Empowering Educators, Enhancing Outcomes: The CHOICE Model for Autonomous Professional Learning

Abstract Information: This presentation covers the implementation and evaluation of the Professional Learning by Choice Community (CHOICE), a five-year, $10.8M Education Innovation and Research (EIR) early-phase grant awarded to Virginia Ed Strategies by the US Department of Education (USED) in FY20 to research the impact of giving teachers autonomy in their professional development. The CHOICE model incorporates funding, wrap-around supports, and a collaborative peer-to-peer virtual community to empower teachers to reflect on their current practices, select and attend professional learning opportunities that are relevant and impactful for them, and implement new strategies in their classrooms that lead to positive student outcomes. In its fourth year of implementation, CHOICE currently serves over 400 high school math, science, computer science, and career and technical education (CTE) teachers from 88 Virginia school districts, and the program will expand to at least 1,000 teachers by the summer of 2024 to include PK-12 STEM educators statewide. CHOICE aims to not only empower teachers to self-select their own professional learning but to ultimately increase teachers’ self-efficacy and their ability to improve students’ achievement. An external evaluation, including both implementation and impact studies, is a required component of the EIR program, and ICF was contracted by Virginia Ed Strategies to carry out those evaluation responsibilities. This paper will focus on four areas: two focusing on the project (the overall CHOICE model and the specific innovations being developed to meet educator needs) and two focusing on the evaluation, which includes an implementation study, to determine the degree to which the CHOICE model is implemented with fidelity, and a quasi-experimental impact study, to assess student achievement outcomes. Both the project and evaluation teams are committed to carrying out responsibilities in an inclusive, collaborative manner that fosters space for and welcomes diverse perspectives and input. Comprised of individuals with diverse skill sets and rich lived experiences, both teams are dedicated to mentoring and enhancing staff capacities. Hosting an AEA GEDI Intern throughout this project is one way we have sought to include and mentor new evaluators. Through hands-on work experience and training opportunities, our GEDI Intern is gaining practical skills and learning invaluable lessons about navigating multi-layered, large-scale evaluation projects. We highlight how having a team with diverse perspectives enhances our collaboration, problem-solving, and decision-making, fostering a richer, more culturally responsive evaluation. This presentation aims to provide insight into the design and execution of a model that empowers teachers to independently select and engage-with professional learning opportunities most relevant to them, and to investigate the subsequent effects on student achievement outcomes. Broad enough to interest researchers and practitioners interested in educational evaluation in general as well as those more specifically interested in USED EIR programs, this presentation should be of interest to those new to the research and evaluation field as well as those more advanced.