Sage Journals: Discover world-class research

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to evaluate music teacher professional development (PD) practice and policy in the United States between 1993 and 2012. Using data from the nationally representative Schools and Staffing Survey (SASS) spanning these 20 years, I examined music teacher PD participation by topic, intensity, relevance, and format; music teachers’ top PD priorities; and the reach of certain PD-supportive policies. I assessed these descriptive results against a set of broadly agreed-on criteria for “effective” PD: content specificity, relevance, voluntariness/autonomy, social interaction, and sustained duration. Findings revealed a mixed record. Commendable improvements in content-specific PD access were undercut by deficiencies in social interaction, voluntariness/autonomy, sustained duration, and relevance. School policy, as reported by teachers, was grossly inadequate, with only one of the nine PD-supportive measures appearing on SASS reaching a majority of teachers in any given survey year. Implications for policy, practice, and scholarship are presented.

Keywords

professional development music teachers music education Schools and Staffing Survey

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Appova

Arbaugh

(2018). Teachers’ motivation to learn: Implications for supporting professional growth. Professional Development in Education, 44(1), 5–21. https://doi.org/10.1080/19415257.2017.1280524

Barrett

J. R.

(2006). Recasting professional development for music teachers in an era of reform. Arts Education Policy Review, 107(6), 19–28. https://doi.org/10.3200/AEPR.107.6.19-28

Bauer

W. I.

(2007). Research on professional development for experienced music teachers. Journal of Music Teacher Education, 17(1), 12–21. https://doi.org/10.1177/10570837070170070105

Bauer

W. I.

(2010). Your personal learning network: Professional Development on Demand. Music Educators Journal, 97(2), 37–42. https://doi.org/10.1177/0027432110386383

Bauer

W. I.

Reese

McAllister

P. A.

(2003). Transforming music teaching via technology: The role of professional development. Journal of Research in Music Education, 51(4), 289–301. https://doi.org/10.2307/3345656

Bautista

Wong

Cabedo-Mas

(2018). Music teachers’ perspectives on live and video-mediated peer observation as forms of professional development. Journal of Music Teacher Education, 28(3), 28–42. https://doi.org/10.1177/1057083718819504

Bautista

Yau

Wong

(2017). High-quality music teacher professional development: A review of the literature. Music Education Research, 19(4), 455–469. https://doi.org/10.1080/14613808.2016.1249357

Blank

R. K.

de las Alas

Smith

(2008). Does teacher professional development have effects on teaching and learning? Evaluation findings from programs in 14 states. Council of Chief State School Officers. http://programs.ccsso.org/content/pdfs/cross-state_study_rpt_final.pdf

Borko

(2004). Professional development and teacher learning: Mapping the terrain. Educational Researcher, 33(8), 3–15. https://doi.org/10.3102/0013189X033008003

10.

Boylan

Coldwell

Maxwell

Jordan

(2018). Rethinking models of professional learning as tools: A conceptual analysis to inform research and practice. Professional Development in Education, 44(1), 120–139. https://doi.org/10.1080/19415257.2017.1306789

11.

Burkett

E. I.

(2011). A case study concerning professional development for rural instrumental music teachers. Journal of Music Teacher Education, 21(1), 51–64. https://doi.org/10.1177/1057083710393152

12.

Bush

J. E.

(2007). Importance of various professional development opportunities and workshop topics as determined by inservice music teachers. Journal of Music Teacher Education, 16(2), 10–18. https://doi.org/10.1177/10570837070160020103

13.

Clarke

Hollingsworth

(2002). Elaborating a model of teacher professional growth. Teaching and Teacher Education, 18(8), 947–967. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0742-051X(02)00053-7

14.

Conway

C. M.

Edgar

Hansen

Palmer

C. M.

(2014). Teacher research as professional development for P–12 music teachers. Music Education Research, 16(4), 404–417. https://doi.org/10.1080/14613808.2013.848850

15.

Conway

C. M.

Hibbard

Albert

Hourigan

(2005). Professional development for arts teachers. Arts Education Policy Review, 107(1), 3–10. https://doi.org/10.3200/AEPR.107.1.3-10

16.

