Does Sustained Science Content Based Professional Development Make a Difference to Students' Science Achievement?
Recent policy documents focused on science and mathematics education reform have proposed that content-based professional development for teachers improves student achievement (National Academy of Science, 2005; National Science Foundation, 2007). The teachers involved in the professional development program complete a master degree in science that is comprised of eight science courses and two science education courses over three, consecutive summer sessions and throughout two academic years. Forty teachers enrolled as two cohorts in the MISEP and MCEP programs. The programs' courses incorporate the principles of teaching and learning such as inquiry-based instruction, complex questioning, and collaborative learning. The program's science courses focus on developing teachers' science (MISEP) or chemistry (MCEP) content knowledge, while the education courses are designed to encourage teachers to integrate new instructional and assessment strategies into their science teaching.
This is a successful example that in the United States, teachers' professional development programs have changed from isolated, idiosyncratic, short term efforts such as two-hour workshops to sustained, on-going experiences that engaged teachers with both science content and pedagogical innovations (Kahle, 2007; Supovitz, Mayer & Kahle, 2000).