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Developing 21st century skills through effective professional development: a study of Jamestown Polytechnic Charter School Organization

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Developing 21st century skills through effective professional development: a study of Jamestown Polytechnic Charter School Organization

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Content DEVELOPING 21
ST
CENTURY SKILLS THROUGH EFFECTIVE PROFESSIONAL
DEVELOPMENT: A STUDY OF JAMESTOWN POLYTECHNIC CHARTER
SCHOOL ORGANIZATION

by

Gina Olabuenaga
____________________________________________________________

A Dissertation Presented to the
FACULTY OF THE USC ROSSIER SCHOOL OF EDUCATION
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
In Partial Fulfillment of the
Requirements for the Degree
DOCTOR OF EDUCATION

May 2010

Copyright 2010 Gina Olabuenaga
ii
Dedication

To the educators who fight to secure hope and success for their students each and
every day, because they believe in equity, because they believe in the promise of our
collective future, because they believe in the students they serve.
iii
Acknowledgments
Without the love and support, guidance and patience of many individuals, this work
would not be possible. To my family and the Rodriguez family, who understood why my
weekends were so busy and made the snippets of time we spent together special, and
more importantly, fed me while I worked. To my friends, who continued to call when the
only names I could remember were the names of researchers in my literature review.
Dr. Pedro Garcia, thank you for the opportunity to work on this topic and your
support of all that I did; it opened many doors both professionally and personally. Team
Garcia, meeting each and every one of you was one of the greatest rewards of this
experience. I look forward to all that we will accomplish after this journey comes to an
end. My research partner and dear friend, Juliet Fine, thank you for your support; thank
you for helping me see the world through your eyes. What a beautiful vision it is.
To Dr. Judith Perez, principal, mentor, friend, you are the example I follow. To Dr.
Sylvia Rousseau for fostering the most poignant ideological shift in my thinking about
students. Without my time under your tutelage, I don’t think I could be the educator my
students need me to be.
And finally, to my George. You came into my life just as this educational endeavor
began, and yet you never asked me to sacrifice, never asked me to compromise. For the
nights we just sat in the same room together while I typed away, thank you. For the
feedback and the patience to listen to my stories, my research, over and over again, thank
you. I know that you are and will always be the biggest supporter of my dreams.
iv

Table of Contents

Dedication ii

Acknowledgments iii

List of Tables vi

List of Figures vii

Abstract viii

Chapter One: Overview of the Study 1
Introduction 1
Statement of the Problem 6
Importance of the Study 8
Limitations 10
Definitions 10

Chapter Two: Review of the Literature 12
Introduction 12
21
st
Century Skills 12
Introduction: Origins of a Movement 12
Synthesis of Skills 14
Conclusion 18
Professional Development 21
Definition of Professional Development 21
Key Features of Effective Professional Development 22
What is Working With Professional Development: Review 25
of the Research
What Characteristics Of Professional Development Best 28
Support Student Achievement
Evaluation of Professional Development and Continuing 32
Research Needs
Conclusion 34
Teacher Collaboration and its Impact on Teacher Learning and 35
Transfer Collaboration and its Relation to Teacher Learning 38
Impact of Collaboration: A Review of the Research
Theoretical Lens 42
Conclusion 44

v

Chapter Three: Methodology 46
Introduction 46
Research Questions 47
Criteria 48
Site and Sample Population 49
Data Collection Procedures 50
Data Collection and Analysis 52
Validity and Reliability 53
Ethical Consideration 54

Chapter Four: Findings 55
Introduction 55
Jamestown Polytechnic Charter School Organization 56
Findings 58
Data for Research Question #1 58
Data for Research Question #2 63
Data for Research Question #3 71
Emergent Themes 82

Chapter Five: Summary Conclusions and Recommendations 86
Summary 86
Implications 87
Recommendations for Future Research 90

References 92
Appendices
Appendix A: Interview Guide 97
Appendix B: Observation Framework 99

vi
List of Tables

Table 1.1: Phases of Professional Development Research 8
Table 2.1: Conceptual Framework of 21
st
Century Skills 20
Table 2.2: Definitions & Examples of Structural Features of 23
Professional Development

Table 3.1: Demographic Data for Jamestown Polytechnic Charter 49
School Organization and Research Sites

Table 4.1: Conceptual Framework of 21
st
Century Skills 65
Table 4.2: SAT Participation Rates and Scores by School 73
Table 4.3: SAT Participation by Ethnicity 74
Table 4.4: JPH SAT Combined Scores by Ethnicity 75
Table 4.5: College-Going Indicators Summary for 2006-2009 77
Table 4.6: College Completion/ Enrollment Since 2003 79
Table 4.7: College Matriculation Rates by Subgroup 81
Table B1: Observation Framework 99

vii
List of Figures

Figure 2.1: Conceptual Framework for 21
st
Century Skills by the 16
Partnership for 21
st
Century Skills

Figure 2.2: Conceptual Framework for How Professional Development 29
Affects Student Achievement
viii
Abstract

Literature has shown that professional development is most effective when it is
ongoing, involves active, collective participation, and has coherence with the overall
curriculum and teacher experience. This study was designed to examine the manner and
extent to which Jamestown Polytechnic Charter School Organization designs and
implements effective professional development to promote the transfer of 21
st
Century
skills into classroom practice while maintaining high achievement on state accountability
measures such as the CST’s. Not only is JPCSO implementing professional development
on 21
st
century skills that transfers to teacher practice, the organization has redefined how
to promote the development of these skills, by embedding 21
st
century skills into the
practices of the organization and the activities of professional developments.
While the findings do support the literature on effective professional development,
three main factors emerged as critical to JPCSO’s success: culture of collaboration,
professional transparency, and skills-embedded professional development and
professional practice. Furthermore, the organization, through its use of college-going
indicators, has redefined teacher effectiveness and student achievement. Jamestown
Polytechnic’s practices, coupled with their success, has powerful implications for the way
stakeholders design professional development and measure the effectiveness of school
organizations; ultimately, leading education down a path that emphasizes high levels of
student achievement beyond the K-12 system to understand the extent to which students
are actually prepared for global participation in the 21
st
century.

1

Chapter One
Overview of the Study
The formation of the problem is often more important than the solution.
--Albert Einstein
Introduction
The current economic climate in the United States is shadowed by a financial
crisis and serious concerns about worker productivity and competency. Today, jobs are
being outsourced to other nations due to significantly lower wages outside of America’s
borders, decreasing the number of Americans employed by domestic companies. At the
same time, business leaders are stressing the need for a workforce equipped to be
internationally competitive. This cry falls upon educators who ultimately must train the
workforce that business leaders and other stakeholders demand. Growth, technological
development, and economic viability in a global market are driving forces in the quest for
responsive education that prepares students for the demands of a nation— and have been
since the 1950s.
National policymakers have attempted to address the issues raised by student
performance on international assessments such as TIMSS and PISA. The current
education policy, No Child Left Behind (NCLB), was one such response; however, the
United States has long-standing concerns about student achievement, with policies and
initiatives dating back to 1965. President Lyndon B. Johnson, as part of his “War on
Poverty,” created and successfully passed the Elementary and Secondary Education Act
2
(ESEA). Under ESEA, the government provides federal funding to low socioeconomic
students (SES) and schools. This piece of legislation marked the first time federal, state,
and local governments had come together to confront the issue of poverty in order to
provide equitable access and educational opportunity to all students. After more than 40
years, this policy is still in effect through the dissemination of categorical funds, such as
Title 1, which target high poverty schools and students.
With more than 90% of school districts receiving Title I funding, the federal
government has become concerned with student outcomes. In 1983, President Ronald
Reagan commissioned a report entitled A Nation at Risk. The report’s commission,
finding that student outcomes were directly linked to the nation’s economic productivity,
brought education to the national political stage. ESEA was reauthorized in 1988 and, in
response the findings of A Nation at Risk, the government required states to provide
evidence of improved outcomes in order to continue receiving Title 1 funding.
On the heels of this accountability movement, governors and business leaders
came together at the 1989 Charlottesville Education Summit to draft national education
goals. Four key commitments to education reform were outlined: (a) establishment of
National Education Goals, (b) state focus on increasing standards for all students, (c)
mandatory state and district establishment of academic standards and a way to measure
success towards meeting them, and (d) a clear definition of the federal government’s role
in supporting and funding (Goals 2000, 1989). These commitments later served as the
foundation for the Goals 2000 legislation passed under President Bill Clinton in 1994.

3
As with ESEA, funding was tied to legislation and was provided to states for submitting
standards-based reform plans on a voluntary basis.
The year 2001 brought new legislation— NCLB, which overwrote Goals 2000
and built upon ESEA and Title I funding. Because federal spending had not yielded
improvements in student outcomes, NCLB was designed to shift the focus to
accountability, therefore ensuring that “states were spending federal funds efficiently by
requiring states to set performance standards for students, monitoring schools to make
sure they meet those standards, and sanctioning them if they do not” (Kanter & Lowe,
2006, p. 480). In order to hold schools accountable for all students, NCLB requires
testing, reporting, and mastery of standards for students by subgroup as well as by the
school site overall. Failure to do so also results in sanctions. The rhetoric of No Child
Left Behind sought to reflect the belief that all children, regardless of race, ethnicity,
gender, or socioeconomic status could achieve standards, though the debate continues
about the actual consequences and impact it has had on educational equity for low-
income students (Kanter & Lowe, 2006, p. 483).
In order to comply with the policies of Goals 2000 and NCLB, states have
adopted standards-based comprehensive school reform to improve student achievement.
The current educational policy, NCLB, requires all states to “develop and implement a
statewide accountability system that will be effective in ensuring that all local educational
agencies, public elementary schools and public secondary schools make adequate yearly
progress”(U.S. Department of Education [DOE], 2002). Yearly progress is measured
with standards-based state assessments. Each state adopts its own standards and sets the
4
ranges for proficiency. Adequate yearly progress (AYP) is calculated for a school and a
district by factoring student performance on standards-based assessments, percentage of
student participation, and school progress over time. In order to meet AYP, districts and
schools must show continuous growth for all students, as well as for students by
subgroup. Subgroups include race/ethnicity, low socioeconomic status, students with
disabilities, and English Language Learners (ELLs). Failure to show progress and
proficiency means that schools and districts do not meet AYP. In this way NCLB holds
schools and districts accountable for student achievement.
In addition to AYP, schools have an academic performance index (API) for which
they must also show progress. API is “single number ranging from 200 to 1000” that is
intended to measure academic performance and progress for students (California
Department of Education [DOE], 2008). Student performance is averaged and converted
to the API scale; then schools are given performance scores for the most recent testing
and growth targets on the API scale for the following academic year (California DOE,
2008).
High academic student performance requires highly qualified teachers. Title II
provides federal monies to increase student achievement by ensuring that all teachers
receive high quality professional development. “[H]igh-quality professional
development” meets the criteria of professional development in Title IX of ESEA.
Professional development includes, but is not limited to, activities that:
improve and increase teachers’ knowledge of academic subjects and enable
teachers to become highly qualified;
5

are an integral part of broad schoolwide and districtwide educational
improvement plans;
give teachers and principals the knowledge and skills to help students meet
challenging state academic standards;
improve classroom management skills;
are sustained, intensive, and classroom-focused and are not one-day or short-term
workshops;
advance teacher understanding of effective instruction strategies that derive from
scientifically based research; and
are developed with the extensive participation of teachers, principals, parents, and
administrators. (U.S. DOE, 2006b)
Prior to NCLB, this funding existed under the Eisenhower Professional
Development program and class-size reduction programs (U.S. DOE, 2006b). The
Eisenhower Professional Development program focused on mathematics and science
development for teachers. Though math and science remain a high priority, Title II, Part
A has broadened the scope to cover all academic areas, including auxiliary areas such as
classroom management. Funding is provided to state local agencies (SEAs), state
agencies of higher education (SAEH), and local educational agencies (LEAs) through a
formula, leaving them to decide the types of professional development that need
pursuing.
6
However, in following these federal and state mandates, schools are addressing
the demand for content knowledge based on state-adopted standards of learning at the
expense of training teachers to prepare students to participate in the 21
st
Century job
market. With information computer technologies (ICT), the global economy, and the
general body of knowledge changing at such a rapid pace, the current educational model
of teaching to a limited set of standards fails to prepare students for societal and
professional participation (Dede, 2007). Just how quickly is knowledge accruing and
evolving? According to Ian Jukes (2008), “By the year 2025, it is predicted the world’s
body of knowledge will double every 35 days” (p. 5). The current educational testing
model, standards, and the polices that drive them do not emphasize the innovation,
flexibility, and problem-solving that will be required to keep up with these rapid changes.
This situation has led business leaders to call for teaching that will help keep their
companies and American workers stay competitive. These skills have been coined “21
st

Century skills,” and encompass both funds of knowledge that will be necessary for
success in the work place and skills sets that will help individuals to work collaboratively
with others, to think critically, and to solve complex problems in an ever-changing
market. Greater discussion and a detailed description of the definition of 21
st
Century
skills will be explored in Chapter Two.

Statement of the Problem
School district leaders can no longer ignore the demands for 21
st
Century skills
that will prepare students for success in a global market; however, significant challenges
7
exist to integrating this form of education within the current educational model. State
and federal mandates require that students receive a standards-based education that is
linked to measurable outcomes and goals for student achievement. As a result, any
additional curriculum must support the standards or, at the very least, not compromise
student performance on high-stakes assessments. No Child Left Behind recognizes that
ongoing teacher learning is imperative to fostering student success and closing the
achievement gap, and consequently requires districts to provide teachers with high-
quality professional development that supports student learning.

Purpose of the Study
The purpose of this research study was to establish the relationship between forms
of professional development implementation at a single school organization and the
successful transfer of 21
st
Century skills, which supports student performance on the
standards-based achievement tests by meeting API and AYP. Districts, regardless of
population or economic status, were considered for this study; however, it was expected
that an issue of equity could have arisen during the course of this research for the selected
charter school organization.
Requiring professional development is an important step, but the legislation fails
to outline what constitutes effective professional development. Whereas some research
looks at what characteristics make professional development effective, little of it
addresses how professional development promotes teaching 21
st
Century skills. If 21
st

8
Century teaching is to be successfully integrated into the core curriculum, research must
provide a replicable model for other school districts and for the nation at large.
The research questions to be answered by this study are:
1. What structural elements are present in professional development on 21
st

Century skills provided to teachers and how is it evaluated for effectiveness?
2. Which 21
st
Century skills are included in the professional development and
how are/were these skills presented?
3. How are 21
st
Century skills implemented in the classroom and what effect
have these skills had on student achievement since they were first introduced?

