Telling the PD Travel Story- Part 4
Chapter 6 - Impact And so, we arrive at the end of our story and the promised land of improved student outcomes. The logic pathway from PD inception to improved outcomes is not at all straightforward and is so multi-causal that drawing a direct line between the two may be impossible. There are however some intermediary steps that may be easier to measure, and in themselves may be a useful f or PD leaders to reflect on. In 1976 Donald Kirkpatrick produced a taxonomy of data types that could be used to evaluate training programmes in organisations as well as other interventions such as coaching and mentoring. Despite its age, the model remains a benchmark tool for evaluation and has inspired several adaptations including Kaufman’s Model of Learning Evaluation (1994) and Guskey’s (2000) work on evaluating professional development in schools. The four levels of Kirkpatrick’s model are as follows: Level 1 – Reaction : How do the partici...