Degree Date

3-2020

Document Type

Dissertation - Public Access

Degree Name

Ed.D. Doctor of Education

Academic Discipline

Educational Leadership

First Advisor

Dr. Carla Sparks

Abstract

Student achievement at one suburban elementary school under study dropped notably in mathematics in one school year, as measured by the state standards assessment. The purpose of this inquiry was to determine what impact ongoing, on-demand, job-embedded, site-based professional development opportunities provided by a full-time, site-base math content area specialist had on teachers' instructional practices and students' mathematics achievement. I implemented a mixed methods approach to this inquiry. I analyzed the end of the year state mathematics standards assessments for second through fifth grade students following the implementation of full-time, site-based professional development provided by a math content area specialist and weekly, mathematics focused, grade level collaboration facilitated by the math content area specialist. I compared assessment data from the previous school year to the same assessments at the end of the school year during which focused professional development was provided to teachers. I conducted surveys and interviews among teachers at the school to gain insight into their perspective on the impact of the professional development on their teaching and student learning.. Results indicated an increase in test populations, though not statistically significant the results of this study show a substantive impact on student learning.

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