Importance of the Study
Borko (2004) has postulated there are three different phases of research on teacher
professional development (see Table 1.1, below)
Table 1.1
Phases of Professional Development Research

Phase 1

Phase 2

Phase 3
examines evidence of
effective professional
development at a single
school site
examines implementation of
a single professional
development program at
multiple sites throughout a
district
compares multiple
professional development
programs that are taking
place at multiple different
sites (statewide or national)

9
This study will contribute to Phase 1 research, as it will focus on the implementation of
21
st
Century skills at two school sites in one charter school organization; as such, this
study seeks to redress the dearth of research in this developing area.
Because of the current demand for 21
st
Century skills, the results of this study will
impact many key stakeholders. First and foremost, this research will provide a model for
successfully implementing 21
st
Century skills instruction through teacher professional
development, which can be used by policymakers, superintendents, administrators, and
other school leaders to enact change in their districts. As a result, policymakers should
explicitly state and subsequently require effective professional development for teachers
in order to promote the transfer of these important skills. Secondly, teacher educators
responsible for disseminating professional development will have additional research
supporting effective professional development, specifically as it pertains to 21
st
Century
skills. Given that this research study will use a sociocultural lens, results should further
highlight the value of formulating collaborative learning experiences for teachers to
support transfer into the classroom. Thirdly, teachers and students will be impacted by
the results of this study, which should inform the way that professional development is
implemented. Ultimately, by using a successful model for 21
st
Century skills,
professional development, teacher learning, and transfer to practice should improve,
making room for 21
st
Century skills education in the classroom and in the curriculum. By
implementing a successful model for teaching these skills at school districts across the
nation, educators can begin to meet the demands of the business community and the 21
st

Century, truly preparing students for civic, economic, and global participation.
10

Limitations
Several factors limit this study:
• All faculty members had the opportunity to participate in the interview,
however, some declined.
• Classified staff members or community members, including parents, were not
interviewed.
• The number of interviews conducted was limited due to the number of
teachers at the site, as well as to the need to keep the study manageable.
• The study was completed in a limited time frame at two sites in a single
charter school organization.

Definitions
Academic Performance Index (API)- used in addition to AYP, is a number ranging from
200-1000 that summarizes a school’s or local educational agency’s performance based on
student results on statewide assessments. (California Department of Education, 2004)
Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP)- though defined differently for each state, AYP is an
established goal for student performance on standards-based assessments based on
overall performance and performance for student subgroups. The score is adjusted each
year to make consistent progress towards the federal goal of 100% proficiency by the
year 2014, as outlined in No Child Left Behind. AYP is a federally mandated measure of
accountability for schools and districts.
11
Collaboration- the practice of teachers working together to solve problems or address
student needs.
No Child Left Behind (NCLB)- current federal education policy requiring schools and
districts to meet quantifiable goals for student achievement based on overall performance
and for subgroups to ensure that all students achieve state level standards.
Professional Learning Communities (PLC)- a group of educators who “continuously seek
and share learning, and act on their learning” (Hord, 1997, p. 6).
Standards- a written list of knowledge and skills students are to acquire in a given school
year. These exist for grades kindergarten through 12
th
grade.
Subgroup- a category of students that is based on ethnicity, socioeconomic status, Special
Education, and English Language proficiency.
Teaching to the test- when teachers focus on test preparation and test-taking strategies
rather than teaching subject-matter content.

12
Chapter Two
Review of the Literature
Don't limit a child to your own learning, for he was born in another time.
--Unknown
Introduction
As the 21
st
Century approached, interested parties could tell that the way schools
were preparing students for the workforce was insufficient for the demands of the labor
market. New technologies and global economies had changed the skills that were
necessary for individuals to remain competitive. The American educational system has
been slow to change, but organizations are beginning to realize the urgency of this issue
as jobs are being outsourced and schools are failing on achievement tests at alarming
rates. One of the ways schools can change practices and pedagogy is through
professional development; however, not all professional development results in changes
in practice. This literature review explored the 21
st
Century skills that researchers deem
critical for student success and the ways professional development should be structured to
impart learning that leads to changes in teaching practices and increases in student
outcomes.

21
st
Century Skills
Introduction: Origins of a Movement
Though great emphasis is currently placed on accountability and standards-based
assessments, the demands of the labor market and a global economy require more from
13
students than these assessments and standards provide. Indeed, competencies for the
21
st
Century go beyond fact-driven learning to comprise technological competency,
communication and observational skills, analytic reasoning, and overall adaptability
(Schoen & Fusarelli, 2008). According to U.S. Under Secretary of Commerce for
Technology, Phillip Bond, only in the last 10 years has this nation begun to realize that
“technology was the driving force in the economy,” which has in turn led to an
“information technology revolution” requiring education for all members of society if we
as a nation are to remain competitive (Partnership for 21
st
Century Skills [P21], n.d., p.
10). Federal education officials and official NCLB publications make direct reference to
“meeting the challenge of a changing world” by “strengthening high schools for the 21
st

century” and ensuring that students have “practical problem solving skills” (Spellings,
2007; United States Department of Education [USDOE], 2006). However, NCLB’s
standards-based accountability movement sits in direct opposition to the reform for which
education and business leaders are calling. Wagner (2008) suggests that this divide
between what schools are teaching and what is required for active societal participation in
a changing world has created a “global achievement gap” that is leaving students
unprepared for the 21
st
Century.
Whereas the demand for these skills stems primarily from the private sector and
political entities, education systems have their own concerns about student competencies.
Universities complain that high school entrants are ill-prepared for the demands of
college, especially in written expression (Haycock, 1999; Wagner, 2008). High schools
lament that elementary and middle school students have been inadequately prepared
students for the “rigor” of high school, making higher level classes inaccessible to most
14
students. Rigor is traditionally thought of in terms of mastery of academic content,
though this definition no longer works in the context of the “information technology
revolution” we are currently experiencing (Wagner, 2008, p. 110). The 21
st
Century
movement seeks to “fundamentally restructure classroom learning experiences” by
exposing students to more “authentic” activities that allow for collaborative inquiry rather
than teaching skills and standards in the absence of application and context (Huber &
Breen, 2007; Newmann & Wehlage, 1995; Schoen & Fusarelli, 2008). School leaders
are trying simultaneously to meet the calls for innovation and critical thinking and to rise
to all state and federal accountability measures (Schoen & Fusarelli, 2008, p. 183).
However, the aims of the two reform movements are in tension. NCLB requires that
students graduate with a basic skills set, yet these skills do not qualify them to participate
in a society that needs innovation and flexible thinking. Before understanding the
implications of this dual expectation of students, researchers must first arrive at a clear
definition of 21
st
Century skills. The next section synthesizes the current understandings
and definitions of 21
st
Century skills that served to create the conceptual framework for
this dissertation.

Synthesis of Skills
Partnership for 21
st
Century Skills is an organization founded in 2002 in
partnership with the U.S. Department of Education and various businesses such as
Microsoft and the National Education Association. Since that time, they have come to be
one of the preeminent leaders of 21
st
Century skills education. The organization has
outlined the following competencies:
15
* information and communication skills (information and media literacy skills;
communication skills)
* thinking and problem-solving (critical thinking and systems thinking; problem
identification, formulation and solution; creativity and intellectual curiosity)
* interpersonal and self-direction skills (interpersonal and collaborative skills;
self-direction; accountability and adaptability; social responsibility)
* global awareness
* financial, economic and business literacy, and developing entrepreneurial skills
to enhance workplace productivity and career options
* civic literacy (Partnership for 21
st
Century Skills, 2004)

These skills do not exist in isolation, however. The Partnership for 21
st
Century Skills
defines the content knowledge, skills, and themes necessary for 21
st
Century education
and presents them in a framework to understand the context and the components required
for implementation into school curriculum (See Figure 2.1, below)
16
Figure 2.1
Conceptual Framework for 21
st
Century Skills by the Partnership for 21
st
Century Skills

(Partnership for 21
st
Century Skills, 2004; Vockley, 2007, p. 4)

What becomes evident from this framework is that 21
st
Century skills are not just
a limited set of competencies designed for greater performance in the workforce post K-
16 education. These skills encapsulate life and learning skills to improve not only
academic performance, but also civic participation within the context of a technologically
advanced world. Notably, this conceptual framework articulates what all students must
be taught, providing points of references to teachers, administrators, and policymakers
about what they must consider, create, and provide. The framework includes learning
environments, professional development, curriculum and instruction, and standards and
assessments.

17
Dede (2007) has proposed that 21
st
Century skills are neither skills nor
knowledge alone; rather, these “skills” represent understandings and performances. An
understanding occurs when a student interweaves and comprehends content knowledge
and process skills. For example, an understanding takes place when a student knows the
mathematical algorithm for solving the area of a triangle and knows situations in which to
apply that knowledge. This application is a “complex mixture of knowledge and skills”
(Dede, 2007, p. 4). Performance, on the other hand, is “how students actualize this
knowledge” (Dede, 2007, p. 4), such as using a series of mathematical algorithms and
shared problem-solving to address greater, more complex problems than simply finding
the area of a triangle. Dede (2007) has argued that education must shift away from the
emphasis on “fluency in simple procedures” toward focus on “mastering complex mental
performance” in the context of the workplace and society (p. 9).
Dede (2007) has also articulated the skills or understandings desired by the private
sector: A 21st Century worker will need knowledge of math and science, fluency in and
ability to apply information computer technology (ICT), creativity, complex problem-
solving capacities, and the ability and willingness to engage in lifelong learning to stay
competitive with changing demands and technologies (Dede, 2007). However, the
business sector cannot be the sole driving force in educational reform. They are
concerned with the development of employees, whereas according to Dede, this country
also needs “entrepreneurs and leaders” (2006). Performances, the opportunities students
need to demonstrate mastery of their understandings and become leaders, include
individual and collective skills in problem-finding, inquiry, expert decision-making,
18
verbal and nonverbal complex communication experiences (collaboration), and use of
ICT tools, communicative media, and representations (Dede, 2007, p. 21). Much like the
Partnership for 21
st
Century Skills, this model has married the idea of knowledge and
skills, educational goals and lifelong skill formation.
In The Global Achievement Gap Wagner (2008) presents seven survival skills that
he believes should serve as the framework for 21
st
Century skills; they are (a) critical
thinking and problem-solving, (b) collaboration across networks and leading by
influence, (c) agility and adaptability, (d) initiative and entrepreneurialism, (e) effective
oral and written communication, (f) ability to access and analyze information, and (g)
curiosity and imagination. Unlike the Partnership for 21
st
Century Skills, which sections
skills off into domains, Wagner outlines the core skills at play in much of the research on
21
st
Century skills. Wagner’s work synthesizes the existing literature on 21
st
Century
skills and the input of community leaders, educators, business professionals, and political
officials. As such, the thematic group of which this researcher was a member, decided to
use Wagner’s work as one framework for 21
st
Century skills.

Conclusion
Many commonalities emerge among the definitions for 21
st
Century skills
articulated by Partnership for 21
st
Century Skills (2004), Wagner (2008), and Dede
(2007). Each envisions a model that incorporates both knowledge and skills, with an
emphasis on problem-solving, collaboration, communication, and entrepreneurship.
Twenty-first Century skills stand in contrast to the standards-based assessment and
19
accountability movement and require a shift toward teaching students how to think, as
opposed to teaching them to focus on a limited number of decontextualized standards.
For the purposes of this dissertation, Wagner’s (2008) set of 21
st
Century skills will
serve as the framework. Dede’s (2007) performances (individual and collective skills in
problem finding, inquiry, expert decision-making, verbal and nonverbal complex
communication experiences, and use of ICT tools, communicative media, and
representations) will serve as examples of Wagner’s (2008) skills to understand and
interpret observations made at the school sites during the research study.
20
Table 2.1
Conceptual Framework of 21
st
Century Skills*
21
st
Century Skills Performances of 21
st
Century Skills
Wagner (2008) Dede (2007)
Critical thinking and problem- solving Individual and collective problem finding
Collaboration across networks and
leading by influence
Verbal and nonverbal communication
Agility and adaptability Individual and collective problem finding
Initiative and entrepreneurialism Use of ICT tools, communicative media, and representations
Effective oral and written
communication
Individual and collective problem finding
Verbal and nonverbal communication
Accessing and analyzing information Inquiry
Use of ICT tools, communicative media, and representations
Curiosity and imagination Inquiry
Individual and collective problem finding
Note. *for the purposes of this dissertation

Professional Development
Definition of Professional Development
Educational researchers have singled out professional development (PD) as an
essential component of educational reform. Incidentally, varying definitions exist about
what constitutes PD. Historically, PD has consisted of externally provided formal
learning experiences designed to inform, change, or improve teacher practice. Recent
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definitions of professional development have moved to include “job-embedded
learning opportunit[ies] for professional learning” (Rosemary, Roskos, & Landreth, 2007,
p. 7). Killion (2002) defines professional development specifically for teachers as
“practical learning opportunities” to improve teacher practice (p. 18). Wei, Darling-
Hammond, Andree, Richardson, and Orphanos (2009) have argued for professional
development that includes both the externally provided and the job-embedded learning
experiences. An idea is emerging that professional development should be part of an
ongoing learning process over the course of a teacher’s career, rather than a one-time
learning experience (Borko, 2004). For the purposes of this dissertation, professional
development will be defined as any formal or job-embedded learning experience
designed to change or improve teacher practice.
A host of PD experiences fall under the professional development umbrella.
Professional development divides into two main categories— traditional and reform.
Traditional forms of professional development are workshops, university courses,
observations, and conferences (Desimone, Porter, Garet, Yoon, & Birman, 2002; Porter,
Garet, Desimone, Yoon, & Birman, 2000; Wei et al., 2009). Typically, PD is a formal
one-time learning experience that is externally provided to teachers in settings away from
the school site. Reform examples of professional development usually cover
collaborative learning experiences that are job-embedded and require active teacher
learning and collective participation (Porter et al., 2000; Sparks, 2002, p. 13). Reform
examples include study groups, lesson study, peer observations, collegial planning and
working, professional learning communities, mentoring/coaching, and networks
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(Desimone et al., 2002; Wei, 2009), and are referred to as “reform” because of the way
in which they change the traditional, isolated, cellular model of teaching (Collinson &
Cook, 2004; Gallimore & Goldenberg, 2001).
Key Features of Effective Professional Development
Research has led to the identification of six key features of professional
development, three of which are considered “structural” and three of which are
considered “core features” (Desimone et al., 2002; Garet, Porter, Desimone, Birman, &
Yoon, 2001). The “structural” features are reform type, duration, and collective
participation and are detailed in Table 2.2, below.
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Table 2.2
Definitions & Examples of Structural Features of Professional Development

Structural Features

Definition

Examples
Reform Refers to how the activity is organized. “Study group, teacher
network, mentoring
relationship, committee or
task force, internship,
individual research project,
or teacher research center”
(Desimone et al., 2002, p.
83; Sparks, 2002).
Duration Amount of time a participant spends in
the actual activity and the overarching
span of time (Borko, 2004; Desimone
et al., 2002; Porter et al., 2000).

