Where are we at? An empirical study of levels and methods of evaluating continuing professional development

Continuing professional development (CPD) is increasingly becoming recognised as important for all professionals in order to maintain and develop their competence. Many professions, especially in the health field, require evidence of CPD in order for professionals to be granted continuing registration as practitioners. Given its accreditation as well as developmental uses, it is important that CPD is evaluated. The present study examines the usefulness of a hierarchical model for the evaluation of CPD for teachers. The data were derived from a sample of 223 CPD coordinators and 416 teachers from a randomly selected sample of 1000 schools in England. Questionnaire data were analysed using Rasch modelling. The results suggest a reasonable fit with the model, with participant satisfaction being the most commonly evaluated outcome while participants' use of new skills and student outcomes were the least likely to be evaluated, together with value for money according to teachers only. The implications for teachers' CPD are discussed.     

Identifying and selecting able students for the NAGTY summer school: emerging issues and future considerations

In recent years, there has been an increasing recognition that the educational needs of able students were not being adequately met in British schools resulting in a series of governmental educational initiatives aiming at improving the education of able students. The establishment of the National Academy for Gifted and Talented Youth (NAGTY) at the University of Warwick was a development aimed at enhancing able students' educational provision. An evaluation of the first summer school, established under the auspices of NAGTY, took place to address issues of identifying and selecting able students, exploring the relative value of different sources of evidence for determining eligibility, and looking at the overall effectiveness of the selection process. Qualitative methods (i.e., interviews, observations, document analysis) were employed to collect data on the process of identifying and selecting able students. The evaluation yielded interesting results with regard to the criteria/eligibility for selection, decisions about what counts as evidence of giftedness and its relative value.     

Corrupt language,corrupt thought: the White Paper The importance of teaching

This article deconstructs the language of the 2010 UK Coalition Government's White Paper, The Importance of Teaching. It uses analytical frameworks related to rhetoric established by Aristotle and Cicero. It explores the mechanisms of language using both critical discourse analysis and content analysis, offering quantitative data on the content of the paper and qualitative data on the literary strategies employed. It is concerned not only with how what is communicated persuades but also the ethics of persuasion; what is suggested and to what end. The article suggests a mutually reinforcing relationship between poverty of language and poverty of thought. The Coalition Government asserts an heroic stance to act radically to free victimised teachers from the burdens of bureaucracy imposed by the previous government. However, rather than radical action to make change, the findings suggest that the White Paper presents an illusory carapace of change that conceals fundamental continuity. It reassures all of the commitment of government and audiences to change while sustaining education as fundamentally unchanged.