An Efficacy Study of the Learning and Teaching Geometry Professional Development Materials: Examining Impact and Context-Based Adaptations

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The Discovery Research K-12 program (DRK-12) seeks to significantly enhance the learning and teaching of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) by preK-12 students and teachers, through research and development of innovative resources, models and tools (RMTs). Projects in the DRK-12 program build on fundamental research in STEM education and prior research and development efforts that provide theoretical and empirical justification for proposed projects. There are few examples of research that demonstrates causal impacts of professional development on teachers' knowledge and practice and student learning. This study will examine the impact of the Learning and Teaching Geometry (LTG) professional development for secondary mathematics teachers on the teachers' knowledge and classroom instruction, as well as on their students' learning. As the nation invests vast resources in the professional development of teachers to meet new curriculum and instruction challenges, exploring the efficacy of professional development is important to understand how best to direct those resources. Using a cluster randomized design, the project will sample from 132 teachers (66 per condition) from 28 middle and high schools to participate in a 2-year implementation of the LTG professional development, facilitated by highly trained facilitators to study the efficacy of the materials. The project will monitor the fiedity of implementation of the LTG using a professional development session logging tool and Facilitator Interview Protocol. Outcome measures include measures of teacher knowledge, teaching practice, and student learning of geometry. Analyses will include two- and three-level hierarchical linear models to estimate the effects of participation in the LTG professional development and growth over time.