Amount of time spent in a
single day of professional
development as well as the
number of sessions presented
over an extended period of
time.

Collective participation When educators work together towards
a common goal or for a given task.
Groups may include “teacher
groups from the same
school, department or grade-
level, rather than from
individual teachers of many
schools” (Desimone et al.,
2002).
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Table 2.2 summarizes the three structural features of effective professional
development, including examples of what effective PD looks like.
The substantive activity— or ways in which the learning activity offers
opportunities for substantive activity— is the “core feature” of professional development
(Porter et al., 2000). These activities include active learning, coherence, and content
focus.
 Active learning is the opportunity for teachers to be actively engaged in the
learning activity in a meaningful way.
 The degree to which the learning activity provides coherence requires the
incorporation of teachers’ experiences and goals that are aligned to standards and
assessment while encouraging teachers to engage in continuing professional
dialogue (Desimone et al., 2002, p. 83).
 Content focus is the extent to which the learning activity focuses on “improving
and deepening teachers’ content knowledge” (Desimone et al., 2002, p. 83).
Through the course of this research study, I will look for evidence of these six key
features of effective professional development; however, among the studies discussed in
the next section, some did not use the six key features of effective professional
development. Their findings are still significant for the understanding of what makes
effective professional development and what organizational features must be in place to
ensure PD effectiveness.

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What is Working with Professional Development: Review of the Research
A great deal of research has been conducted on the effectiveness of various
professional development programs designed for different curriculum areas (i.e., math,
science, and literacy), Special Education, and English Language Learners. This section
will cover a cross-section of research from these different areas to highlight the
commonalities of what makes professional development effective.
The Department of Education commissioned a report published in 2000 on the
impact that Eisenhower-assisted professional development has had on mathematics and
science instruction. For the purposes of defining context, the Eisenhower Professional
Development Program falls under Title II of the Elementary and Secondary Education
Act of 1965 (ESEA). Title II of ESEA provides federal monies to “support professional
learning experiences for teachers” that will enhance their teaching and ultimately
improve student learning (Porter et al., 2000, p. 1). Researchers conducted a three-year
longitudinal, pre-post test design study measuring professional development programs
funded by this government program along six features of effective professional
development: reform versus traditional PD, contact hours, time span, collective
participation, active learning, and coherence (Porter et al., 2000).
The study revealed some important findings. First, reform types of professional
development are more likely transfer to everyday teacher practices. Second, PD focused
on higher order thinking skills increases the usage of those strategies in the classroom,
regardless of a teacher’s prior usage or exposure to the same content (Porter et al., 2000).
This finding has profound implications for the way professional development is
26
administered. Traditional forms of PD, with their emphasis on content knowledge over
understanding, are not effective means of imparting new knowledge to teachers.
Furthermore, if the PD stresses higher-order thinking and is a reform type, the positive
impact on learning transfers to teacher practices and student learning is even greater
(Porter et al., 2000). Finally, Porter et al. (2000) reported that professional development
does not remain consistent over time across all features of effective professional
development. “Structural” features—reform versus traditional, contact hours, and time
span—had less consistency over time than the “core” features of professional
development—collective participation, active learning, and coherence (Porter et al.,
2000).
Klingner (2004) revisited schools that had taken part in professional development
created by Klingner and associates to determine what aspects of the PD continued and
what factors supported its sustainability. The professional development provided
instruction on literacy programs to support students with learning disabilities. Three
years later, Klingner (2004) found factors that had enhanced and impeded the sustained
use of the practices teachers had learned in the PD. Support networks, administrative
support, student benefits, student acceptance, flexibility of practice, and readily available
materials were all found to enhance teachers’ sustained use of the practices. Some of
these enhancing features are analogous to the findings reported by Porter et al. (2000).
Support networks fall under the reform type of professional development, whereas
student benefits and student acceptance are part of the coherence of the PD with respect
to alignment to the standards for students. High-stakes testing, content coverage, time
27
constraints, mismatch between teacher’s style/personality and instructional practice,
and forgetting were deemed to be the main factors impeding the sustained use of
practices.
The study also revealed conditions that make professional development most
effective. First, researchers or teacher educators work closely with the districts to ensure
all stakeholders are clear on the purpose (Klingner, 2004). Second, student achievement
data is readily available and shows evidence that the practice is working. This evidence
motivates teachers to continue using the practices. Third, administrative support must be
evident, rather than relying upon a grassroots movement to lead to change within the
organization. Fourth, ongoing support, through demonstrations and coaching, must be
provided to teachers as they implement the practices learned in the professional
development. The final condition that makes professional development most effective,
according to Klingner (2004), is teacher ownership over PD practices and mentoring
other teachers through this process.
The final study that will be discussed in this section is the work of Garet et al.
(2001). Using a national sample of teachers on the Eisenhower mathematics and science
professional development program, Garet and colleagues ran a multiple regression
analysis on the key features of effective professional development and teacher outcomes.
The features used for this study are the same as those in the Porter et al. (2001) study:
reform versus traditional PD, contact hours, time span, collective participation, active
learning, and coherence (Garet et al., 2001).
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This study did contribute some new findings to the literature on PD
effectiveness and teacher outcomes. Type of professional development, reform versus
traditional, did not show significant differences in terms of teacher outcomes. What
made reform and traditional PD equally effective is the duration of the PD, collective
participation, and coherence (Garet et al., 2001). Notably, the reform types of PD tend to
lend themselves to these three features moreso than traditional forms; however, this
finding should help teacher educators, researchers, and districts make traditional forms of
PD more effective, as they are the most commonly used form of PD for teachers (Parsad,
Lewis, & Farris, 2001).
A less unexpected finding was that continuous and intensive PD was more
effective than PD with short durations, allowing the inference that teachers, like students,
require ongoing support to fully acquire new knowledge and to incorporate it into daily
practice (Garet et al., 2001). In other words, coherence is a key factor in professional
development effectiveness, as seen also with PD that affords opportunities for “hands-on”
learning and “integration into the daily life of the school” (Garet et al., 2001). Finally,
collective learning experiences, such as professional learning communities, networks, or
grade-level groupings, further support why active participation and coherence are
necessary for effective PD.
What Characteristics of Professional Development Best Support Student
Achievement
Though significant research exists on what makes professional development
effective, little of it addresses the statistically significant relationship between PD and
29
student achievement. Yoon, Duncan, Lee, Scarloss, and Shapley (2007) present a
model for how professional development affects student achievement. (See Figure 2.2,
below)
Figure 2.2
Conceptual Framework for How Professional Development Affects Student Achievement

Effectiveness has primarily been determined based on teacher self-reports of knowledge
and skill and evidence of strategies being taught in the classroom. What is clear from
Yoon et al’s (2007) model is that student achievement is the last step in determining the
impact, and ultimately the effectiveness, of PD. Thus, drawing a direct line of causality
from professional development to student achievement remains difficult. Information has
to filter through the teacher and transcend the challenges of meaningful integration into
daily classroom teaching before it even has the opportunity to impact student learning.
Whereas the literature is limited on professional development’s impact on student
achievement, some meaningful research sheds light on what types of PD translate into
student achievement gains. Yoon and colleagues (2007) arrived at their model in Figure
30
2.2 through their review of the research on the relationship between teacher
professional development and student achievement. Nine studies were chosen to be the
central focus of the review because they had the most rigorous research designs and
standards for research. In these nine studies, ranging in years from 1986 to 2003, Yoon
et al. (2007) uncovered a few key findings. In the 20 effects that were being measured in
the nine studies, 18 showed a positive effect on student achievement. Though most of
these effects were not strong enough to show a causal relationship between PD and
student achievement, the effects were either statistically significant or substantial enough
to mention. Another key finding was that “teachers who receive substantial professional
development—an average of 49 hours in the nine studies—can boost their students’
achievement by about 21 percentile points” (Yoon et al., 2007, p. 1). This finding
supports the research on effective PD, as duration has been found to be one of the key
structural features of effective PD (Desimone et al., 2002; Garet et al., 2001), and evinces
what aspects in particular translate into improved student achievement.
WestEd (2000), a nonprofit educational organization, reported on eight schools that
were honored by the National Awards Program for Model Professional Development.
These schools increased student achievement by implementing highly effective
professional development models. Commonalities were found across all eight schools
that included the perspective of reform leaders and teachers (WestEd, 2000). Among
them:
• clear, agreed-upon student achievement goals to focus and shape teacher learning;
• expanded array of professional development opportunities;
• embedded ongoing, informal learning in the school culture;
31
• highly collaborative school environment where working together to solve
problems and to learn from each other become cultural norms;
• sites found and used the time to allow teacher learning to happen;
• consistent checking of a broad range of student performance data.
All of the schools saw significant gains in closing the achievement gap based on race,
ethnicity, native language, and gender (WestEd, 2000). Notably, many of these schools
implemented professional development with collaborative models, such as mentoring,
professional learning communities, and coaching, whereas the subject of the PDs focused
primarily on problem-solving and literacy.
Wei et al. (2009), on behalf of the National Staff Development Council and the
School Redesign Network at Stanford University, decided to compare professional
development in the United States to that of high-performing nations. Among high-
performing countries, some common features arose in their approaches to professional
development:
• extensive opportunities for both formal and informal in-service development;
• time for professional learning and collaboration built into teachers’ work hours;
• professional development activities embedded in teachers’ contexts and ongoing
over a period of time;
• school governance structures supportive of teacher involvement in decisions
regarding curriculum and instructional practice;
• teacher induction programs for new teachers with release time for new teachers
and mentor teachers, and formal training for mentors. (Wei et al., 2007)
Again, causality could not be determined from these findings; however, the fact that these
features appeared in all of these nations and that research supports their effectiveness
32
suggests that PD opportunities for teachers do, in fact, impact student achievement
(Wei et al., 2007). These findings overlap with what WestEd (2000) found to be
common features at eight highly effective schools in the US in terms of expansive
opportunities for PD: informal and formal PD opportunities, time in which to conduct
PD, and a school culture that supports continued teacher development.
Ultimately, all of this research reasserts the link between professional development
and student achievement. Studies finding that teacher PD bears statistically significant
effects on student achievement share some important commonalities: collaboration,
ongoing formal and informal professional development, and time in which to conduct
PD. All of these factors reflect a culture and organization that support teacher
professional development and align with the research that exists on what makes PD
effective. Such findings give promise that PD can have a direct impact on student
achievement, thus driving the need for further research to determine the exact
relationship between the two.
Evaluation of Professional Development and Continuing Research Needs
As mentioned in the Chapter One, different phases exist in professional
development research (Borko, 2004). Phase 1 research’s central focus is to find evidence
of the positive impact of teacher learning through professional development programs.
The programs in this phase tend to be small and relatively “labor intensive” (Borko,
2004), as was the case with Klinger (2004). Phase 2 research examines well-specified
professional development programs, which are clearly defined in multiple settings and
taught by multiple facilitators to measure program effectiveness. Research by Porter et
al. (2000), Garet et al. (2001), and Desimone et al. (2002) focused on the Eisenhower
Professional Development Program, a national and federally funded program, and its
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effectiveness. The use of a national sample gave strong validity to the studies,
revealing central areas of strength and need within the program. In terms of scope, these
studies fall under Phase 2 research; however, the program fails to clearly define what
types of professional development should be implemented, the “academic tasks and
instructional materials,” “descriptions of facilitator roles,” and “teacher outcome
measures” (Borko, 2004, p. 10). In this respect, these bodies of research align more
closely with Phase 1 research.
Phase 3 research, which has no known research to date, examines multiple
effective professional development programs. The scope of this research would be on a
national level and would look to capture “comparative information about the
implementation, effects, and resource requirements of well-defined professional
development programs” (Borko, 2004, p. 11). This phase requires Phase 1 and Phase 2
research to compare multiple programs in place at multiple sites. Such research provides
critical information to policymakers and key stakeholders, enabling them to make
informed decisions about which programs to fund and how to implement them in ways
that improve teacher and student outcomes. While Phase 3 research is needed, such an
expansive look at programs will not be possible for the purposes of this dissertation.
Examining program effectiveness (Phase 1) is possible, thus contributing to a much-
needed area of research. However, to assess fully the professional development’s
effectiveness, Phase 2 research will have to be conducted at a later time to examine
overall implementation cohesiveness across sites within a district.
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In order to conduct research in Phase 1, the researcher will use Killion’s (2002)
eight steps to program evaluation. The steps are (a) assess evaluability (i.e., Is the
program clearly defined and supported by theory?), (b) formulate evaluation questions,
(c) construct the evaluation framework, (d) collect data, (e) organize and analyze data, (f)
interpret data, (g) disseminate findings, and (h) evaluate the evaluation (i.e., What
evidence will be given of the evaluation’s validity?) (Killion, 2002).

