Chapter 6: Working with parents who traditionally find our services ‘hard to reach’

Widen your reading by taking a look at this list of useful journal articles.

Article 1: Patton, K., Parker, M., & Tannehill, D. (2015). Helping teachers help themselves: Professional development that makes a difference. NASSP Bulletin, 99(1), 26-42.

Abstract: For school administrators to facilitate impactful teacher professional development, a shift in thinking that goes beyond the acquisition of new skills and knowledge to helping teachers rethink their practice is required. Based on review of the professional development literature and our own continued observations of professional development, this scholarly article synthesizes findings and presents core features of effective professional development, including what those features might look like in practice. Strategies for teachers, administrators, and schools to begin to engage in meaningful professional development experiences are presented and discussed.

Article 2: Snyder, P., Hemmeter, M. L., & McLaughlin, T. (2011). Professional development in early childhood intervention: Where we stand on the silver anniversary of PL 99-457. Journal of Early Intervention, 33(4), 357-370.

Abstract: We describe historical foundations of professional development (PD) in early childhood intervention (ECI) and where we stand on the silver anniversary of PL 99-457. To advance its scientific basis, we assert that it is important to define what is meant by PD; identify structural and process features of PD hypothesized to be effective for supporting improvements in intervention quality and effectiveness; specify theories of action or change related to how specific features of PD are assumed to affect practitioner behaviours and, in turn, child or family outcomes; and conduct experimental studies that provide evidence to support or refute specified theories of action. We describe progress being made in each of these areas and discuss several challenges and future directions related to advancing the scientific basis of PD in ECI.