Teacher Learning Teams Studies Win "Best Research of 2010" Award from Learning Forward

Pearson Learning Teams is the only program based on the award-winning research

Atlanta, Georgia,: December 7, 2010 – Four researchers based in California have been honored with the 2010 Best Research Award from Learning Forward (formerly the National Staff Development Council), in recognition of two research studies that document how gains in student achievement can be made when teacher learning teams work collaboratively to identify student problems and follow a structured protocol to resolve them. The award was presented during the group’s annual meeting in Atlanta.

The research is the foundation of the methodology implemented by Pearson Learning Teams, the only educational services program modeled explicitly on the findings of the two studies honored by Learning Forward. It’s also the only model of its kind that has an evidence base establishing the positive effects of teacher collaboration on student achievement.

Researchers William M. Saunders, Claude N. Goldenberg and Ronald Gallimore found that achievement in the schools using teacher learning teams rose 41 percent overall–and 54 percent for Hispanic students–relative to a comparable group of schools that used whole-school reform strategies. The study, “Increasing Achievement by Focusing Grade Level Teams on Improving Classroom Learning,” was published in the American Educational Research Journal.

Drs. Saunders, Goldenberg and Gallimore, along with Dr. Bradley A. Ermeling, are also the authors of the second study, “Moving the Learning of Teaching Closer to Practice.” This study outlines five key elements that are necessary for establishing productive teacher learning teams, including: trained peer facilitators–a point person–to guide their colleagues’ work over time; perseverance until there is progress on key student performance indicators; stable settings dedicated to improving instruction and learning; tested protocols that guide (but don’t prescribe) the teacher team’s improvement efforts; and job-alike teams of 3-7 teachers who teach the same grade level, course or subject. The study was published in a special issue of The Elementary School Journal.

Teachers in schools using Pearson Learning Teams implement the five key elements cited above. They meet regularly to analyze assessment results and identify critical student learning needs. Then, as a team, they develop possible solutions which the teachers try out in their individual classrooms. If an approach works, they document the findings and move on to a new area of student need. If the approach doesn’t work, the teachers continue the cycles of planning and analysis until they see sufficient results from student data.

Almost 4,000 teachers at 175 schools across the United States–half of which are secondary schools–are using Pearson Learning Teams to improve instruction and student achievement.

“Teacher learning teams are an essential component to create and sustain schools as vibrant places of learning for educators as well as students,” said Beth Wray, President of Pearson Learning Teams. “We are happy to learn that the research on which Pearson Learning Teams is based has won this award. Two of the original developers of the model referenced in this award continue to be associated with Pearson Learning Teams and they help us continue to invest in research to improve our approach and build upon what we know about how teaching impacts student achievement.”

Learning Forward, formerly known as the National Staff Development Council, is the largest non-profit professional association committed to ensuring success for all students through staff development and school improvement.