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Begin with the end in mind

By Pat Roy

Results, October 2004

Copyright, National Staff Development Council, 2004. All rights reserved.

Without a doubt, the content of what educators need to know and be able to do is continuously increasing, so why did NSDC decrease the number of original content standards from 11 to three in its second edition of the standards?

The number of content standards changed because of an underlying belief that professional development should be results-based and data-driven. The results need to involve both teacher and student learning. The process begins with 1) determining what students need to know and be able to do, then 2) determining what teachers need to know and be able to do, and finally 3) planning and designing staff development to accomplish the intended results.

The process begins with analyzing student data. This analysis helps determine the content of staff development. Student data includes standardized achievement data as well as student work, student portfolios, and data on discipline, attendance, and family involvement. Building staff development content on this foundation means the content is not based on "hot topics" and "silver bullets" but grounded in the needs of students and their teachers. The typical needs assessment survey is replaced with an analysis of data and an analysis of what educators currently know and practice. There is also evidence to suggest that educator motivation about staff development increases when they know the topics and skills they are learning will have a direct impact on their own students.

If data analysis should drive professional development content, why are there any content standards at all? The three standards--Equity, Quality Teaching, and Family Involvement--are, on the surface, "Mom & apple pie" issues. Few would dispute their inclusion. Yet, during a training session, a principal declared that he could sell his teachers on the idea that they needed to know more about the Quality Teaching standard because it involved what they did everyday: developing deep content knowledge, implementing research-based instructional strategies, and using various form of assessment. He wasn't so sure, however, that he could sell them on issues of equity and family involvement. He didn't believe they would see the relevance of those topics to their work in school.

The Equity standard is included because of the achievement gap in many schools. Educators are being asked to help all students learn at very high levels. The Education Trust (2001) has dispelled the myth that schools with high poverty and/or high minority populations are destined for low achievement. The Equity standard focuses on high expectations, empowering attitudes and beliefs, positive school environments, and the respect necessary for all students to succeed at high levels.

The important role of the family has been acknowledged in educational research. That research has also expanded the definition of family involvement into six areas (Epstein, 1997) that go beyond parent conferences or attendance at school functions. The primary goal is building partnerships with families so that they can support education at home. As our country's demographics continue to change, this partnership becomes increasingly important.

The content standards ask schools to examine their beliefs, attitudes, and actions related to equity, family involvement, and quality teaching. It is only when all three areas are addressed that a good education can be ensured for all students.

REFERENCES

Education Trust. (2001). Dispelling the Myth. Available at www2.edtrust.org/edtrust/dtm/

Epstein, J. (1997). School, family, and community partnerships: Your handbook for action. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press, Inc.

About the author

Pat Roy is co-author of Moving NSDC's staff development standards into practice: Innovation configurations (NSDC, 2003).