Conclusion
This review of the literature provides a holistic view of what makes professional
development effective. Overall, research on effective professional development
concludes that reform versus traditional PD, contact hours, time span, collective
participation, active learning, and coherence are key factors (Desimone et al., 2002; Garet
et al., 2001; Porter et al., 2000). Research that does not mention these exact factors
highlights the organizational features that support the effective transfer of learning
through professional development. These organizational features include administrative
support, clear objectives shared among all stakeholders in the process, adequate access to
resources, and continued support to facilitate the implementation of new practice into
daily teaching (Klingner, 2004; Wei, 2009). Yet, the goal of professional development is
to impact student achievement, and unfortunately, research has yet to show a causal
relationship between professional development and student achievement. Even with the
limited amount of statistically significant research, a relationship does appear; however,
continued research is needed to understand to the strength of that relationship.
35
The work of Borko (2004) and Killion (2002) provided clear frameworks for
how to assess the professional development programs of the selected schools and districts
in terms of content, organizational structures, and continuity across school sites. Still, the
research fails to show models of professional development programs that have been
implemented at multiple sites within a single district or state. Such research remains
necessary if there is to be integration of 21
st
Century skills in schools across the nation.

Teacher Collaboration and Its Impact on Teacher Learning and Transfer
Collaboration and Its Relation to Teacher Learning
A number of ideas exist about collaboration in educational settings. Collaboration
has been defined as a shared power relationship that facilitates support among colleagues
(Irwin & Farr, 2004); others explain that collaboration is meant to support professional
autonomy and celebrate the diversity of the participants in a group (Henderson, 1996).
Clearly collaboration functions on the basis of equal roles and requires some element of
problem-solving aimed at a common goal (Irwin & Farr, 2004). Such a goal marks a
shift away from the traditional structures of the teaching, toward a more inclusive,
dynamic model that allows teachers to move away from autonomous, isolated positions.
Because this shift in the model of teacher interaction may lead to assumptions
about learning acquisition, teacher learning should be more clearly defined. Kelly (2006)
has defined teacher learning as the movement from a novice state to an expert state. This
definition assumes that teacher learning constitutes the acquisition of knowledge or skills.
Paavola, Lipponen, and Hakkarainen (2004) describe teacher learning in much the same
36
way—as a movement from the periphery to a more centralized place in the teaching
community based on the knowledge they now possess. Notably, researcher and theorist
definitions resemble the views that teachers hold about what constitutes learning. For
example, Collinson and Cook (2003) summarize that learning, according to teachers, is
the process of gaining knowledge through personal experience. Learning tends to be
pragmatic, as teachers tend to weigh the cost to benefit ratio. Cognitive psychologists
define learning as a long-term change in knowledge or “mental representations” based on
experiences (Ormrod, 2008). Cobb and Yackel (1996), following the sociocultural vein,
suggest that learning takes place within an individual through a constructive process of
meaning-making while “participating in and contributing to the practices of the local
community” (Packer & Goicoechea, 2000, p. 230). These varying definitions make clear
that teachers see learning as a melding of perspectives: cognitive psychology and the
sociocultural perspective of learning, the individual’s active participation in the
acquisition of knowledge and the role context plays in shaping those changes in “mental
representations.”
Collaboration has given way to varying ideas about how to structure such
opportunities for teacher interactions. Regular education and special education, grade-
level teams, business and school-site partnerships are all collaboration types that take
place in schools to generate dialogue that addresses student needs (Pounder, 1998). In
recent years a preferred choice for collaboration has been the professional learning
community (PLC). Professional learning communities, as they relate to education, are
defined as a group of educators who “continuously seek and share learning, and act on
37
their learning” (Hord, 1997, p. 6). The goal is to make educators more effective
through “continuous inquiry and improvement” (Hord, 1997, p. 6), which means they
must act upon data (Bullough & Kridel, 2007, p. 168). The process of developing
professional learning communities is what Fullan (2000) has called “reculturing”:
movement from a “situation of limited attention, to assessment and pedagogy, to one
where teachers and others routinely focus on these matters and make associated
improvements” (Fullan, 2000, p. 582). In other words, reculturation is “how to change
norms, behaviors, language, expectations, and modes of interaction among the people
who work in school” (Gallimore & Goldenberg, 2001, p. 46). Through this process of
reculturation, teachers gain “cognitive tools—ideas, theories, and concepts” that they can
“appropriate as their own through their personal efforts to make sense of experiences”
(Putnam & Borko, 2000, p. 5).
As a result, the level of collaboration that takes place in professional learning
communities reflects the most complex level of teacher learning within the context of a
community and is known as knowledge-of-practice (Cochran-Smith & Lytle, 1999).
Cochran-Smith and Lytle characterize knowledge-of-practice as the joining of formal
knowledge of teaching pedagogy and theory with the experiential learning that takes
place in the classroom. Knowledge-of-practice stretches the learning of the teacher across
the life span of his or her career by consistently calling their practice into question for the
purposes of seeking out new knowledge to address areas of need (Cochran-Smith &
Lytle, 1999). Inevitably, this knowledge lies within the individual teacher or among the
colleagues with whom a teacher collaborates.
38
Individual participation and participation within the context of a group are
essential to any form of collaboration (Kelly, 2006). According to sociocultural theory,
learning takes place within a social context that mediates the experiences of an individual
(Packer & Goicoechea, 2000). Learning is about marking a shift in the acquisition of
knowledge; however, the learner is not passive in this process, but rather quite active as
he or she attempts to understand the experience. Teachers learn in multiple contexts, all
requiring active participation. Such contexts include the classroom, school communities,
and professional development courses, each impacting the teacher learner in distinctly
different ways (Borko, 2004). What the learner contributes to the group affects other
learners’ interpretations of the learning experience and ultimately the context as a whole
(Paavola et al., 2004). For this reason collaboration requires individual participation
from all members to support the acquisition of knowledge through coconstructed
learning.
Impact of Collaboration: A Review of the Research
Irwin and Farr (2004) conducted a qualitative study at a school site using a
collaboration model. Through interviews, they were able to examine teacher experiences
in a collaborative school community. They followed up eight years later to determine if
the collaborative school community was still in place. Initial interviews revealed that the
teachers held a strong sense of having a “support group,” members from whom they
could draw upon a wide variety of experiences and strengths to facilitate problem-solving
and thus meet the needs of students (Irwin & Farr, 2004). Teachers reported that all
group members were actively participating in the collaboration process, and when a
39
group member would fail to participate, group pressure compelled the teacher to leave
the grade-level (and the collaboration community) or to become more actively involved.
Due to their success with the collaboration communities, teachers initiated meetings and
continued to sustain groups independently; however, teachers noted that it was necessary
to have a principal who was supportive of meeting time.
Upon interviewing the teachers eight years later, the researchers found that a
change in leadership had caused a quick disintegration of the collaboration communities,
which led teachers to return to an autonomous and isolated place within the context of the
school. Furthermore, teachers reported an increased use of rote learning methods, whole
group instruction, and less individualization of teaching to meet student needs. This study
shows a clear picture of the impact collaboration had on teacher learning and,
consequently, on teaching practices. It also makes clear the power administrators have in
facilitating this process, though strict accountability measures do not have to be in place
to make these communities work, so long as teachers see the value in the process. The
success at the school site prior to the change in administration showed tremendous
support for the sociocultural theory of learning and the need for collaboration to ensure
the transfer of knowledge from professional development experiences to classroom
teaching. However, due to its small sample size, this study cannot be generalized across
a broad spectrum.
Yorks (2005), a professor at the Teacher’s College at Columbia University,
conducted a study on the impact of collaboration on adult learning, but did not conduct
this study with educators. His study examined the use of collaborative communities in
40
the context of U.S. Department of Veteran’s Affairs (VA). Nonetheless, this study has
important lessons for education. The purpose of this research study was to examine the
effect of an adult educator becoming a participant in a collaborative action inquiry.
Groups were formed on the basis of departments within the VA and focused on first
establishing what Yorks (2005) calls a social generative space. This space is analogous
to that created by a professional learning or a collaborative community insofar as it is a
forum in which to express ideas and share tacit knowledge. He recognized, like an
educational researcher, that knowledge is constructed in numerous social settings
characterized by greater social diversity and requires the learner to engage in order to
construct meaning. Ultimately this approach adds power to the collaborative inquiry
process as “each person’s mind reflects differently and personal knowing is always set
within a context of both cultural and experiential shared experience” (Yorks, 2005,
p.1220).
The study found that this model not only provided a space in which to engage in
meaningful discussion about issues that might not otherwise be addressed, but it also led
to sustainable outcomes for the individual and the organization as a whole. Individuals
experienced a decrease in stress and work anxiety, allowing them to do their jobs better
and to address difficult matters in the work place. Participants also reported greater
inclusion among their colleagues and a shared power relationship that diminished a sense
of hierarchy within the organization. Rewards for individuals ultimately help the
organization as a whole, as work becomes more efficient and organizational restructuring
empowers everyone to face new problems and challenges as they arise. Again, the
41
study’s central weakness is the sample size, which limits the ability to generalize to
other settings, thereby, reinforcing the need for research in Phase 2 of professional
development research so that results may be generalized across more settings.
Conley, Fauske, and Pounder (2004) conducted a small descriptive and
correlational study on teacher work group effectiveness. Using survey items, the
researchers investigated the aspects of teacher work groups that impacted student
learning and were meaningful for teachers. Teachers were surveyed on three different
variable categories: organizational context (i.e., training sought and task clarity), design
features of the work group (i.e., team autonomy and group norms), and interpersonal
processes (i.e., coordinating efforts and implementation of strategies). The characteristics
of effective work groups, in this case, the independent variables, were compared to the
aformentioned aspects of work groups. For the purposes of this particular section, the
focus will be on the interpersonal processes category.
The interpersonal process category includes the conditions and behaviors that
reflect the interplay among group members as they work together on a task. They include
coordinating efforts, weighting/balancing inputs, implementing and inventing
performance strategies, and an absence of negative performance strategies (Conley et al.,
2004). The study results were consistent with those in the previous two studies; the more
value teachers’ perceive the work group to have, the more effective they will perceive the
work group to be with respect to the interpersonal process category domains. Conley et
al. (2004) found that the collaborative invention of strategies among group members is a
significant positive predictor of group effectiveness, reinforcing the idea that true
42
collaboration and the coconstruction of knowledge produces meaningful gains for the
group and the individual teacher. Balancing inputs, an exogenous variable that measures
the extent to which all members are providing input, also had a strong impact on the
group’s effectiveness and changes in teacher learning. In conclusion, collaborative
grouping appears to impact teacher learning and effectiveness.
The research on teacher collaboration and teacher learning uses a sociocultural
theory of learning framework to examine the impact collaboration has on the construction
of knowledge for teachers. What researchers typically found was that collaboration did
in fact have a positive effect on teacher learning, with teachers citing that greater
collaboration led to more group and personal learning effectiveness. Notably,
longitudinal studies with large sample sizes of teachers are still needed. The research in
this section consisted of mostly small studies focused on three or fewer schools. Such
small samples make it hard to generalize findings to all settings. However, the
consistency of the findings suggests that a positive relationship between teacher
collaboration and teacher learning would likely be found in a larger study.

Theoretical Lens
In undertaking the literature review, the researcher noted the prevalence of a
sociocultural theory of learning. Sociocultural theory posits that learning and cognition
are “situated in social and cultural contexts within which individual actions take place”
(Rueda & Dembo, 1995, p.266). Specifically, the theory focuses on how culture forms
thoughts, feelings, actions, learning, and identity.
43
Whereas 21
st
Century skills emphasize essential cognitive competencies, such
as critical thinking and computer technology literacy, they are also firmly situated in a
global community, in which children are asked to interact with others to coconstruct
meaning, develop innovative ideas, and solve problems, all toward a common goal. In
fact, the skills themselves have largely been dictated by the contextual needs of the
United States business community. Along these lines, sociocultural theory is grounded in
“purposeful activity” that evolves over time given that contexts change over time (Packer
& Goicoechea, 2000). Providing students with 21
st
Century skills means teaching them
to address problems creatively and innovatively for the purpose of meeting future
needs—needs that will evolve in ways that the current generation perhaps cannot even
conceptualize.
As mentioned, the responsibility to develop these skills falls upon the shoulders of
educators; however, given what is known about effective professional development,
knowing what 21
st
Century skills are is not enough. The structural elements of effective
PD require collective participation and collaboration that, over an extended period of
time, emphasize teacher research and critical thinking (Desimone et al., 2002; Garet et
al., 2001). Given that there isn’t a formalized pedagogy for integrating these skills into
classroom practice, teacher collaboration and collective participation are critical
components of classroom implementation. As stated previously, the extent to which
teachers collaborate is an indicator of their ability to solve problems and transfer
knowledge to practice (Conley et al., 2004; Irwin & Farr, 2004; Paavola et al., 2004).
Therefore, sociocultural theory also serves as a key component of how professional
44
development must be structured to create meaningful teacher learning and transfer to
practice. Throughout the study, the researcher used sociocultural theory as a lens through
which to examine the organization, its professional development, and its conception of
21
st
Century skills.

