e-Learning for Educators
 Goals

The major goals of the proposed e-Learning for Educators initiative are as follows:

  1. Use e-learning to provide effective professional development that leads to gains in teachers' content knowledge, improvements in their teaching practices, and increases in the achievement of their students.
  2. Develop, within each participating state and public broadcasting organization, the capacity to use e-learning as a vehicle for effective professional development that directly serves state and district teacher quality initiatives and student achievement goals, with a specific focus on high need schools and districts.
  3. Create a multi-state collaboration to define common standards, share resources and expertise, and support the individual state programs.
  4. Develop a cadre of skilled e-Learning for Educators instructors to teach the e-learning courses offered.
  5. Develop model e-learning courses for professional development that address critical state needs and provide exemplars to inform further course development.
  6. Develop a cadre of skilled e-Learning for Educators course developers and establish collaborations involving public broadcasting stations, state departments of education, and other relevant organizations, to develop e-learning courses to meet the student achievement needs of each state.
  7. Conduct scientifically-based research to determine the effectiveness of the e-Learning for Educators initiative on improving teacher quality and impacting student achievement.
  8. Establish a proven, scaleable and sustainable model for e-learning professional development programs that can be replicated in other states.

To meet these ambitious goals, the initiative will be a collaborative effort involving the following organizations eight State Departments of Education: Alabama, Delaware, Mississippi, Missouri, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, and West Virginia. These states are committed to working with public television stations in their regions to build local e-Learning for Educators programs that will serve the teacher quality and professional development needs of each state.  

Education Development Center, Inc. (EDC), a nonprofit educational research and development organization and national leader in online professional development, will provide training programs for e-learning instructors and developers, consulting on e-learning program planning and implementation, and e-learning course development services. 

The Boston College Technology and Assessment Study Collaborative will be responsible for the project evaluation and for conducting randomized design studies of the impact of the e-Learning for Educators initiative.