Online Staff Development for Teachers: Multi-State Planning for Implementation

Abstract

The Online Delivery Model Project was funded by the Office of Special Education Programs in follow-up to the Online Academy (Award # HO29K73002). The purpose of the project was to engage teams of educators from nine states in the development of models for implementing online staff development at the state, regional, and national levels. Five online staff development modules were beta tested by members of the state teams as a strategy for ensuring that all participants in the planning process possessed a common understanding of online staff development. The project was organized around 2 two-day planning retreats supplemented by a series of planning tasks. In addition, two studies were conducted as a way to inform the planning process: (a) a study of barriers to online staff development and (b) a study of the conditions or parameters of online staff development. Based on project activities, project participants recommended for implementation a multi-organizational model headed by a single lead agency. In addition to a discussion of the related literature, procedures and general findings, the article presents attributes common to lead agencies and organizational considerations.

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