1stDraftSummaryofPotentialIssuesonTeacherPD.docVIP

Are We Asking the Right Questions on National Surveys about Teacher’s Professional Development? Insights from Cognitive Interviews with Teachers (Working Draft) April 11, 2005 Presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Education Research Association Laura M. Desimone Kerstin Carlson Le Floch Vanderbilt University American Institutes for Research Susie Ansell James Taylor Vanderbilt University American Institutes for Research Questions and comments about this paper should be directed to Laura Desimone, l.desimone@; Rm. 210E Payne Building, Magnolia Circle, Peabody College, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37203; 615 322 5521. Are We Asking the Right Questions on National Surveys about Teacher’s Professional Development? Insights from Cognitive Interviews with Teachers (Working Draft) Teacher’s professional development has always played a central role in school improvement efforts. Accordingly, most national and other large-scale education studies include a component that examines teacher’s professional development. National surveys usually ask teachers to describe the nature and quality of the professional development in which they have participated. Often these data are used to link to teacher’s participation in professional development to district and school policy, and to outcomes such as increasing teacher’s knowledge and skills and improving their teaching practice (e.g., Corcoran, Shields, Zucker, 1998; Puma, Jones, Rock, Fernandez, 1993; Turnbull, Welsh, Heid, Ratnofsky, 1999). With the current requirements in the federal education law No Child Left Behind for “high-quality” professional development, the study of teacher’s participation in professional development is as relevant as ever. National survey data play a unique and important role in monitoring and assessing teacher’s experiences in professional development, as well as our education system as a whole and its outcomes for students. Survey data are essential for providing nation