Untangling the Relationship(s) between Professional Development, Enactment, Student Learning and Teacher Learning through Multiple Case Studies

With the proliferation of educational reform policies and strategies, the need for high quality professional development (PD) has emerged as one of the most important areas for research in education, particularly in determining the relationship between PD and student learning outcomes (Borko, 2004). Although research has begun to focus on the defining characteristics of quality PD, little has been done to examine the specific factors involved in teacher learning from PD and its relationship to practice and student learning (Garet, Porter, Desimone, Birman, & Yoon, 2001b; Guskey, 2003; Kubitskey, Fishman, & Marx, 2003, 2004; Loucks-Horsley, 1997; Richardson, 2001). Teachers are influenced both by professional development and through reflecting on their own classroom practice (however informally), including evidence of their students' learning. While professional development is frequently designed to inform classroom practice, classroom practice is often the major influence on teacher learning related to the professional development. Professional development is intended to mediate teachers’ practice; however the practice itself often becomes a mediating factor in how the professional development continues to impact the teacher. The sustainability of reform initiatives relies on teachers maintaining alignment with the intent of the initiative, even as they make adaptations to suit their local context. Thus understanding the relationship between teacher learning from professional development and the resulting practice is an important area for study. The purpose of this study is to examine the question: How does professional development impact teacher learning in the context of classroom practice?