Conclusion
Taking into consideration the myriad of definitions for 21
st
Century skills in the
literature, the researcher developed a conceptual framework in order to understand the
complexity of the skills and what they look like in implementation. This framework was
used to develop protocols for observation and document analysis. Much of the research
focused on effective practice, as defined by changes in behavior. Research on effective
professional development and teacher learning suggested that collaboration plays an
integral role in transforming practice. Collaboration, however, does not happen
spontaneously; rather, structure and support are needed in order for teachers to engage in
the practice in a meaningful way. Research conducted in this study will pay close
attention to the way collaboration and community are structured within the organization
to support the transfer of learning from professional development settings to classroom
practices.
Studies in the literature were typically conducted at a single school or small group
of schools. This dissertation will focus on two schools within a single charter school
organization to determine its methods and structures for professional development as a
means of implementing 21
st
Century skills and maintaining high levels of achievement on
45
standardized assessments. Analysis of multiple data sources will allow patterns to
emerge that will be informative for other schools and districts trying to integrate 21
st

Century skills into their practice. Though the organization in this study is a public
charter, all professional development is created in-house, making it possible for other
organizations to adopt their methods. This study will add to the existing literature on
professional development that positively impacts student learning and preparedness for
global participation.
46
Chapter Three
Methodology
We have a hunger of the mind which asks for knowledge of all around us… the more we
see, the more we are capable of seeing.—Maria Mitchell
Introduction
Competing demands on public education challenge, and at times hinder, its ability
to prepare students for academic success and the rigors of the 21
st
Century. State and
federal accountability measures require students to demonstrate high levels of concept
mastery, whereas the private sector demands individuals who can problem-solve, think
critically, and work collaboratively—all skills that state assessments do not measure. If a
school or district is to change the way teachers prepare their students, a professional
development model is necessary to show what requires changing at other sites.
Consequently, this study examined a charter school organization that has been able to
perform to standard on state accountability measures while assimilating the instruction of
21
st
Century skills into the curriculum through a clearly defined professional
development model. In order to understand how the model came to be, how it functions,
and how it impacts classroom teaching, the researcher interviewed various stakeholders
in the charter school organization.
Identifying schools that are effectively teaching 21
st
Century skills through
professional development will provide important models for other schools, which stand to
learn about how to blend the two ideas in order to create student gains. Much of the
current research in this area focuses on teaching practices and strategies that teachers are
47
using to integrate 21
st
Century education into their daily practice; however, this
research does not provide the information necessary for school organizations to create
institutionalized and structural change. An effective model for sharing this learning with
inservice teachers is necessary —a model that would lead to definitive changes in
practice and student outcomes. As such, the aim of this research was to examine the
professional development model at an effective school teaching 21
st
Century skills.

Research Questions
This study was designed to examine the manner and extent to which a charter
school organization designs and implements effective professional development to
promote the transfer of 21
st
Century skills into classroom practice and maintain high
achievement on state accountability measures such as the CST’s. To achieve this end,
professional development, classroom practice, and organizational supports were
examined. The following research questions were addressed:
1. What structural elements are present in professional development on 21
st
Century
skills provided to teachers and how is it evaluated for effectiveness?
2. Which 21
st
Century skills are included in the professional development and how
are/were these skills presented?
3. How are 21
st
Century skills implemented in the classroom and what effect have
these skills had on student achievement since they were first introduced?
Through an in-depth study at one charter school organization, the researcher learned in
great detail how professional development was designed and implemented for the
48
purposes of developing 21
st
Century competencies in students and teachers. The
instruments used—observations, interview, and document analysis—provided the raw
data necessary to support the research findings and to offer practitioners a clear sense of
how to provide meaningful professional development to promote 21
st
Century skills and
student achievement.

Criteria
As stated in Chapter One, the purpose of this study was to establish the
relationship between forms of professional development implementation within a charter
school organization and the successful transfer of 21
st
Century skills teaching that also
supports student performance on the standards-based achievement tests. Therefore, the
primary criteria used to determine the school organization’s eligibility for this study
were: (a) student achievement and the presence of a well-defined professional
development program, (b) Academic Performance Index (API) above 750 and with a
similar schools ranking of at least “7,” (c) AYP met for the last two years to ensure that
this level of performance is not part of a trend, but rather an indication of school success
in balancing 21
st
Century skills and high levels of student achievement, and (d) stated
missions and strategic plan for 21
st
Century skills. Purposeful sampling was used to
identify districts that fit these criteria, as such sampling serves to “select information-rich
cases whose study will illuminate the questions” (Patton, 2002, p. 46).

49
Site and Sample Population
Jamestown Polytechnic Charter School Organization is a public charter located in
San Diego, California. It should be noted that all names contained in this study are
pseudonyms to protect the identities of the participants. This charter school organization
has five high schools, two middle schools, and one elementary school, with
approximately 2500 students and 300 employees. JPCSO serves a diverse population
reflective of ethnic and socioeconomic diversity of the local community. A lottery
system is used to select all students for this publicly funded charter school. Table 3.1,
below, shows how this process has helped ensure balance among the demographics at
both the middle and the high school site.
Table 3.1
Demographic Data for Jamestown Polytechnic Charter School Organization and
Research Sites
Demographics
Jamestown Polytechnic
High School
Jamestown Polytechnic
Middle School
Overall
Organization
Hispanic 28% 21% 32%
African-American 11% 19% 11%
White 43% 41% 42%
SES 21% 22% 24%

Initially, this researcher was going to focus on professional development at a
single school site; however, professional development within this school organization
brings together both middle and high school teachers. Such conjoining occurs because
JPCSO seeks a clear and consistent vision for program design and student learning across
50
its middle school and secondary programs. Opportunities occurred to observe
professional development at the individual school sites as well. Such observations took
place at Jamestown Polytechnic High School (JPHS) and Jamestown Polytechnic Middle
School (JPMS).
This charter school organization has demonstrated a comprehensive commitment
to teacher education and ongoing professional development. In addition to having
school-site professional development and development for all teachers in the
organization, JPCSO has its own induction program, teacher credentialing program, and
Master’s of Education in two areas of concentration: Teacher Leadership and School
Leadership. Recently, the organization was approved to begin implementing the
Beginning Teacher’s Support and Assessment program (BTSA) to support the
development of beginning teachers. For these reasons the researcher selected this
organization for the study.

Data Collection Procedures
This project is a qualitative, descriptive-interpretive case study. The purpose of
case studies is to understand and explain a phenomenon (Gall, Gall, & Borg, 2003). In
this case, the phenomenon is how the charter school organization has designed and
implemented effective professional development of 21
st
Century skills. The PD must
have promoted transfer of skills to practice and have met all state and federal
accountability guidelines. Description was used in order to show this phenomenon,
whereas interpretive analysis was used to identify concepts and ideas that may inform or
51
challenge the “theoretical assumptions” of the researcher (Merriam, 1998). Case study
was the most appropriate method for this study given the complexities of the educational
setting and variability that exists among schools under a single charter school
organization.
The primary data collection tool for this case study was the interview. Patton
(2002) says that, “The purpose of interviewing is to “enter into another person’s
perspective” (p. 341) in order to “capture the complexities of their individual perceptions
and experiences” (p. 348). A set of interview protocols was created to facilitate this
process in conjunction with a semistructured approach applied throughout the interview
series. A combined approach, using Patton’s (2002) interview guide and the standardized
open-ended interview format allowed for discovery and flexibility while establishing
consistency across the interviews. Three different types of personnel were interviewed:
founding directors, administrative directors, and teachers. (Note: the charter school
organization does not use the traditional titles typically associated with administrative
positions, such as principal and vice principal). Three different sets of interview
questions were designed for each of the three categories of interviewee in the Interview
Guide (Appendix A).
To provide richness and clarity to the interviews, observations, school walks, and
document analysis was utilized in the data collection process. Observations were used to
understand the organization and its unique context firsthand through a “discovery-
oriented” approach that captures “things that may routinely escape awareness among the
52
people in the setting” (Patton, 2002, p. 262). These observations took place in multiple
contexts, including professional development, classrooms, and school tours.
Document analysis was yet another aspect of “sense-making” to construct the
realities of the organization and enlink interviews and observations (Miller, 1997).
Jamestown Polytechnic Charter School Organization has an extensive online system with
archived documents on their vision, practices, and operations. As a result, many
documents came from their website. Documents included, but were not limited to,
mission statements, design principles, teacher resources, and the testimonials and
reflections of recent graduates of the Jamestown Polytechnic Graduate School of
Education. JPCSO also has a director responsible for quantitative and qualitative
research and data analysis. Whenever possible, documents necessary to answer the
research questions outlined in this dissertation were collected from this director.
Data Collection and Analysis
Data was collected onsite at Jamestown Polytechnic High School and Jamestown
Polytechnic Middle School and through the charter school organization’s extensive
online resources. All interviews and observations were conducted onsite. An
observation protocol was created by the researcher to distinguish observations from
personal reflections.
Research and data analysis was an ongoing process over the course of three
months, with three weeks of actual data collection using a combination of inductive and
deductive analysis. Prior to conducting observations, the researcher created an
observation framework (Appendix B) to ensure examination of the organization for
53
evidence of key concepts and themes explored in the literature review. Following this
deductive approach, the researcher read and reviewed the observational notes to
inductively draw out overarching themes, which were then categorized and coded. An
analysis of documents from the school sites was conducted prior to the interviews and
used in conjunction with the coded themes to triangulate the findings among the
observations, interviews, and documents, and to provide a lens through which to examine
the organization for alignment of goals and purpose.
Themes that arose from observations and document analysis were corroborated
with the findings from interviews with various stakeholders in the charter school
organization. Incorporation of multiple perspectives makes the qualitative analysis much
richer and more robust, allowing the researcher to show the organization’s practices from
various angles and to gain better understanding of how JPCSO supports teachers who
prepare students for the 21
st
Century.
Validity and Reliability
In order to ensure the quality of this research, four criteria and their corresponding
“tactics” will be used to establish validity and reliability: construct validity, internal
validity, external validity, and reliability (Yin, 2008). Construct validity was maintained
through the use of multiple measures and data sources, whereas the protocols for
observations and coding were used to bolster the internal validity of this case study.
Each source of data was triangulated in order to bolster the validity of the findings
(Patton, 2002). Triangulation of data also served to eliminate potential bias from the use
of a single source. Various stakeholders were interviewed in this study, and their
54
responses were analyzed to determine commonalities and alignment. Observations and
interviews were corroborated with findings from document analysis. Aside from the use
of case study protocols derived from the literature, a member of the thematic dissertation
group, who is also conducting research at JPCSO, will review the findings to ensure
reliability.
Ethical Consideration
The researchers successfully completed the CITI Training offered by USC’s
Institutional Review Board (IRB). The names of the district, the school, and all of its
members have been changed. Participation in this project was entirely voluntary. No
information had been published without the consent of the individuals from whom it was
elicited. All transcribed interviews have been stored in a secure location, access to which
is limited to this researcher. Transcriptions and audio recordings will be destroyed in
2010.
55
Chapter Four
Findings

Introduction
This chapter presents an analysis of the data collected in this study, whose
purpose was to examine the professional development model of the Jamestown
Polytechnic Charter School Organization, an organization that implements 21
st
Century
skills and still meets all state accountability measures. The study’s focus was to find the
relationship between the structural elements of the professional development and the
successful implementation and integration of 21
st
Century skills in the classroom and the
organization’s continued success in meeting and exceeding all API and AYP goals on
state standardized assessments. A case study method was used to collect data from the
middle school and high school involved in this study.
Data was collected using the following methods:
1. semi-structured interviews with school directors/ policy directors, founding
teachers, and current teachers;
2. observations of professional development, staff meetings, and classroom
teaching using structured observation forms to examine the extent to which
effective structural elements were present in the professional development, as
well as the extent to which 21
st
Century skills were incorporated into the
fabric of the professional development and classroom teaching;
56
3. document analysis of online resources, internal school documents, and
materials from meetings and professional development.
The data was collected to answer the three research questions designed for this study:
1. What structural elements are present in the professional development on 21
st

Century skills provided to teachers and how is it evaluated for effectiveness?
2. Which 21
st
Century skills are included in the professional development and
how are/were these skills presented?
3. How are 21
st
Century skills implemented in the classroom and what effect
have these skills had on student achievement since they were first introduced?

Jamestown Polytechnic Charter School Organization
Jamestown Polytechnic Charter School Organization was situated minutes from
downtown San Diego and a military base. The surrounding neighborhood was filled with
town homes, condos, and ranch-style homes. The middle school and the high school
themselves were adjacent to a large shopping center, a private Catholic school, and a
village of other Jamestown Polytechnic Schools, including two media arts schools, an
international school, and an elementary school. With all of the schools in close proximity
of one another and with expansive windows in all of the structures, continuity among the
schools is clear to the outside viewer.
At the entrance of Jamestown Polytechnic High School, the space was open and
flooded with light. The transparency of the organization was clear in the very design of
the building. Glass ceilings, large, open common areas between classrooms, and
57
classrooms with walls made of glass allow high visibility throughout the building.
Teachers could be seen on stages working with students. Students were constructing
designs of a model they were building for an applied mathematics course, engineering. In
these common spaces, groups of students sat on couches, benches, and tables hunched
over laptops and notebooks working collaboratively on projects. The whole school had a
hum of energy rooted in an excitement for learning.
The main office was merely a wrap-around counter with cabinets lining the wall
behind. The administrative assistant politely asked me to sign in and inquired whether I
was expected by the Directory of Policy and Research; she then directed me to her office.
All directors had offices with nearly floor-to-ceiling windows and glass doors. Upon
meeting her, the Director of Policy and Research, Madison Lebel, informed me that
directors have an open-door policy for all students and staff, at all times. All of the
schools had the same basic architectural and design principles, as well as the same
commitment to transparency and meeting the needs of all students.
The Director of Policy and Research introduced me to the CAO, Chief Academic
Officer, and founding teacher of the organization, Dennis Brown. After sharing with him
the focus of my research, he invited me back to a critical professional development series
called the Teacher Odyssey and welcomed me to conduct research at all the schools in
“the village.” His only request was that I participate in the Teacher Odyssey, a one-week
institute that introduces new teachers to Jamestown Polytechnic Organization practices,
ideologies, project-based learning, and procedures of the organization. By participating,
he explained, I would better understand how teachers learn about what it means to be a
58
Jamestown teacher. Happily, I accepted. This first meeting was a very positive
experience and set the tone for how rest of the research and data collection would go.