Conway

C. M.

Holcomb

(2008). Perceptions of experienced music teachers regarding their work as music mentors. Journal of Research in Music Education, 56(1), 55–67. https://doi.org/10.1177/0022429408323073

17.

Cox

Parmer

Strizek

Thomas

(2017). Documentation for the 2011–2012 Schools and Staffing Survey (NCES 2016-817). National Center for Education Statistics.

18.

Darling-Hammond

Hyler

M. E.

Gardner

(2017). Effective teacher professional development. Learning Policy Institute.

19.

Desimone

L. M.

(2009). Improving impact studies of teachers’ professional development: Toward better conceptualizations and measures. Educational Researcher, 38(3), 181–199. https://doi.org/10.3102/0013189X08331140

20.

Desimone

L. M.

Garet

M. S.

(2015). Best practices in teachers’ professional development in the United States. Psychology, Society, & Education, 7(3), 252–263. https://doi.org/10.25115/psye.v7i3.515

21.

Desimone

L. M.

Smith

T. M.

Phillips

K. J. R.

(2007). Does policy influence mathematics and science teachers’ participation in professional development? Teachers College Record, 109(5), 1086–1122.

22.

Eros

(2011). The career cycle and the second stage of teaching: Implications for policy and professional development. Arts Education Policy Review, 112(2), 65–70. https://doi.org/10.1080/10632913.2011.546683

23.

Every Student Succeeds Act of 2015, Pub. L. No. 114-95, 129 Stat. 2096-2097 (2015). https://www.congress.gov/114/plaws/publ95/PLAW-114publ95.pdf

24.

Gallo

D. J.

(2018). Professional development quality in U.S. music education: An analysis of the 2011–2012 Schools and Staffing Survey. Journal of Research in Music Education, 66(2), 168–189. https://doi.org/10.1177/0022429418764453

25.

Goe

Biggers

Croft

(2012). Linking teacher evaluation to professional development: Focusing on improving teaching and learning. https://learningforward.org/report/linking-teacher-evaluation-professional-development-focusing-improving-teaching-learning/

26.

Goldring

Taie

Rizzo

Colby

Fraser

(2013). User’s manual for the 2011-12 Schools and Staffing Survey, Volume 1: Overview (NCES 2013-330). National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education.

27.

Gordon

D. G.

(2002). Discipline in the music classroom: One component contributing to teacher stress. Music Education Research, 4(1), 157–165. https://doi.org/10.1080/14613800220119831

28.

Gray

Kruse

Tarter

C. J.

(2016). Enabling school structures, collegial trust and academic emphasis: Antecedents of professional learning communities. Educational Management Administration & Leadership, 44(6), 875–891. https://doi.org/10.1177/1741143215574505

29.

Guskey

T. R.

(1986). Staff development and the process of teacher change. Educational Researcher, 15(5), 5–12. https://doi.org/10.3102/0013189X015005005

30.

Hargreaves

Fullan

(2012). Professional capital: Transforming teaching in every school. Teachers College.

31.

Hickey

Schmidt

(2019). The effect of professional development on music teachers’ improvisation and composition activities. Bulletin of the Council for Research in Music Education, 222(Fall 2019), 27–43. https://doi.org/10.5406/bulcouresmusedu.222.0027

32.

Hill

H. C.

(2009). Fixing teacher professional development. Phi Beta Kappan, 90(7), 470–476. https://doi.org/10.1177/003172170909000705

33.

Hill

H. C.

Beisiegel

Jacob

(2013). Professional development research: Consensus, crossroads, and challenges. Educational Researcher, 42(9), 476–487. https://doi.org/10.3102/0013189X13512674

34.

Hourigan

(2011). Race to the top: Implications for professional development in arts education. Arts Education Policy Review, 112(2), 60–64. https://doi.org/10.1080/10632913.2011.546679

35.

Huck

S. W.

(2012). Reading statistics and research (6th ed.). Pearson.

36.

Jacob

McGovern

(2015). The mirage: Confronting the hard truth about our quest for teacher development (ED558206). ERIC. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED558206.pdf

37.

