by PRP Group, on 04/23/2024
The Metropolitan School District of Decatur Township has been successfully using video in our teacher professional learning for more than seven years. According to our recently retired former superintendent, Dr. Matt Prusiecki, the return on investment has been “tremendous” because “the entire district team is more reflective on practice, we’ve increased teacher retention, and most importantly, raised student achievement by improving the quality of instruction.”Recent research highlights the value of video: A study conducted through the U.S. Department of Education looked at video-based coaching in about 100 elementary schools. A group of 350 4th-, 5th-, and 6th-grade teachers were split into groups. One group had five rounds of coaching in which they recorded themselves teaching and received feedback on the video. Another group had no video coaching. Compared to similar teachers who didn’t receive the additional coaching, those who received five rounds of coaching showed significant improvement in student achievement. Teachers with five or fewer years of experience and those with teaching practices in the bottom third of participants saw even greater improvement in both math and English language arts.