Findings
Research Question One: What are the structural elements present in the professional
development on 21
st
Century skills provided to teachers and how is it evaluated for
effectiveness?
Data for Research Question #1
The Teacher Odyssey began three weeks before the first day of school. Eager
new hires from all of the charter’s middle and high school sites ranged from first-year
and veteran teachers to teachers for whom education was a second career. The agenda
clearly stated that the purpose of this week-long institute was to “Understand JPH
principles and practices, connect with colleagues, and create products for immediate and
long-term use” with the essential question being, “How do voice, choice, and critique
figure in the creation of beautiful work?” According to Ray Mendez, cocreator of the
Teacher Odyssey, the institute evolved as a way to ensure that teachers were introduced
to the Jamestown’s culture in a way that made them both successful at the organization
and active participants in the direction of it. This training was partly inspired by his own
challenges as a new physics teacher at JPH five years prior. To address these issues,
Mendez collaborated with the Emperor of Rigor, Aiden Roberts, to create the Odyssey.
The design of the institute reflected the structural features necessary to ensure
successful professional development: how the activity is organized, duration, and
59
collective participation. Current JPH teachers and directors facilitated the five-day
institute through various group activities, which called upon teachers to think critically
about concepts or ideas, or to share knowledge in order to complete a task, allowing them
to build teacher networks within their disciplines throughout not only their own school
sites, but also with teachers from other JPH and JPM sites throughout the JPH
organization.
Each day of the institute began with a personal reflection on some aspect of our
own education as children or on the process of teaching, and was followed by an
opportunity for both small group and whole group shares. These ideas were used as the
foundation for understanding the organization’s design principles or the power of project-
based learning. This structure gave clear coherence and meaning to the information
being shared at the Odyssey. Another way JPH reinforced the overall coherence of the
Odyssey was to have teachers engage in activities that mirror what students are expected
to do. For example, both teachers and students in the JPH organization are expected to
have online digital portfolios as a way to share knowledge and make the learning
transparent and evident for all to see. Whereas students upload projects and assignments,
teachers upload projects they have designed, photos of student products, and other key
documents, such as syllabuses, that are important communication pieces among teachers,
parents, and students.
Collective participation and active participation were critical components of this
institute. In one poignant example, teachers were asked to make groups of three, formed
with one humanities teacher, one math/science teacher, and one media/media arts teacher.
60
Each teacher in the triad was asked to identify a personal passion and an educational
passion and then bring all of those ideas together to design an interdisciplinary project.
The project had to have an expressed purpose and culminate in a product that was
meaningful, beautiful, and had a place to live beyond the assignment itself. Following
the design, all teacher groups presented their project ideas and received feedback and
critique from other groups using a tuning protocol. Teachers were encouraged by the
directors to reflect upon how the process of designing projects from passion could be
used to create projects as well as to build teacher partnerships. Notably, collective
participation was not limited to these clearly defined group activities. Even in the design
of individual syllabuses and online teacher digital portfolios, teachers were given the time
to work with current JPH teachers and directors, as well as work collaboratively with
other new hires.
Throughout the institute, directors and current JPH teachers expressed clear
interest in deepening teachers’ content knowledge— however, not in the traditional
sense. Activities such as designing projects from passions did not widen the knowledge
base for the humanities, math, science, or media arts teacher, but the exercise did deepen
understanding of the interconnectedness of different core disciplines, as teachers searched
for a way to connect these, at times, competing and seemingly unrelated ideas. For
instance, one group had to bring together the personal passions of filmmaking, biomes,
and pollution with the educational passions of ratio and proportion, chemical
compounding, and family history. The final product was a project on how individual
families contribute to ocean pollution. Students will produce a documentary film
61
highlighting the forms of pollution, explain the chemical compounds of the waste
entering the ocean and the current and future environmental impact, and propose
immediate actions that can be taken by their personal family to slow its contribution to
ocean pollution. By using personal and educational passions, the project provided a lens
that changed the way each teacher looked at his or her discipline.
To ensure that lessons from the Odyssey experience endure, JPH and JPM have
daily staff meetings one hour before school begins. Meetings vary in purpose. One day
per week, each school must hold a staff meeting in which the operations and updates are
discussed and shared. Other meetings alternate between action group meetings (akin to
committees that tackle school-related issues), discipline meetings, and specific
professional development that centers on best practices. This professional development
is usually teacher-led, but it can also be an opportunity for teachers to share their projects
and receive feedback, or participate in organization-wide “job-alikes.” In a “job-alike”
PD, teachers from various Jamestown Polytechnic sites who teach the same discipline or
grade-level get into groups to discuss projects and practice.
Susan Grey, director of Jamestown Polytechnic Middle, states these examples are
not the only ways teachers receive professional development and/or build teacher
networks at her site. Because of digital portfolios, the extensive amount of student work
displayed throughout the campuses, and the open structural design of the buildings
themselves, teachers are consistently engaged in both formal and informal conversations
about student work, how to improve their project design, or overall student performance.
Mrs. Gray noted, “It is not a problem encouraging teachers to do an amazing job.”
62
The only meeting the researcher was able to observe was a staff meeting at
JPM, but even that provided opportunities to reinforce professional development and the
structural and core features of effective professional development. The rotating roles for a
staff meeting are chair, recorder, inclusion, and thought for the day. The meeting began
with a teacher ushering everyone into an active learning exercise with whiteboards. This
role was that of inclusion expert, which means that the teacher leads the staff in a warm-
up activity or game, or shares a quick activity idea that can be used in the classroom.
After teachers offered ways they could use whiteboards in their classrooms, a different
teacher took over as chair and led the meeting. Traditionally, directors and principals
lead staff meetings; however, it was unclear who the director was until she was referred
to by name about halfway through the meeting. According to Susan Grey, meetings at
JPM and JPH alternate meeting roles to keep all teachers engaged and support the idea of
a “teacher-led” school.
This organization stresses the importance of community-building, collective
participation, and active learning. The formal meeting began with a teacher sharing a
“thought for the day,” which, in this case was a joke, followed by teachers recognizing
each other for work they had done and the ways they had helped their colleagues. Many
teachers shared meaningful recognition of their colleagues. One teacher noted, “I
recognize Tom for presenting the PD on differentiating lessons.” Another teacher
recognized a colleague for taking her class in her absence. The tone of the meeting was
supportive and warm. There were no obvious divisions by grade-level or discipline. The
63
staff’s ability to work together was clear, and supports the ways in which the
organization measures professional development for effectiveness.
The success and effectiveness of professional development are measured in a
variety of ways at the Jamestown Polytechnic organization. First and foremost, teachers
and directors look for anecdotal evidence that the students are engaged, challenged, and
making growth towards their performance goals. Second to anecdotal evidence is student
performance, which is measured by attitude, engagement, grades, products at project
exhibitions, performance on the end-of-year presentations of learning (P.O.L.s), and,
lastly, CST scores. Third, directors examine teacher performance, as measured by the
quality of student products and teacher project design. This review takes place through
classroom observations and the review of student work at exhibition and presentations of
learning. Fourth, surveys at the end of each structured PD session, such as the Teacher
Odyssey, institutes, and “job-alike” determine what teachers felt was beneficial to the
practice and what is still required to support them in the classroom. Finally, JPH
organization collects feedback from the parents on the effectiveness of their child’s
teacher and satisfaction levels with the rigor and quality of student work.

Research Question Two: Which 21
st
Century skills are included in the professional
development and how are/were these skills presented?
Data for Research Question #2
The idea of 21
st
Century skills is ever-present throughout the Jamestown
Polytechnic Charter School Organization; however, the organization took a unique
64
approach to ensure the implementation of 21
st
Century skills throughout its schools:
What students are expected to do, so too are the teachers.
Upon beginning data collection, the researcher had expected to find teachers
receiving explicit training on how to implement specific 21
st
Century skills in the
classrooms. Instead, the skills were embedded into the activities of PD, as well as into
the daily practices and operations of the organization. Teachers and directors did not
refer to 21
st
Century skills as the focus of their teaching, but rather to the design
principles of the organization, which are personalization, adult-world connection,
common intellectual mission, and teacher as designer. Lucy Bradshaw, director of
external affairs who is also responsible for designing and coordinating professional
development for the JPH organization, defines the skills as “finding new ways to
communicate,” and finding “better ways to communicate” with each other. What adults
do at JPH is similar to what students are expected to do. The culture makes the schools
successful.
The current Chief Academic Officer, CAO, Dennis Brown, believes the term “21
st

Century skills” is a misnomer that leads educators away from what is essential to
preparing students for the future. Twenty-first Century teaching, as it is currently
understood, is just good teaching. Therefore, JPCSO decided to focus on design
principles, rather than to base the school design on teaching strategies. Mr. Brown goes
on to say that the organization’s design principles were created as means to answer the
call for “quality workers” who are good in the “business world” and not just good at
college. Nonetheless, each of Wagner’s seven skills and Dede’s 21
st
Century skills
65
performances were present in the professional development offered to teachers. (See
Table 4.1, below).
Table 4.1
Conceptual Framework of 21
st
Century Skills (for the purposes of this dissertation)

21
st
Century Skills

Performances of 21
st
Century Skills
Wagner (2008) Dede (2007)
Critical thinking and problem-
solving
Individual and collective problem finding
Collaboration across networks
and leading by influence
Verbal and nonverbal communication
Agility and adaptability Individual and collective problem-finding
Initiative and entrepreneurialism Use of ICT tools, communicative media, and
representations
Effective oral and written
communication
Individual and collective problem-finding
Verbal and nonverbal communication
Accessing and analyzing
information
Inquiry
Use of ICT tools, communicative media, and
representations
Curiosity and imagination Inquiry
Individual and collective problem finding

66
Throughout the five-day Teacher Odyssey and the staff meeting, teachers were asked
to engage in critical thinking and problem-solving. One clear example is the “projects
from passions” exercise outlined in the previous section. During the exercise, teachers
individually and collectively identified the challenges that arose from bringing together
so many different ideas in one student project. All members of the group participated and
offered many questions, challenges, and ideas to move the process forward. Such an
exercise mirrors the kind of critical thinking and problem-solving expected of students
when they are completing a collaborative project. Since project-based learning is the
central feature of teaching at the organization, students have many opportunities to
engage in these higher-level conversations that prepare them for the kinds of discussions
they will need to have once they join the work force.
Agility and adaptability were present throughout the professional developments,
as teachers were asked to work collaboratively in various groupings tackling a variety of
issues and topics in a cohesive way that reflected the expertise of all members. “Projects
from Passions” and various teacher-teaming groups challenged the notion of fixed
groupings. To reinforce this idea with teachers, a current director led all of the new hires
at the Teacher Odyssey in a collaborative group exercise. Teachers were given an
envelope with geometric shapes. Without using words, groups of four teachers had to
create exactly four squares, one square per teacher, using all the pieces in the envelope.
No one was allowed to take or solicit pieces, only give them away to other team
members. Teachers had to be flexible in the absence of our most commonly used form of
communication in order to complete a task collaboratively. This task, which could be
67
used with students, taught the teachers a little bit about how they interact with others.
One teacher shared, “I realized that I didn’t help my team members out as much as I
could have, lost focus on the group goal for the sake of completing the individual goal of
making a square.” Collaboration across networks and leading by influence were
organically part of the activity, just as with “projects from passions,”
Project-based learning at the JPH organization affords teachers the opportunity to
demonstrate initiative and entrepreneurialism. Again, this effort was not explicitly
labeled a 21
st
Century skill; however, directors repeated throughout the Teacher Odyssey
that, as members of the “village of schools,” teachers must teach from their passions,
take on issues of concern, and create action committees comprised of students and staff to
address those concerns. No one is to be passive in his or her position— or in his or her
teaching. Dennis Brown, CAO and founding teacher, shared that passion is what will
help engage students in the curriculum. If teachers are not vested, why should the
students be?
As the Jamestown Polytechnic organization is a teacher-led community of
schools, teachers must be proficient in effective oral and written communication. JPH
supports the development of these skills through teacher-led professional
developments— both in-house, that may take place during a weekly meeting, and
institutes that are open to the teaching community outside of the organization. In both the
fall and early summer, JPH holds an institute that shares what teachers at the organization
are doing with respect to building school culture, student assessment, project-based
learning, and technology. At the recent summer institute, Sweden and Mexico City sent a
68
cadre of teachers to learn about JPH’s practices— evidence of the reach the
organization is having beyond its local community.
JPH also supports the development of these skills through the creation of a
teacher digital portfolio, which teachers created during the Teacher Odyssey. On digital
portfolio, teachers post lesson plans, projects, student evidence, and other pertinent
information designed to communicate clearly and openly with teachers, staff, parents, and
students. Syllabuses and other key classroom documents must be uploaded to make the
teaching transparent and explicit for all stakeholders.
Mock presentations served as another example of how teachers learn to develop
effective oral and written communication in order to impart that knowledge to their
students. As mentioned previously, one measure of student success is a presentation of
learning (P.O.L.), which takes place at the end of the school year. In a P.O.L., students
put together a presentation in which they share what they have learned throughout the
year by answering essential questions for each one of their courses and supporting their
responses through student evidence. They also include why they deserve to move onto
the next grade level. P.O.L.s have been used to deny students promotion to the next
grade if they could not demonstrate they had learned enough content or had learned the
content deeply enough to justify promotion. P.O.L.s are in lieu of a final exam. A panel
of teachers, directors, parents, and students watch the P.O.L. and make a decision as to
whether or not the student passes. Each student is given a chance to revise the
presentation, but chances are not endless.
69
At the culmination of the Teacher Odyssey, all teachers were asked to prepare a
mock P.O.L. for the class. Though a P.O.L. most certainly incorporates other skills under
the conceptual framework for this study, communication, both written and oral, is key.
The practice of preparing and delivering a presentation allowed the teachers to better
understand what was expected of students and the ways they can offer support to students
to best prepare them for their P.O.L.s.
Many of the PD activities offered at JPH required teachers to access and analyze
information in order to create something new or to better understand student needs.
Rather than telling teachers how to create a syllabus, for instance, directors and teachers
facilitating the Teacher Odyssey provided many examples of syllabuses and asked
teachers to identify the qualities that make them exemplary. All of the syllabuses were
different in subject area and style, yet they communicated effectively for students and
parents and provided the structure necessary for guiding teachers through their year.
After examining the examples and discussing their merits, teachers were given time to
work individually or collectively to create a syllabus for the upcoming school year. The
creation of the digital portfolios and project designs were also presented in a similar
fashion.
Finally, curiosity and imagination are essential to the JPH organization, a culture
that is obvious to the visitor upon entering any one of the village schools. Art adorns
every wall. Projects are hanging from the ceiling and stand as permanent installations in
open spaces. The very schools serve as a reminder to teachers to keep challenging
themselves to be innovative in their approach to teaching, project design, and meaningful
70
learning experiences. As for the PD, facilitators of the Odyssey began by pushing
teachers to think in unconventional ways through the “projects from passions” exercise.
By working collaboratively with teachers from different grade-levels and subject areas,
teachers with different passions, JPH fosters a sense of curiosity about interests, urging
participants to use their imaginations about what is possible. One group’s final product
from their “project from passions” was a series of holographic images that reflect a media
representation of a single belief that has changed over the course of time in all of the
major disciplines: art, math, science, and history. The group included a panel on how
that belief has changed personally for that student. One belief that has changed over time
is that the Earth is the center of the universe. On the math panel, a student would create
an image that shows how the angles and measurements of geometry have challenged and
helped to change that belief. Juxtaposed to the images are statements using the following
frame: “I used to believe… But now I… ” Each of these would be personal to the student
and reflective of the content they have learned that year. Appropriately, the project was
titled “Personal Evolution.”
All of the skills and performances listed in the conceptual framework were
presented as embedded activities and practices, rather than as subjects of professional
development. In so doing, JPH has made 21
st
Century skills and performances part of the
daily practices of how teachers plan and reflect on their practice, thereby, making them a
part of the curriculum and the education students receive. This integration ultimately
makes the skills a natural part of what successful individuals do, rather than a list of
dispositions and skills that need to be learned; thus the very fabric of effective
71
professional development changes, ensuring the transfer of skills in ways that produce
meaningful change for students.

