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Addressing Professional Development
It is ironic that smaller class size has become a policy goal at a time when teachers, at least in some states and in some subject areas, are in short supply. Where will the teachers come from to fill the extra classrooms smaller size dictates? To hire the two million teachers the U.S. Department of Education estimates will be needed during the next ten years because of retirements and increasing enrollment, some of the nation’s school districts may have to hire teachers who are only marginally well trained in the fields they are expected to teach. Enter the need for professional development
Excellent professional development that focuses on standards and sound instructional delivery can give inexperienced teachers the skills and knowledge they need to capitalize on smaller class size. Followup support and feedback can help teachers retain and refine those skills. Highly skilled and trained teachers also benefit from professional development that keeps them motivated and enthusiastic.
In California, many teachers have received emergency credentials to fulfill CSR requirements. Recent legislation in that state requires school districts to provide professional-development programs for all teachers who are assigned to smaller classes. The law specifies that professional development for these teachers must focus on individualized instruction, effective classroom management, and responsiveness to student needs.
A task force that recently conducted the first comprehensive examination of teacher quality in California in over ten years recommended that the state offer districts financial incentives of "up to $250 per student to restructure the teaching day and year to enable teachers to participate in well-crafted programs of professional learning experiences" (Bradley 1999).
In North Carolina, the "Success Starts Small" study followed four teachers in a class-size-reduction project. During the first year, the teachers received twenty hours of "staff development studying strategies for more active learning for six-year olds." They also visited small-size classrooms in surrounding districts and met on a weekly basis to debrief and plan. They attended seminars and were introduced to computer-based learning. These teachers focused on finding ways to work with all children.
Professional development must be flexibly designed to meet the needs of each school situation. One of its primary goals is to create a professional community for teachers. Group work, peer tutoring, and mentor programs that match master teachers with new teachers are tactics that can be used. Professional development should also address the diverse needs of students as teachers learn to identify and respond to learning problems (McRobbie 1998).
Professional development should also provide an opportunity for inquiry and reflection. Some educators believe that the primary focus of professional development should be to enable teachers to gain practice in new methods and to apply and adapt those methods to their individual classroom settings (Evertson and Randolph 1992).
Other educators have explored different priorities. Some believe that teachers benefit from assistance that broadens their theoretical understanding of student learning based on current research. According to Evertson and Randolph, student gains resulting from small class size will be most likely to be maintained when professional development (1) is embedded in school culture, (2) is based on a systematic approach to actual problems specific to teaching, and (3) supports change in teachers’ thinking and
practice. CL
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