Professional Development in the Accountability Context: Building Capacity to Achieve Standards

Abstract

For professional development to be effective as an accountability policy mechanism, it must address challenges posed by accountability while also building teachers' capacity to change. This article details the role of professional development in the accountability system and provides a review of literature on effective professional development, discussed in the context of accountability. We set forth a framework for professional development that responds to accountability demands and examine trends in professional development participation to assess the extent to which professional development has grown to reflect this framework. Although participation in sustained, content-focused professional development has increased, greater attention to other critical features of professional development is necessary to foster instruction and achievement improvements that accountability policy is intended to induce.