According to the Deputy Associate Superintendent for Educational Technology Arizona Department of Education, Cathy J. Poplin, the Peer Coaching program meets the requirements of sustainable quality professional development. In 2007, the Educational Technology section of the Arizona Department of Education required a Peer Coaching element in all of the competitive Title II-D Enhancing Education Through Technology grants. Requiring this element has led to greater sustainability and capacity building within the currently funded grants. When the Peer Coaching model is used with fidelity, we have found that the support network within a school and district grows exponentially beyond the capacity building of former competitive grants. The Arizona Department of Education will continue to require the use of a Peer Coaching element in all subsequent competitive educational technology grant proposals.
Peer Coaching supports the “vision of professional learning, ensuring that teachers have time to work and learn with colleagues every day, that their learning is aligned with standards, and that their learning revolves around a continuous cycle of improvement” (NSDC, Advocacy Toolkit, 2008). When the coaches are on the local school campus, the teacher has someone they can turn to for support in implementing the strategies they learned in the professional development sessions. Peer coaching provides the support and follow-up for teachers to expand their abilities to create technology enhanced lessons and meet the needs of the students in their classrooms.
Cathy J. Poplin Deputy Associate Superintendent for Educational Technology Arizona Department of Education 1535 West Jefferson, Bin 8 Phoenix, AZ 85007 602-364-1349 office 602-542-5467 fax cathy.poplin@azed.gov www.azed.gov/technology<http://www.azed.gov/technology> www.azed.gov/elearning<http://www.azed.gov/elearning> www.ideal.azed.gov<http://www.ideal.azed.gov> |