Report on the Imperative for Professional Development in Education

In this publication, released by the Albert Shanker Institute in conjunction with a professional development forum cosponsored with Achieve, Inc. (see below), Harvard professor Richard Elmore argues that education reforms that are based on standards and accountability will fail unless policymakers also adopt a strategy to ensure that educators have the knowledge and skill they need to help students succeed. The bottom line, says Elmore, is not in issues of governance and process, but in how the quality of instructional practice affects student learning.