| dc.description.abstract | This capstone project examined the perceived impact of WIDA’s professional learning offerings (PLOs) on K-12 educators for multilingual learners across its consortium of 41 U.S. states, territories, and federal agencies. WIDA is a non-profit organization housed within the Wisconsin Center for Education Research at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Using Baldwin and Ford's (1988) Transfer of Training theory as a conceptual framework, the project team conducted a mixed methods analysis of qualitative data from survey responses, coding patterns, and trainee demographics. Participants overwhelmingly perceived WIDA’s PLOs positively and were primarily interested in elements of their training design. Despite being generally satisfied, respondents offered constructive criticism on four primary themes related to areas of improvement. There was a significant gap in satisfaction between administrators and student-facing roles, and there is currently no follow-up process in place to provide opportunity for educators to report back on outcomes.
Overall, the findings of this project provide valuable insight into the perceived impact of WIDA's PLOs and suggest several areas for improvement. The recommendations made by the project team are intended to help WIDA enhance the effectiveness of their PLOs and support their vision of being a trusted and valued resource for multilingual learners' education. | |
