The current study examined the contexts in which a preschool teacher professional development intervention was more versus less effective in improving student outcomes. We used a fixed intercept, random coefficient (FIRC) modeling approach to explore the contextual characteristics inside and outside school walls that predicted differential…

NORC at the University of Chicago designed and implemented an impact evaluation of the SEEDS of Learning (SEEDS) professional development (PD) program on behalf of the Kenneth Rainin Foundation, in collaboration with Kidango. SEEDS of Learning is an evidence-based PD program that prepares early childhood educators to help children develop the…

Background: Continued professional development (CPD) is required for updated skills and knowledge. This study evaluates the efficacy of a CPD programme for mainstream school teachers. Aims: In an 11-week intervention programme, speech-language therapists (SLTs) presented the participating teachers with whole-class teaching techniques aimed at…

This embedded single-case study investigates four secondary school L2 teachers' perceptions of metacognitive oracy instruction (MOI) over a two-year Design-Based Research (DBR) project and examines the effects of the project on their declared practices almost a year after its completion. Questionnaires, learner notes, and interviews to the double…

Purpose: We conducted a randomized control trial of an instructional program, SRSD Plus, which integrates reading for writing to inform, writing, oral language, spelling and handwriting for students in Grades 1 and 2. Method: A total of 10 teachers and their 248 students in Grade 1 (n = 121) and Grade 2 (n = 127) in the southwestern part of the US…

The Professional Development Programme (PDP) was designed to provide high-quality Continuing Professional Development (CPD) to pre-reception early years practitioners to improve their practice. The first two phases of PDP were delivered between 2019 and 2022. The third phase of the programme (early years Professional Development Programme…

This review summarizes features of professional development programs that aim to prepare in-service teachers to improve students' academic language proficiency when teaching subject areas. The 38 studies reviewed suggest that all of the profiled interventions were effective to some extent. The programs share many characteristics considered…

Building on Success, was the second phase of the Early Years Professional Development Programme (EYPDP). The programme, funded by the Department of Education and delivered by Education Development Trust with key subject specialist partners, was aimed at improving practitioners' understanding and skills in supporting the development of the most…

Background: Over 15% of kindergarten and first grade students in U.S. public schools are English learners (ELs) (National Center for Education Statistics [NCES], 2021). Many classroom teachers, however, have not had specialized training in providing instruction for ELs. The BELLA (Bridging English Language Learning and Academics) professional…

This quantitative study examined mentees' perceptions of the support they have received from a school-based mentoring program (SBMP) in which they have been involved for three years. The study involved 341 teachers in seven schools that hosted the SBMP. The findings indicated that only 45.2% of participants 'agreed' or 'strongly agreed' that their…

Professional development (PD) is a potentially important mechanism for enhancing classroom practices and children's learning. In this large-scale randomized controlled trial, we examined the effectiveness of language and literacy PD, with and without coaching, offered at scale to early childhood educators (n = 546) across one state. Relative to…

Background: Information Communication Technology (ICT) holds the promise of enabling low-cost teacher professional development at scale. An expert coach, for example, could reach far more teachers virtually, thus reducing salary and transport costs. But the benefits of in-person interaction--such as developing relationships of trust and…

This article presents an investigation of L2 pragmatic development by a group of 19 Chinese EFL teachers who participated in a five-month program in Canada (SA group). A written discourse-completion task (WDCT) was administered to assess participants' pragmatic knowledge of how to make requests in English. They also completed a paper-based…

ABRACADABRA (abbreviated as ABRA) is a software developed by Concordia University in Canada that focuses on natural spelling and aims to improve English reading ability. This research is based on 129 first graders, 213 second graders, and 275 third graders in the elementary school of Lianyungang Ganyu Huajie Bilingual School. We carried out a…

Research Findings: This study uses data from a comprehensive meta-analytic database of early childhood education (ECE) program evaluations published between 1960 and 2007 in the United States to examine the incremental effects of adding enhancement program components to ECE programs on children's cognitive abilities, pre-academic skills,…