A Longitudinal Analysis of the Relations Among Professional Development, Educators’ Beliefs and Perceived Skills, and Response-to-Intervention Implementation

ABSTRACT

Professional development is a critical systems-level intervention thought to facilitate Response-to-Intervention (RtI) implementation. The current study examined the relations between professional development, educator outcomes, and problem-solving implementation within an RtI framework using growth curve modeling. School leadership teams from pilot schools (n = 34) participated in 3 years of training. Pilot schools also received job-embedded coaching. Comparison schools (n = 27) provided a referent group. Results indicated that problem-solving implementation increased faster at pilot schools (β = 0.10, SE = 0.05, t = 2.03, p < .05). In addition, beliefs regarding data-based decision-making (β = 0.36, SE = 0.17, t = 2.13, p < .05) and perceived problem-solving skills applied to academics (β = 0.30, SE = 0.10, t = 3.07, p < .01) positively related to implementation. Implications include the needs to further explore professional development activities and for consultants to utilize evidence-based professional development principles when supporting RtI implementation.

KEYWORDS:

• Intervention
• professional development
• implementation
• coaching
• educators

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Florida Department of Education [06C133].

Notes on contributors

Jose M. Castillo

Jose M. Castillo, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor and Co-Director of the Institute for School Reform at the University of South Florida. His research interests include evaluation of MTSS implementation through a systems change lens, and professional and practice issues in school psychology.

Joy H. Wang

Joy H. Wang, PhD, is a postdoc fellow at the University of South Florida (USF). She earned her PhD from USF. Her research interests include supporting children and adolescents’ mental health, as well as academic and behavioral well-being from a systems perspective.

Julie G. Daye

Julie G. Daye, Ed.S., is a doctoral candidate in the school psychology program at the University of South Florida. She earned her BS and Ed.S. from Brigham Young University. Her research interests include prevention and intervention for at-risk adolescents, with a particular focus on systems change and implementation of multi-tiered systems of support in high school settings.

Kai Zhuang Shum

Kai Zhuang Shum, MA, is a graduate student at the University of South Florida’s School Psychology Program. Her research interest focuses on supporting youth mental health through a Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS).

Amanda L. March

Amanda L. March, PhD, is the Professional Learning and Coaching Coordinator for Florida’s Problem-Solving/Response to Intervention Project at the University of South Florida. Her research and professional interests include systems-change and program evaluation practices in schools, integrated multi-tiered systems of service delivery, team-based problem solving, and best practices in educator professional development and systems coaching.