| Min Sun
Michigan State University
Shaping professional development to promote the diffusion of instructional expertise among teachers
FINAL REPORT:
This first study examines how high-quality professional development (PD) can promote the diffusion of effective teaching strategies among teachers through collaboration. Drawing on sociometric data from a larger experimental evaluation study and school background information from Common Core of Data (CCD), this study shows that teachers’ participation in professional development is associated with providing more help to colleagues on instructional matters. Moreover, the influence of professional development on teachers’ instructional practice in writing spreads through this network of helping interactions in ways that augment the direct effect of participating in professional development on their practice. These findings suggest that in addition to direct effects of professional development, there can be spillover effects of professional development through collegial interactions. Evidence presented in this study will potentially help policymakers develop high-quality PD programs and distribute PD participants within schools to promote all teachers’ performance.
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