General Features of Effective Professional Development

Professional Development Implications for Preparing Early Educators to Teach Mathematics

Martha Zaslow
The research on early childhood professional development is burgeoning, and it is beginning to yield conclusions about features of effective professional development. This chapter asks the question: What from this growing body of work is important to draw on when seeking to prepare early educators? The chapter concludes with the question of how efforts to prepare teachers in early mathematics can be informative for early childhood professional development more broadly.

The chapter begins by providing background on two reviews of the research on early childhood professional development that serve as the primary resources for this chapter. It discusses six features of effective early childhood professional development that emerge from these reviews. Next, the implications of these features for preparing teachers to instruct young children in math are noted, including a cautionary note from the evidence on the status of early childhood professional development.

GENERAL ISSUES IN EC PD

ISSUES SPECIFIC TO EC MATH PD

RESOURCES DRAWN ON IN THIS CHAPTER

This chapter draws on two reviews of the research on early childhood professional development. The first review, by Zaslow, Tout, Halle, Whittaker, and Lavelle (2010), was conducted as part of a project for the U.S. Department of Education, providing a cross-site evaluation of the Early Childhood Educator Professional Development (ECEPD) programs. The ECEPD programs were funded by the Department of Education, aiming to strengthen professional development of early childhood educators working in low-income neighborhoods.

The project conducted a literature review identifying features of effective early childhood professional development that could be used as a framework. This literature review, along with findings from the cross-site evaluation, will identify key features of effective early childhood professional development. Recent research has raised questions about the effectiveness of approaches aimed at increasing knowledge to lead to improved practice.

Features of Effective Professional Development

The literature review conducted to provide a framework for the cross-site evaluation of ECEPD programs identified six features of early childhood professional development programs associated with stronger practices.

1. Clearly Articulated and Specific Objectives for Professional Development
   Research indicates that professional development programs vary in terms of their goals, some focusing on overall quality while others aim to improve specific domains such as early language and literacy or early mathematics. More specific goals can facilitate targeted improvements.

2. Direct Focus on Early Educator Practice
   Research supports a direct focus on early educators' interactions with children, emphasizing the importance of changing practice to improve quality and child outcomes.

3. Collective Participation in Professional Development
   Inclusion of all staff members can foster consistent practices across classrooms and sustain positive professional development effects.

4. Alignment of Intensity and Duration of Professional Development with the Content Covered
   Different professional development approaches vary significantly in overall dosage. Some studies suggest longer durations are necessary for solidifying changes in practice.

5. Preparation for Conducting and Using Information from Child Assessments
   Effective professional development incorporates training for early educators not only in conducting child assessments but also in using this information to inform instruction.

6. Consideration of Organizational Context as Well as Standards for Practice
   The strength of professional development approaches is affected by organizational-level factors and broader systems-level factors that can impact implementation on a larger scale.

These findings emphasize the need to build effective professional development practices tailored to early mathematics instruction, ensuring educators are well-prepared to support young children's learning.