The courage to grow: A researcher and teacher linking professional development with small-group reading instruction and student achievement

A successful collaboration resulted in a researcher and a teacher linking professional development with change in small-group reading instruction and student achievement. The context was a two-way Spanish-English bilingual immersion first-grade classroom with many English language learners (ELLs), located in a low-performing, high-poverty school. A central aspect of this work involved investigating a set of pedagogical principles, the Five Standards for Effective Pedagogy, their application to professional development, their implementation within small-group reading instruction, and their relation to student performance. I describe and analyze the elements and process of professional development that led to teacher increases in the quality of instruction, which co-occurred with increases in student achievement in reading. The process resulted in hypotheses about critical elements for successful professional development, hypotheses regarding reading instruction, and a window into what constitutes effective pedagogy.