Reading comprehension for students continues to be a challenge at all grade levels as evidenced by national and international examinations. Teachers play an important role in providing evidence-based strategic instruction to students. In a recent large scale randomized controlled trial of the Knowledge Acquisition and Transformation (KAT) expansion project funded by the U.S. Department of Education, we measured teacher and coaches knowledge about pedagogy, content, and main idea generation. We created learning pathways on a web-based intelligent tutoring system for teachers to study how to teach reading comprehension. We also provided continuous feedback to teachers through artificial intelligence (AI) reviewed classroom observations. A library of resources and guidelines for using them effectively are also presented to teachers and school coaches. A monthly KAT-Chat webinar was delivered to all participating teachers with an accompanying newsletter with video links. Together the combination of the 360 degree supports for teachers resulted in strong learning outcomes for the teachers with statistically significant improvements in their knowledge and outcomes. This approach presents a powerful alternative to traditional professional development systems that are limited to single events and lacking follow-through to sustain change in classrooms.

Authors:
Kausalai Kay Wijekumar, Texas A&M University, United States

About the Presenter(s)
Kay Wijekumar, Ph.D. is Houston Endowed Chair, EDGES Fellow, and Director for the Center for Urban School Partnerships (CUSP) at Texas A&M University.

Connect on Linkedin
https://www.linkedin.com/in/kausalai-wijekumar-377058161/

See this presentation on the full schedule – Saturday Schedule

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