Excerpts from Middle Grades Research Journal, Information Age Publishing, Volume 6- No.3, Fall 2011
“[T]hree factors were found to be in place that were positively related to effective professional development resulting in positive teaching and learning outcomes: (1) the professional development per se must be sustained for at least two years and (2) implemented in the classroom for more than 1.5 years with (3) 75% or more teachers in the school participating.” (Hough, 137)
“By implementing school- and teacher-driven character education professional development at high levels over an extended period of time, high-poverty schools can succeed. This is not to say that improving conditions in schools is not important; to the contrary, improving conditions in schools is imperative, and one now documented way to achieve this is through effective professional development focused on character education as a model for classroom management and instructional support.” (Hough 2011, 138)
“Teachers were found to base classroom management approaches on research-based strategies, and [they] incorporated these strategies into everyday instructional methods. When this is accomplished by 75% or more of teachers in any given elementary or middle grades school (or a combination of both, say in an elemiddle school setting) for more than 1.5 years, statistically significant improvements in behavior, attendance, and achievement can be documented.” (Hough 2011, 137)
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