A Longitudinal Analysis of the Relations Among Professional Development,Educators’ Beliefs and Perceived Skills,and Response-to-Intervention Implementation

ABSTRACT

Professional development is a critical systems-level intervention thought to facilitate Response-to-Intervention (RtI) implementation. The current study examined the relations between professional development, educator outcomes, and problem-solving implementation within an RtI framework using growth curve modeling. School leadership teams from pilot schools (n = 34) participated in 3 years of training. Pilot schools also received job-embedded coaching. Comparison schools (n = 27) provided a referent group. Results indicated that problem-solving implementation increased faster at pilot schools (β = 0.10, SE = 0.05, t = 2.03, p < .05). In addition, beliefs regarding data-based decision-making (β = 0.36, SE = 0.17, t = 2.13, p < .05) and perceived problem-solving skills applied to academics (β = 0.30, SE = 0.10, t = 3.07, p < .01) positively related to implementation. Implications include the needs to further explore professional development activities and for consultants to utilize evidence-based professional development principles when supporting RtI implementation.     

Human Rights,Diversity, and Citizenship Education

The 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights is a propitious time for educators to examine its implications for educating citizens in multicultural nation states. The author argues that students must experience democratic classrooms and schools that reflect their cultures and identities to internalize human rights values, ideals, and behaviors. Schools in nations around the world make it difficult for students to acquire human rights ideals and behaviors because they pursue assimilationist goals that do not provide students civic equality and recognition. Citizenship education needs to be reformed so that it will help students to internalize human rights ideals and behaviors.     

价值观教与学的途径

一个可持续发展的知识型社会应以价值观为中心,尊重生命、尊重人的尊严、尊重社会和文化的多样性,将人类的劳动和工作作为自我实现和自我完善的源泉,同时也作为经济和社会发展的动力。教育者转变传统价值观教育模式,需应对四个挑战。奎苏姆宾博士提出了新的整合后的教学方法,即以认知、理解、评价和行动组成的四步教学法。这一方法提供了价值观教学的全面和统一的示范流程。