The Effect of Participation in a K-16 Professional Learning Community on Teaching and Learning Practices - Further Evidence
1. Context of the Work
The Partnership for Reform in Science and Mathematics (PRISM) is a comprehensive National Science Foundation-Math Science Partnership (NSF-MSP) project with state and regional partners. The state partners include the University System of Georgia, the public higher education state agency, and the Georgia Department of Education, the K-12 state agency. Four regional P-16 partnerships include at least one institution of higher education (IHE) and one K-12 system. The IHEs include major research universities, regional universities, state universities and two-year college partners. The K-12 systems range from large urban to small rural districts. Six IHEs and 15 school districts participate in PRISM.
A major outcome of PRISM is to increase the quality of science and mathematics teaching and learning in Georgia. There are three goals and 10 strategies that have been the focus for the five years of PRISM. The goal addressed in this paper is "Raise student achievement in science and mathematics through increasing the responsiveness of higher education to the needs of P-12 schools." One of the strategies of PRISM is: Engage higher education and K-12 faculty in learning communities. Specifically this paper will present ongoing results from the evaluation of the engagement of IHE faculty in PRISM learning communities. Data from previous years' have been presented at various MSP conferences (as well as AERA and AEA), but we have a third year of evidence showing consistent positive effects of learning communities on teaching and learning practices. The fact that these results have been replicated for a third time is reason for an updated presentation.