Teacher Professional Development in Chicago School Reform

This is a second report (the first was entitled "Restructuring")  for our program evaluation efforts for the 1994-95 school year at the  Chicago Teachers Academy for Mathematics and Science. The work  was organized by Robert Stake at the Center for Instructional  Research and Curriculum Evaluation (CIRCE) at the University of  Illinois. Assisting in this effort in addition to the authors shown on  the cover were: Carmilva Flores, Edith Cisneros, Marilyn Murphy -  of the University of Illinois and Eleanor Chelimsky, formerly of the  U. S. General Accounting Office. Providing generous counsel to our  deliberations on professional development were Olivia Watkins and  Bill Rice of the Chicago Public Schools, Mark Smylie, Michael and  Susan Klonsky, Robert Rich, Betty Merchant, Renee Clift, Mark Gierl  and Paul Thurston of the University of Illinois, Dick Elsholz of the  Michigan schools, Linda Mabry of Indiana University, Tony Bryk of  the University of Chicago, Judith Warren Little of the University of  California, Michael Huberman of Harvard, Michael Eraut of the  University of Sussex and many staff members of the U. S. General  Accounting Office.  

Under contract between the University's Board of Trustees  and the Teachers Academy, during the period September 1 to August  30, the CIRCE team conducted observations of Academy operations  and studied documents to reach an understanding of key issues  and indications of quality work. Earlier, the Director and Academy  Board had emphasized their concern about knowing the impact of  its program on schools, teachers and children. Other evaluation  specialists had been hired to do a more conventional study of  achievement gains; we stuck largely to our qualitative and responsive  methods of evaluation based on issues and interpretation. Out views  of quality are included within the discussion of strategies of  professional development contained in this report.