Jacobs

Yendol-Hoppey

(2014). Using action research to target and generate professional learning. In Martin

L. E.

Kragler

Quatroche

D. J.

Bauserman

K. L.

(Eds.), Handbook of professional development in education: Successful models and practices, PreK-12 (pp. 304–318). Guilford.

38.

Jones

(2009). Hard and soft policies in music education: Building the capacity of teachers to understand, study and influence them. Arts Education Policy Review, 110(4): 27–32. https://doi.org/10.3200/AEPR.110.4.27-32

39.

Kennedy

M. M.

(2016). How does professional development improve teaching? Review of Educational Research, 86(4), 945–980. https://doi.org/10.3102/0034654326800

40.

Koner

Eros

(2019). Professional development for the experienced music educator: A review of recent literature. Update: Applications of Research in Music Education, 37(3), 12–19. https://doi.org/10.1177/8755123318812426

41.

Kraft

M. A.

Blazar

Hogan

(2018). The effect of teacher coaching on instruction and achievement: A meta-analysis of the causal evidence. Review of Educational Research, 88(4), 547–588. https://doi.org/10.3102/0034654318759268

42.

Legette

R. M.

(2013). Perceptions of early-career school music teachers regarding their pre-service preparation. Update: Applications of Research in Music Education, 32(1), 12−17. https://doi.org/10.1177/8755123313502342

43.

Little

J. W.

(1987). Teachers as colleagues. In Richardson-Koehler

(Ed.), Educators’ handbook: A research perspective (pp. 491–518). Longman.

44.

Loeb

Miller

L. C.

Strunk

K. O.

(2009). The state role in teacher professional development and education throughout teachers’ careers. Education Finance and Policy, 4(2), 212–228. https://doi.org/10.1162/edfp.2009.4.2.212

45.

McKoy

C. L.

MacLeod

R. B.

Walter

J. S.

Nolker

D. B.

(2017). The impact of an in-service workshop on cooperating teachers’ perceptions of culturally responsive teaching. Journal of Music Teacher Education, 26(2), 50–63. https://doi.org/10.1177/10570837166293

46.

Moore

J. L. S.

(2009). Assessment of a professional development programme for music educators. Music Education Research, 11(3), 319–333. https://doi.org/10.1080/14613800903144304

47.

National Association for Music Education. (2015). Professional development ekit. https://nafme.org/my-classroom/professional-development/professional-development-ekit/

48.

No Child Left Behind Act of 2002. Pub. L. No. 107-110, 115 Stat. 1963-1964 (2002). https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/PLAW-107publ110/pdf/PLAW-107publ110.pdf

49.

Odden

Archibald

Fermanich

Gallagher

H. A.

(2002). A cost framework for professional development. Journal of Education Finance, 28(1), 51–74. http://www.jstor.org.libezp.lib.lsu.edu/stable/40704157

50.

Palkki

Albert

D. J.

Hill

S. C.

Shaw

R. D.

(2016). 20 years of the MENC Biennial Conference: A content analysis. Journal of Research in Music Education, 64(1), 14–28. https://doi.org/10.1177/0022429415621896

51.

Parsad

Spiegelman

(2012). Arts education in public elementary and secondary schools: 1999-2000 and 2009-10 (NCES 2012-014). National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education. https://nces.ed.gov/pubs2012/2012014rev.pdf

52.

Pellegrino

(2011). Exploring the benefits of music-making as professional development for music teachers. Arts Education Policy Review, 112(2), 79–88. https://doi.org/10.1080/10632913.2011.546694

53.

Rao

J. N. K.

Scott

A. J.

(1984). On chi-squared tests for multiway contingency tables with cell proportions estimated from survey data. The Annals of Statistics, 12(1), 46–60. https://doi.org/10.1214/aos/1176346391

54.

Ravitch

(2014). Reign of error: The hoax of the privatization movement and the danger to America’s public schools. Vintage.

55.

