Professional development for quality teaching and learning: A focus on student learning outcomes

Quality teaching and student achievement have been the focus of much debate and research throughout the American education system. Despite implementation of teacher professional development, concerns remained about its effectiveness regarding quality teaching and student achievement. Thus, a paradigm shift ensued to promote effective, on-going capacity-building teacher professional development, known as job-embedded professional development. Educational milieus experienced reforms ranging from highstakes testing to the standards movement, and recently, teacher evaluations incorporating value-added measures, all of which underscore professional development significance. The purpose of this chapter is to review, analyze, and synthesize current literature on teacher professional development, the need for job-embedded professional development, implementation challenges, and the relationship between teacher professional development and student learning outcomes. The chapter also examines gaps in the literature, followed by solutions, recommendations, and future research directions.