional Development for Cohort Teachers
19. Teachers Rating LSC Professional Development Excellent or Very Good by Subject and Extent of Participation
20. Interviewed Teachers with Highly Positive Opinions about LSC Professional Development
21. Professional Development Session Ratings: Leadership Content
22. Component Ratings for Professional Development Programs
23. LSC Teachers Reporting that They Are Well Informed about National Standards
24. Teachers Supporting Ability Grouping
25. Average Number of Days of Instruction in Each Subject in the Last Five School Days
26. Non- White Enrollment in Observed Classes
27. Purpose of Observed Lessons
28. Composite: Attitudes Toward Teaching by Extent of Participation in LSC Professional Development
29. Composite: Pedagogical Preparedness by Extent of Participation in LSC Professional Development
30. Composite: Science Content Preparedness by Extent of Participation in LSC Professional Development
31. Composite: Mathematics Content Preparedness by Extent of Participation in LSC Professional Development
32. Composite: Investigative Culture by Extent of Participation in LSC Professional Development
33. Composite: Investigative Practices by Extent of Participation in LSC Professional Development
34. Composite: Use of Calculators and Computers by Extent of Participation in LSC Professional Development
35. Highly Rated Lessons in Each Area by Cohort
36. Principal Support for Science/ Mathematics Education Reform
37. Teacher Reports of Barriers to Effective Mathematics and Science Instruction
38. Overall Continuum Ratings of Supportiveness of Context
39. Overall Continuum Ratings for Sustainability of Reform
List of Tables
1. Professional Development Providers in LSC Projects
2. Demographic Characteristics of LSC Teachers
3. Demographic Characteristics of LSC Teachers' Schools
4. Principal Involvement with the LSC
5. Major Intended Purposes of LSC Professional Development Sessions
6. Major Activities of LSC Professional Development Sessions
7. Indicators that Distinguished Between Highly Effective and Less Effective Professional Development Sessions
8. Teacher Ratings of Characteristics of LSC Professional Development Programs
9. Teacher Ratings of Characteristics of LSC Professional Development Programs by Hours of Participation
10. Teacher Ratings of LSC Professional Development Programs Overall
11. Evaluator Ratings of Aspects of LSC Professional Development Programs
12. Continuum Ratings for Quality of LSC Professional Development
13. Teacher Opinions about Science/ Mathematics Teaching
14. Teachers Rating Each Factor Very Important for Effective Instruction
15. Teachers Considering Themselves at Least Fairly Well- Prepared to Implement Each Instructional Strategy
16. K- 8 Teachers Feeling Well- Prepared to Teach Each Subject
17. Mathematics Teachers Feeling Well- Prepared to Teach Each Topic
18. Science Teachers Feeling Well- Prepared to Teach Each Topic
19. Instructional Activities in Observed Classes
20. Summary of the Impact of LSC Professional Development on Teachers and Teaching
21. Teachers Reporting Extensive Positive Impacts of the LSC in Each Area by Level of Involvement in LSC Professional Development
List of Boxes
LSC Core Evaluation Questions
An Evaluator Reports How School Constraints Affected the LSC Professional Development Plans
Linking Professional Development to Classroom Practice
Multi- Tiered Professional Development Programs
Strategies for Leadership Development
The Classroom Observation Process
Acknowledgments
The core evaluation of the Local Systemic Change Initiative requires the energy, efforts, and
insights of a very large number of people.
Conrad Katzenmeyer in the National Science Foundation's (NSF) Division of Research,
Evaluation, and Communication; Joyce Evans, Susan Snyder, and Diane Spresser in NSF's
Division of Elementary, Secondary, and Informal Education (ESIE); and Joy Frechtling of
Westat, Inc. were instrumental in the design and implementation of the core evaluation system.
Numerous other NSF/ ESIE program officers provided valuable assistance throughout the
process, as well.
Within HRI, in addition to the authors of this report, Eric Banilower, Alison Bowes, Gail Gellatly,
Elizabeth Hammond, Scott Hanrath, Susan Hudson, Ben Kurgat, Joan Pasley, Sheila Richmond,
Sean Smith, Eugene Soar, and Claudia Templeton were responsible for various tasks essential to
the production of this report, from instrument design, to data processing and analysis, to report
production. David Flora and Abigail Panter of the L. L. Thurstone Psychometric Lab at the
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill assisted in the data analysis.
Most notably, this report would not have been possible without the efforts of the LSC project
evaluators, whose work formed the basis for the analyses presented here. And special thanks are
due to the thousands of teachers throughout the 263 participating districts who took time from
their busy schedules to provide information about their mathematics and science teaching.
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