Enhancing the quality of expository text instruction and comprehension through content and case-situated professional development (Teacher Quality)
Principal Investigator
Additional Investigators
Deborah Simmons and William Rupley, Texas A&M
Funding Agency
U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, Teacher Quality Research — Reading/Writing grant
Overview
This study will address the critical need to better understand the “fourth-grade slump” by focusing on comprehension of content-area text. The study also will address questions related to the effect of professional development on student learning by developing and evaluating the efficacy of a model based on the Texas Fourth Grade Teacher Reading Academy and situated in social studies content and fourth-grade classrooms. The content and case-situated (CCS) professional development model situates learning in existing curricula and classrooms, builds on evidence-based practices, and provides support for teachers during implementation. By examining the linkages between content, curriculum, practice, and professional development, this research will result in empirical evidence on how these elements work together to improve the quality of teachers’ instruction and students’ reading comprehension in the area of social studies.
Timeline
3 years, 2005—2008
Participants
Fourth-grade social studies teachers
Sites
Del Valle ISD and Bryan ISD
Outcomes
Research is ongoing.
Presentations
Society for Research on Educational Effectiveness, March 2009