Designing High-Quality Professional Development: Contextualizing the Content

Domains

Resources

The purpose of this domain is to assist participants in considering the content in connection with the bigger picture—their standards, goals, or priorities. Presenters should provide participants with the evidence that supports the practice, model the practice, and assist participants in determining how the practice will improve outcomes for their students. Darling-Hammond et al. (2017) reviewed 35 studies that were positively connected to student outcomes. All 35 included modeling effective instruction during professional development.

The presenter should:

Provide the evidence base for the practices. This includes summarizing and providing citations to research results.
Provide examples of where and when the practice has been implemented with the associated outcomes.
Utilize multiple modalities to model implementation (e.g., videos, vignettes, demonstrations).

To promote participants’ preparation, the local provider should:

Connect the content to local priorities, goals, state standards, and initiatives.
Provide local example models of implementation, when possible.
Provide local associated student data, when possible.

The HQPD Checklist indicators in the domain Contextualizing the Content include:

5. Illustrates alignment between the content and participants’ organizational standards, goals, or priorities.

Examples:

The presenter prompts local teams to identify connections between the content and their local initiatives or improvement plans.

The presenter describes how the intervention aligns with federal/state policy or law (e.g., state agency goals, accreditation requirements, the Elementary and Secondary Education Act), showing how the content helps participants meet their existing professional responsibilities.

The presenter notes that the practices have been adopted by relevant national- or state-level professional organizations, highlighting how the practices are within the scope of the participants’ professional role.

6. Summarizes the evidence base for the content, including providing references or links.

Examples:

The presenter provides a list of references supporting the evidence-based practices that are discussed.

References to research cited in the presentation are included in the materials for the session.

During the session, the presenter refers to key researchers, details their contributions to the training content, and includes links to their materials.

During the training, the presenter refers to a research meta-analysis provided as a prereading activity.

7. Emphasizes the impact of the practice/content on improved outcomes (e.g., student achievement, client well-being).

Examples:

The presenter provides evidence demonstrating that the intervention positively impacts in-school or postsecondary outcomes for students.

The presenter discusses results for individual children prior to and after the intervention.

The presenter discusses evidence, following implementation of the new practice, linking staff well-being to improved outcomes for students.

Participants read and discuss synopses of research outlining outcomes for youth.

8. Provides model examples of the content in practice, connected to participants’ context.

Examples:

The presenter provides video examples of the content being used by teachers across different grade levels.

The presenter provides hands-on demonstrations and illustrates how to use new technological tools in different ways, depending on participants’ roles.

Each participant chooses a case study from a selection representing a variety of relevant contexts, then discusses the implementation strengths and outcomes identified within the case study.