Abstract:
This chapter provides a theoretical analysis of research on professional development and literacy interventions in grades K-12. Two-tiered scaffolding (Gaffney & Anderson, 1991), in which tier 1 represents teacher-child interaction and tier 2 represents professional development provider-teacher interaction, served as the theoretical framework for the search, analysis, and interpretation of empirical studies. The theoretical critique afforded a nuanced analysis with resulting novel insights into the relationship between professional development and the impact of literacy interventions. Studies are organized in terms of four contexts for literacy learning (one-to-one, small-group, whole-class, and school-wide interventions) and rated in terms of strength of evidence of the impact of professional development or support on student learning. We provide a critique of the research from a two-tiered scaffolding perspective and conclude with implications for research, theory, policy, and practice.