Robbins

Burbank

M. K.

Dunkle

(2007). Teacher research: Tales from the field. Journal of Music Teacher Education, 17(1), 42–55. https://doi.org/10.1177/10570837070170010108

56.

Schmidt

Robbins

(2011). Looking backwards to reach forward: A strategic architecture for professional development in music education. Arts Education Policy Review, 112(2), 95–103. https://doi.org/10.1080/10632913.2011.546702

57.

Schneckenburger

B. K.

(2014). Formats and features of professional development as predictors of self-reported changes in music teachers’ knowledge and skills [Unpublished doctoral dissertation]. https://drum.lib.umd.edu/bitstream/handle/1903/16434/Schneckenburger_umd_0117E_15914.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y

58.

Shaw

J. T.

(2017). Creating artistry: Pathways to teacher growth in a professional development short course. Bulletin of the Council for Research in Music Education, 213(Summer 2017), 27–52. https://doi.org/10.5406/bulcouresmusedu.213.0027

59.

Shaw

R. D.

(2020). Instructional expertise and micropolitics: The social networks of instrumental music teachers. Journal of Research in Music Education, 68(3), 328–350. https://doi.org/10.1177/0022429420920634

60.

Siegel

Castellan

N. J.

(1998). Nonparametric statistics for the behavioral sciences (2nd ed.). McGraw-Hill.

61.

Sindberg

L. K.

(2014). Perceptions and perspectives of music teachers in urban settings: Isolation, conversation and collaboration. Music Education Research, 16(4), 387–403. https://doi.org/10.1080/14613808.2013.848849

62.

Spruce

Stanley

A. M.

(2020). Music teacher professional agency as challenge to music education policy. Arts Education Policy Review. Advance online publication: https://doi.org/10.1080/10632913.2020.1756020

63.

Standerfer

S. L.

(2007). Preparation for the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards Certification as music teacher professional development. Journal of Music Teacher Education, 17(1), 33–41. https://doi.org/10.1177/10570837070170010107

64.

Stanley

A. M.

Snell

Edgar

(2014). Collaboration as effective music professional development: Success stories from the field. Journal of Music Teacher Education, 24(1), 76–88. https://doi.org/10.1177/1057083713502731

65.

Svec

C. L.

(2017). Describing elementary certification methods across the elementary music career cycle. Update: Applications of Research in Music Education, 3 5(3), 55–61. https://doi.org/10.1177/8755123316649014

66.

Tooley

Connally

(2016). No panacea: Diagnosing what ails teacher professional development before reaching for remedies (ED570895). ERIC. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED570895.pdf

67.

West

(2011). Action research as a professional development activity. Arts Education Policy Review, 112(2), 89–94. https://doi.org/10.1080/10632913.2011.546697

68.

West

J. J.

(2019). From the conference to the classroom: Elevating short-term professional development for lifelong learning. General Music Today, 31(1), 24–28. https://doi.org/10.1177/1048371319840651

69.

West

J. J.

(2020). Understanding the process of proximate change following music teachers’ participation in large-scale conferences: A grounded theory. Bulletin of the Council for Research in Music Education, 225(Summer 2020), 67–94. https://doi.org/10.5406/bulcouresmusedu.225.0067

70.

West

J. J.

Bautista

(2020). Greater than the sum of its parts: Promoting systemness in music and arts teacher professional development. Arts Education Policy Review. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1080/10632913.2020.1746716

71.

Zelenak

M. S.

(2015). A professional development program for integrating technology: Examining the impact on K–12 music teachers. Journal of Technology in Music Learning, 5(2), 3–25.

Supplementary Material

Please find the following supplemental material available below.

For Open Access articles published under a Creative Commons License, all supplemental material carries the same license as the article it is associated with.

For non-Open Access articles published, all supplemental material carries a non-exclusive license, and permission requests for re-use of supplemental material or any part of supplemental material shall be sent directly to the copyright owner as specified in the copyright notice associated with the article.

0.00 MB

0.20 MB

Is Music Teacher Professional Development Becoming More Effective? Evaluating Practice and Policy in the United States,1993–2012

Abstract

Keywords

Get full access to this article

References

Supplementary Material