Annotated Bibliography of Resources for Educational Reform, Coherent Teaching Practice, and Improved Student Learning

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• Little, J. W. (1997, March). Excellence in professional development and professional community (Working paper, Benchmarks for schools). Washington, DC: Office of Educational Research and Improvement.

The basic premise of the paper is that a school that is effective with students is also likely to play a powerful, deliberate, and consequential role in the support of teacher development. Professional development is moving away from models that emphasize acquisition of discrete skills and behaviors toward a vision of professional communities that support teacher learning through diverse experiences. In this paper, Little focuses on the environments (structures or practices, traditions or culture) that are conducive to teacher learning. She begins with an overview of a broadened conception of professional development, then describes the aspects of school organization and culture that affect professional development, and concludes with a method for assessing the school's contribution to professional development.

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