Abstract
Background: Italy is a country showing low math achievement, especially
in the Southern regions. Moreover, national student assessments are recent
and rigorous policy evaluation is lacking. This study presents the results of
one of the first randomized controlled trials implemented in Italian schools
in order to measure the effects of a professional development (PD) program for teachers on student math achievement. The program was
already at scale when it was being evaluated. Objective: Assessing the
effects of a PD program for math teachers on their students’ achievement
and making suggestions for future policy evaluations. Design: A large-scale
clustered randomized control trial has been conducted. It involves 175
lower secondary schools (sixth - eighth grade) in four among the Italian lowest
performing regions. Alongside national standard math assessments, the
project collected a wide amount of information. Subjects: Math in lower
secondary schools. Measures: Math achievement as measured by standardized
tests provided by the National Education Assessment Institute (Istituto
Nazionale per la Valutazione del Sistema di Istruzione e Formazione);
teacher and student practices and attitudes collected through questionnaires.
Results: Findings suggest that the program had no significant impact on math
scores during the first year (when the program was held). Nonetheless some
heterogeneity was detected, as the treatment does seem ‘‘to work’’ with
middle-aged teachers. Moreover, effects on teaching practice and student
attitudes appear. Conclusion: Some effects attributable to the intervention
have been detected. Moreover, this project shows that a rigorous approach
to evaluation is feasible also in a context lacking attention towards evidencebased
policies, such the Italian school system.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 99-132 |
Number of pages | 34 |
Journal | Evaluation Review |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 2014 |
Keywords
- randomized controlled trial
- tecaher professional development