Are Federal Programs Supporting Effective Professional Development for Teachers?
Progress to date. Under the 1994 ESEA reauthorization and Goals 2000, Congress explicitly provided for programs intended to enhance teacher competence. The Eisenhower Program is the largest of these efforts. Professional development is an allowable activity under Titles I, VI, and VII, and varying portions of these funds are used to support professional development. However, little is known about the quality of the professional development activities supported by these programs, or about their outcomes or impact on teacher practice. Effective professional development is critical to helping the nation move toward the full implementation of standards in the classroom. • A national survey of teachers shows that most do not yet think that they are fully equipped to implement standards. During the 1997-98 school year, only 36 percent of teachers of the core academic subjects said that they felt “very well prepared” to implement state or district standards. Program Indicator: By 1998, over 5