Research Question Three: How are 21
st
century skills implemented in the classroom and
what effect have these skills had on student achievement since they were first introduced?
Data for Research Question #3
Just as 21
st
Century skills were embedded in the processes and activities of
professional development for teachers, so too were the skills integrated into classroom
teaching. Critical thinking and problem-solving were evident in each of the classes
observed. Teachers at both Jamestown Polytechnic Middle and High relied heavily on
collaboration across networks and leading by influence, as evidenced by the group
projects. Such project-based learning opportunities allowed students to develop flexibility
and adaptability. Choice, which was built into the project-based learning curriculum,
reflected the presence of initiative and entrepreneurialism in the classroom. Not only did
choice play a role in promoting initiative and entrepreneurialism, but it also allowed
curiosity and imagination to take central positions in the classroom. All projects came
with requirements for oral and written communication. Some teachers employed critique
as a means of getting students to think deeply about the importance and purpose of clear
and effective communication. Finally, project-based learning, the pedagogical foundation
of the organization, helps students to hone in on how to access and analyze information,
without which students would not be successful at the charter school organization.
72
Jamestown Polytechnic Charter School Organization has a wide array of tools
with which to measure student achievement. First and foremost, teachers and directors
use anecdotal and observational information. Julia Paige, drama teacher from JPM,
explained that the organization is first concerned with the child. Can the child show his
or her thinking? Are they engaged in the classroom? Does the child show respect for
others and for his or her learning? What does their behavior look like? All of these
questions serve to determine if students are achieving, and if the professional
development and school principles are making a positive impact on student learning.
State-mandated assessments are another key measure of professional development
effectiveness. Notably, this measure was the last one mentioned throughout the various
interviews conducted at both JPH and JPM.
Jamestown Polytechnic Charter School Organization uses college-going
indicators to measure student success, and indirectly, to measure professional
development effectiveness and teacher performance. These measures are the most
meaningful of the organization, and the ones that are taken the most seriously. College-
going indicators include PSAT participation, SAT participation, SAT combined scores
and means, college-acceptances, college-going rates, and college-matriculation rates.
Notably, for some of these tables, data from Jamestown Polytechnic International High
School and Jamestown Polytechnic Media Arts High School have been included to show
consistency across the organization.
For the past three years, JPH as an organization has encouraged students to take
the PSAT. JPH has begun doing so because the PSAT is an indicator of performance on
73
the SAT achievement, and colleges use PSAT scores to determine scholarships. In
2009, 85% of students at JPH took the exam, whereas 100% of students took the exam in
2010.
SAT participation and scores serve as critical pieces of data for understanding
how well the organization is preparing students for postsecondary life. Table 4.2, below,
shows participation rates and average scores by school.
Table 4.2
SAT Participation Rates and Scores by School
2007

SAT Participation
Rate %
Verbal

Math

Writing

Total Score
JPH 89 539 522 523 1584
JPHI 92 500 495 504 1499
SDUSD 48 484 496 478 1458
State 37 493 513 491 1497
National na 493 505 486 1484
2008

SAT Participation
Rate %
Verbal

Math

Writing

Total Score
JPH 89 554 545 512 1649
JPHI 92 525 549 511 1585
JPHMA 80 540 523 509 1425
State na 492 508 490 1490
National na 493 502 533 1528

74
JPH is testing above the district, state, and national averages in verbal, math
writing, and combined scores. Notably, the participation rate is nearly double the district
and state averages for 2007. SAT participation rates by ethnicity have also been high for
JPH schools. (See Table 4.3, below)
Table 4.3
SAT Participation by Ethnicity
SAT Participation by Ethnicity
91%
83%
83%
92%
89%
95%
83%
89%
89%
92%
92%
88%
86%
85%
81%
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
White Asian Filipino Latino Black
Class of 2006 (Class Size 110) Class of 2007 (Class Size 173)
Class of 2008 (Class Size 271)

Measuring SAT participation by ethnicity is important for detecting and eradicating any
achievement gaps that may be present within the diverse, zip code lottery-based charter
school population.
Although the SAT has three sections of assessment, college admission
representatives often rely only on the math and verbal scores for admission requirements.
All JPH subgroups have outperformed the state and national averages, except for females
in 2008 and African American students in 2007. Table 4.4, below, shows the combined
math and verbal scores on the SAT for JPH, classes of 2007 and 2008.

75
Table 4.4
JPH SAT Combined Scores by Ethnicity
2008
All
students White
African
American Hispanic Asian Filipino Male Female
JPH 1100 1156 910 999 1171 1052 1118 1068
JPHI 1074 1137 1046 1011 1024 944 1128 1037
JPHMA 956 1096 900 820 1005 970 1062 856
JPH
Class of
08
1043

1130

952

943

1067

989

1103

987

State
Average
1017

1090

867

919

1074

1040

993

National 1017 1065 856 914 1094 1037 1000
2007
All
students White
African
American Hispanic Asian Filipino Male Female
JPH 1062 1120 838 1004 1194 102 1092 1022
JPHI 983 1116 851 855 1080 948 995 970
JPH
Class of
07
1023

1118

845

930

1137

525

1044

996

State
Average
1017

1084

866

916

1044

1040

995

National 1017 1061 862 919 1092 1037 1001

76
JPH also uses what they call “college-going profiles” to determine if the
organization is successfully preparing students for life after high school. Table 4.5,
below, summarizes the college-going indicators of the JPH classes since 2006. Since
2006, 99% of students from JPH has been college-bound, with approximately 70% of
those students attending a four-year college/university.
77
Table 4.5
College-Going Indicators Summary for 2006-2009

Class of 2006 Class of 2007 Class of 2008 Class of 2009
Class Size 111 175 271 295
% taking SAT 90 92 91 94
Mean SAT 1570 1542 1553 1536
% who applied to at least one
4-year college /university

85

89

86

86

% accepted to at least one
four-year college/university
99

92

91

82

% attending a four-year
college/university
80

69

73

70

% attending a two-year
college/university
19

29

25

29

% admitted to a four-year but
choosing to attend two-year
for financial reasons
0

7

4

7

No. of students not attending
postsecondary institution
1

3

4

3

% of first-generation college-
bound students
43

27

25

34

% of students college-bound 99 98 99 99

78
College matriculation rates for both graduate and postgraduate works provide critical
information to the organization about its effectiveness. Success in the K-12 system is not
enough for JPCSO. Using data from the National Student Clearinghouse, JPH is able to
collect data on the percentage of students that has graduated from a four-year institution
or are still enrolled in postsecondary work. Table 4.6, below, comes from data complied
by the director of policy and research, Madison Lebel. These numbers reflect the
percentage of students from all JPH schools in the organization. The actual number of
students is indicated in parentheses.
79
Table 4.6
College Completion/ Enrollment Since 2003
College Status

2003
Class
(50)
2004
Class
(102)
2005
Class
(81)
2006
Class
(109)
2007
Class
(169)
2008
Class
(263)
All
(774)
% graduated

50
(25)

26
(27)

1
(1)

0

0

0

7
(53)

% enrolled in
college/university
program
24
(12)

42
(43)

73
(59)

80
(87)

86
(146)

90
(238)

76
(585)

% not enrolled or no
data
26
(13)
31
(31)
26
(21)
17
(19)
13
(22)
9
(24)
17
(130)
% in
military
0

1
()
0

3
(3)
1
(1)
1
(1)
.5
(6)
% in four-year
enrollment/graduate
68
(34)
44
(45)
60
(49)
56
(61)
51
(86)
66
(177)
58
(452)
% in two-year
enrollment
6
(3)
24
(24)
14
(11)
24
(25)
35
(60)
24
(63)
24
(186)
% total enrolled or
graduated
74
(37)
68
(70)
74
(60)
80
(87)
86
(146)
90
(238)
82
(638)

80
The organization began with just one high school in 2003. As it has added more, the
organization has brought the college matriculation rates up, with 90% for the graduating
class of 2008. Such data supports the effectiveness of the practices and principles of the
organization with respect to classroom teaching and professional development.
The final college-going indicator used by the JPH organization is the college
matriculation rates by subgroup, in an effort to ensure fair and equitable education for all
students. As in the previous table, the percentages reflect the number of students that has
graduated from a college or university or is still enrolled in a postsecondary institution.
Actual numbers of students are recorded in parentheses.
81
Table 4.7
College Matriculation Rates by Subgroup
Subgroup
(Graduated/Enrolled)

2003
Class
(50)
2004
Class
(102)
2005
Class
(81)
2006
Class
(109)
2007
Class
(169)
2008
Class
(263)
All
(774)

% First Generation

66
(21/32)
60
(30/55)
62
(18/29)
70
(33/47)
80
(40/50)
86
(61/71)
71
(203/284)
% Hispanic

100
(3/3)
63
(12/19)
36
(4/11)
86
(11/13)
90
(27/30)
93
(65/70)
83
(122/146)
% Black

71
(5/7)
63
(12/19)
45
(5/11)
75
(15/20)
84
(21/25)
91
(20/22)
75
(78/104)
% Asian

66
(6/9)
64
(7/11)
86
(6/7)
67
(4/6)
86
(12/14)
93
(14/15)
80
(49/62)
% White

79
(22/29)
67
(31/46)
86
(38/44)
87
(54/62)
88
(68/77)
92
(122/132)
86
(335/389)
% Filipino

33
(1/3)
100
(7/7)
88
(7/8)
100
(7/7)
81
(17/21)
90
(18/20)
86
(57/66)
% Pacific Islander

NA

NA

NA

NA

100
(1/1)
100
(2/2)
100
(3/3)
% American Indian

NA

NA

NA

NA

100
(1/1)
100
(2/2)
100
(3/3)
% Free/Reduced

75
(9/12)
52
(12/23)
67
(6/9)
100
(11/11)
73
(22/30)
84
(47/56)
76
(107/141)
Male

74
(29/29)
72
(44/61)
78
(39/50)
80
(53/66)
85
(77/91)
92
(122/133)
83
(364/440)
Female

72
(8/11)
63
(26/41)
65
(20/31)
80
(34/43)
88
(69/78)
89
(113/130)
80
(270/334)

82
As evidenced by these findings, JPH is making great strides for postsecondary success.
Even as the number of high schools has grown, the number of students matriculating and
graduating for each subgroup has increased, most notably for first generation students
and African American students.

Emergent Themes
This study sought out to uncover the professional development practices of an
academically successful charter school organization teaching 21
st
Century skills. The
organization’s successful practices, as supported by the research, are not what make
Jamestown Polytechnic an effective organization— it is the culture of the school, which
supports an ongoing collaborative environment in which teachers thrive.
Creating the culture begins with what JPCSO calls “hiring right.” All teacher
applicants attend a Hiring Bonanza, a full-day interview, and a performance evaluation
process. Each teacher is asked to teach a lesson, after which Jamestown Polytechnic
teachers, directors, parents, and students complete evaluations on areas such as
interactions with the students, personality, lesson design, student engagement, and more.
Following the lesson is an informal interview, held during lunch, and then a formal panel
interview. At the end of the day, teachers, directors, parents, and staff sit down to discuss
which candidates seem the most viable and aligned with all of the charter’s design
principles, as well as to identify any red flags in teacher competence that should strike
them from consideration. Simply becoming a member of the staff is a challenging
83
process, between the hiring bonanza and sheer number of applicants, which always far
exceeds what the organization can accept.
In addition to a rigorous hiring process, Jamestown Polytechnic has neither tenure
nor seniority. All educators are on a one-year contract; however, they are all still at-will
employees, meaning they can be fired at any time. Evaluations of teachers take into
consideration student performance, director observations, and teacher goals. The
classroom teacher and director form these goals at the beginning of each school year.
Throughout the year, directors monitor teacher progress toward his or her goals. The
creation of goals appears to encourage teachers to continue to develop and improve their
practices.
Transparency also emerged as central to the success of the organization, both in
professional practice and structural design. Founder of the organization, Chuck David, a
former high school shop teacher, wanted the schools to have high ceilings, floor-to-
ceiling walls of windows facing the hallways, expansive common areas, skylights, and
rooms with glass walls. This design vision was born out of a desire to support
transparency in practice so that all stakeholders could actually see teaching and learning
taking place, unlike in the traditional four-walled classroom with its door firmly closed.
Transparency in professional practice also comes through the use of teacher digital
portfolios, “job-alikes,” and professional development. Such emphasis on making
practice visible and shared enriches the transparency in practice, even encouraging
teachers to engage in discussion about their projects and lesson designs.
84
This organization has offered a new model and definition of effectiveness for
professional development, teacher performance, and student learning. According to the
research on effective professional development, certain structural and core elements must
be present, such as collective participation, active learning, coherence, and content; all of
which are present at Jamestown Polytechnic. However, these studies fail to address the
effectiveness of a kind of professional development that embeds skills and dispositions
into activities, rather than the kind of PD that makes the skills and dispositions the central
focus. Upon beginning research at JPCSO, this researcher expected that professional
development would involve explicit discussions of the 21
st
Century skills it has been
successfully teaching for some time now— quite the contrary. The skills were built into
the design principles of the organization, embedded in the activities of the professional
development, and supported by the use of project-based learning. Effectiveness for
professional development at this organization is about making the 21
st
Century skills part
of what they do as an organization, not the content that they teach.
Individual teacher effectiveness is measured in three key ways: student products,
observation, and teacher goals, although the organization also assesses effectiveness in a
more global way. Through the use of college-going indicators, JPCSO is able to examine
the overall effectiveness of its teachers. Its central concern is preparing students for
global participation, not mastering the standards for a given grade level. Whereas the
standards are used as a guide for the instruction, the skills and dispositions of 21
st

