| dc.description.abstract | This project investigates the conflicts that arose when the professional development organization Show Me Literacies Collaborative worked with school districts in and around St. Louis, Missouri. Mixed-methods research using a survey and interviews, and literature studying administrators, assessment, evaluations, literacy, and professional development, shows that conflict occurs due to a lack of alignment of district goals and professional development goals. The same lack of alignment shows up in teacher evaluations, where teachers are encouraged to perform in one manner based on district expectations and in a different manner based on professional development goals. Furthermore, this project found districts use different methods to assess literacy depending on grade level; some do not even assess literacy at the high school level. Using the Self-Efficacy framework of Albert Bandura, this project recommends professional development organizations do specific outreach and teaching to administrators to ensure a better alignment of goals and less conflict between education teams. | |