Century education embedded in the curriculum take on greater significance in preparing
students for life after high school. If 21
st
Century education is designed to prepare
85
students for the rapidly changing world, then doesn’t it make sense to measure the
effectiveness of schools by how many students not only matriculate, but also graduate
successfully from colleges and universities?
JPCSO has changed the way educators should look at student learning.
Presentations of learning and project-based learning have shifted the focus from content
breadth to content depth, supporting the development of 21
st
Century skills. Its success
with this approach is supported by the CST scores and college-going indicators.
86
Chapter Five
Summary Conclusions and Recommendations

Summary
The success of the Jamestown Polytechnic Charter School Organization is the
result of the collaborative efforts of all teachers and staff. Through daily meetings,
teacher-led professional development, project-based learning, and an emphasis on
achievement beyond state-mandated assessments, JPCSO has redefined effectiveness for
professional development, teacher performance, and student outcomes. These
accomplishments could not have taken place without the design principles of the
organization and its strong commitment to making the skills and dispositions of 21
st

Century education part of the very fabric of teacher practice and professional
development. These efforts have led to high levels of student achievement in addition to
high percentages of college matriculation and graduation, an area not commonly
considered a measure of teacher effectiveness in the K-12 education system.
Furthermore, the transparency of teacher practice and student learning along with high
expectations are undeniably central to the culture at Jamestown Polytechnic; without
these elements their professional development model could not be successful. If teachers
and directors are not able to engage consistently, productively, and meaningfully in
dialogue about their practices, offer critique, and evaluate student achievement, then how
could the organization move forward, improving the academic viability of students
87
beyond high school? Clearly the culture of the organization supports student success,
whereas other school organizations and districts are failing the students they serve.

Implications
This study offers a look at the professional development model and supporting
organizational structures of an academically successful charter school organization
implementing 21
st
Century skills. Such structures include meeting time, ongoing
collaboration opportunities, expectation of teaching transparency, and culture-building
through thoughtful, rigorous hiring and ongoing collaboration within and across school
networks. These findings offer promise to school districts, school organizations, and
educational consultants hoping to improve student outcomes and integrate 21
st
Century
skills into their curriculum through professional development. Yet professional
development is only one piece of the puzzle: All of the aforementioned structures must
also be in place to support the learning in professional development, to ensure transfer to
practice, and ultimately, to show growth in student learning.
First and foremost, teachers and directors of school organizations and districts
must share a common vision of collaboration and commitment to ongoing professional
growth. For JPCSO, this commitment begins with the hiring process, but evolves
through the organizational structures, culture of collaboration, and transparency.
Unfortunately, the liberty this organization has with respect to hiring practices, tenure,
and measures of both teacher effectiveness and student achievement does not reflect the
current circumstances in public school districts. With a host of state, federal, and district
88
mandates, along with teachers unions, school leaders do not have the ability to
selectively hire and, if necessary, fire— a prerogative that ensures that a collaborative
school culture thrives within the organization. Districts should begin to examine what
teachers should know and are able to do prior to offering them a contract; defining these
in more explicit terms.
This study offers another key implication; districts do have the power to include
college-going indicators into their data-driven decision-making. Using such indicators
may help fill in the gaps left by state-mandated assessment scores and redirect district
focus to what really matters—student success beyond the K-12 system—because
educators are charged with preparing students not simply for the next grade-level. With
all of these indicators, Jamestown Polytechnic has offered a new definition not only of
teacher effectiveness, but also of student success.
Finally, districts and school organizations will need to examine skills-embedded
professional development and organizational practices. Before now, research has not
taken into consideration a school organization that embeds 21
st
Century skills into the
daily operations of the organization and activities of professional development as a means
to make the skills part of what educators do, not simply one part of the curriculum that is
taught. Jamestown Polytechnic’s use of 21
st
Century skills-embedded practices and
professional development is ultimately reflected not only in the student products, student
achievement, and college-going indicators, but also in the postsecondary success of its
students, who reflect their ability to participate, persist, and achieve at high levels.
89
This design and implementation of a professional development model has profound
implications for other school organizations. As stated by Dennis Brown, CAO of JPCSO,
21
st
Century skills are really what should encompass good teaching. Districts will not be
able to rely on one-time professional developments to impart these skills to teachers, if
they indeed wish to see changes in teacher practice. Such skills must become part of
what the educator does in order to manifest the change in student outcomes. Professional
development designers and teacher educators, especially those teaching 21
st
Century
skills, also stand to benefit from this study’s findings. If the ability to collaborate is
expected as a disposition for students, the most effective way to build collaboration is to
integrate it into the practices of professional development.
Interactions and collaboration among the teachers at JPCSO reflect 21
st
Century
learning with respect to skills and performances, as outlined in the conceptual framework.
As a result, 21
st
Century education is present in the classrooms— not as content to be
taught, but simply as the way students engage in knowledge acquisition. Seemingly, this
training takes place without any additional work on the teacher’s part, easing the changes
into practice. Professional development of this nature could help improve transfer to
practice so that students have access to the skills they will need to be competitive in the
adult world.

90
Recommendations for Future Research
Although JPCSO is meeting the needs of students and teachers through its unique
approach to professional development and student achievement measures, additional
research is warranted, as suggested by the following questions:
• How could college-going indicators be used by school organizations and
districts to measure teacher and professional development effectiveness?
• What impact would integrating college-going indicators into data-driven
decision-making have on teacher effectiveness?
• To what extent does skill-embedded professional development affect change
in teacher practices and student outcomes?
• With respect to effectiveness and changes in teacher practice, how does skill-
embedded professional development differ from professional development
that explicitly focuses on such skills?
• To what extent does project-based learning improve student outcomes and
levels of achievement? What are the elements that hinder or enhance the
effectiveness of this pedagogical practice?
• How significant is the role of leadership in shaping the success of professional
development on 21
st
Century skills?
The journey of Jamestown Polytechnic Charter School Organization stands to teach a lot
to other school organizations about how to build the kinds of communities and structures
necessary to implementing effective professional development and promoting high levels

91
of student achievement. As practices such as these become the norm, greater equity,
access, and opportunity for all of our students will emerge, in the K-12 education system
and beyond.

92
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Appendix A
Interview Guide
Interview Questions for Founding Directors
1. Tell me about your role as founding director.
2. What were the founding principles on which you based this organization? What
led you to believe that this would be the most effective way to support student
learning/ teacher performance?
3. What is your awareness of 21
st
century skills and to what extent to you integrate
them into the fabric of your organization?
4. How do you believe you facilitate the development of these skills and
competencies as the leader of this organization?
5. What practices have you adopted as an organization to support the development
of these skills for teachers and students?
6. In what ways have you used professional development to increase teacher
competence in meeting student needs and implementing 21
st
century skills?
7. What evidence is available that the efforts have been successful?
8. What feedback have you received from administrative directors, teachers, parents,
community leaders, and students about your efforts?

Interview Questions for Administrative Directors
1. Tell me about your role as administrative director.
2. What are the principles on which this organization is based? What makes these
principles effective in supporting student learning/ teacher performance?
3. What is your awareness of 21
st
century skills and to what extent to you integrate
them into the fabric of your site? Are these decisions shared across organizations
(middle and high schools)?
4. How do you believe you facilitate the development of these skills and
competencies as the leader of this site? To what extent is this a shared
responsibility?
5. What practices have you adopted as a site to support the development of these
skills for teachers and students?
6. In what ways have you used professional development to increase teacher
competence in meeting student needs and implementing 21
st
century skills?
7. What evidence is available that the efforts have been successful?
8. What feedback have you received from other administrative directors, teachers,
parents, community leaders, and students about your efforts?

98
Appendix A continued
Interview Questions for Teachers
1. Tell me about your role as teacher in this charter school organization.
2. What are the principles on which you create your classroom curriculum? What
makes these principles effective in supporting student learning/ personal
performance as an educator?
3. What is your awareness of 21
st
century skills and to what extent to you integrate
them into the fabric of your curriculum? Are these decisions shared across
organizations (middle and high schools) or individuals (teacher to teacher or
teacher to directors)?
4. How do you believe you facilitate the development of these skills and
competencies as a teacher at this site? To what extent is this a shared
responsibility?
5. What practices have you adopted as a site or community of teachers to support the
development of these skills for students among staff members?
6. In what ways has professional development to increased your competence as an
educator in meeting student needs and implementing 21
st
century skills?
7. What evidence is available that the efforts have been successful?
8. What feedback have you received from other administrative directors, teachers,
parents, community leaders, and students about your efforts?
99
Appendix B
Observation Framework
Table B1
Observation Framework
University of Southern California
Rossier School of Education
Focus: Design and Implementation of Professional Development to
Support Student Achievement and the Development of 21st Century Skills

Date: __________________________ Page _________ of __________
Time: _________________________

Type of Observation (Circle One):
School
Class
Professional Development
Meeting

Observation Log
First Impressions:
Condition of surrounding neighborhood
Approach to school
§ Exterior condition of structures
§ Plants and foliage

100
Appendix B, Continued Table B1, Continued
§ Bus turn-arounds, parking lot: teachers and
students
§ Supervision around/ in front of school
The Office
§ Entrance/security
§ Condition of office compatible with exterior?
§ Staff interaction, with guests, parents,
community, and peers
Initial Meeting
§ With whom? Principal, Asst. Principal…
§ Restrictions on access?
§ Staff traffic to administration, open door or
appointments

101
Appendix B, Continued Table B1, Continued
Staff
§ Designated representatives, restricted choice,
or free access to staff
§ Teacher leaders
· Empowered? Figure heads?
· Emergent leaders or formal structures of
leadership
§ Collaboration?
· Structured, non-structured
· Common assessments, formative, summative

102
Appendix B, Continued Table B1, Continued
Students
§ Student centered culture?
§ Connection with staff at all levels? Any
levels?

Classroom Observations
Physical condition of room
Desks or tables
Student work displayed

103
Appendix B, Continued Table B1, Continued
Learning Goal
Related to Content standard
Demonstration of Learning
Evidence of 21st Century Skills

Professional Development
Professional Development Design and
Implementation
· Study Group

104
Appendix B, Continued, Table B1, Continued
· Teacher Network
· Mentoring
· Committee or Task Force
· Individual Resarch Project
· Teacher Resource Center
§ Duration
§ Collective Participation
· Partner Teachers

105
Appendix B, Continued Table B1, Continued
· Grade-Level Teams
· Department Chairs
· Staff-wide
· Administration/ Directors
§ Active Learning
§ Coherence
§ Content Focus

106
Appendix B, Continued Table B1, Continued
21st Century Skills
21st Century Skills
· Individual and Collective Problem Finding
§ Collaboration Across Networks and Leading
by Influence
· Verbal and Non-verbal Communication
§ Flexibility and Adaptability
· Individual and Collective Problem Finding
§ Initiative and Entrepreneurialism

107
Appendix B, Continued Table B1, Continued
· Use of ICT Tools, Communicative Media,
and Representation
§ Oral and Written Communication
· Individual and Collective Problem Finding
· Verbal and Non-verbal Communication
§ Accessing and Analyzing Information
· Use of ICT Tools, Communicative Media,
and Representation
· Inquiry
§ Curiosity and Imagination

108
Appendix B, Continued Table B1, Continued
· Individual and Collective Problem Finding
· Inquiry
Technology
Technology
§ Extent used
§ Teacher use
§ Student use
§ Student/teacher feedback on its use

Abstract (if available)

Abstract Literature has shown that professional development is most effective when it is ongoing, involves active, collective participation, and has coherence with the overall curriculum and teacher experience. This study was designed to examine the manner and extent to which Jamestown Polytechnic Charter School Organization designs and implements effective professional development to promote the transfer of 21st Century skills into classroom practice while maintaining high achievement on state accountability measures such as the CST’s. Not only is JPCSO implementing professional development on 21st century skills that transfers to teacher practice, the organization has redefined how to promote the development of these skills, by embedding 21st century skills into the practices of the organization and the activities of professional developments.

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Asset Metadata

Creator Olabuenaga, Gina (author)

Core Title Developing 21st century skills through effective professional development: a study of Jamestown Polytechnic Charter School Organization

School Rossier School of Education

Degree Doctor of Education

Degree Program Education

Publication Date 05/15/2010

Defense Date 03/23/2010

Publisher University of Southern California (original), University of Southern California. Libraries (digital)

Tag 21st Century,21st century skills,charter schools,collaboration,college-going indicators,OAI-PMH Harvest,professional development,project-based learning,rigor,skills-embedded professional development,standards,student achievement,teacher effectiveness,transparency

Place Name California (countries), San Diego (city or populated place)

Language English

Contributor Electronically uploaded by the author (provenance)

Advisor Garcia, Pedro E. (committee chair), Perez, Judith (committee member), Rousseau, Sylvia G. (committee member)

Creator Email golabuenaga2@gmail.com,olabuena@usc.edu

Permanent Link (DOI) https://doi.org/10.25549/usctheses-m3080

Unique identifier UC1310644

Identifier etd-Olabuenaga-3699 (filename),usctheses-m40 (legacy collection record id),usctheses-c127-336215 (legacy record id),usctheses-m3080 (legacy record id)

Legacy Identifier etd-Olabuenaga-3699.pdf

Dmrecord 336215

Document Type Dissertation

Rights Olabuenaga, Gina

Type texts

Source University of Southern California (contributing entity), University of Southern California Dissertations and Theses (collection)

Repository Name Libraries, University of Southern California

Repository Location Los Angeles, California

Repository Email cisadmin@lib.usc.edu