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Impact of MSP Professional Development on the Quality of Instruction in Middle-School Mathematics & Science Classrooms
The purpose of this Research, Evaluation and Technical Assistance (RETA) study is to assess the impact of MSP-supported professional development (PD) on the quality of instructional practice in middle schools. The American Institutes for Research (AIR) will be partnering with Eastern Michigan University to conduct the multi-site study which will be focused on mathematics classrooms.

Focusing on the crucial link between PD and instructional practice, the three-year study addresses the following research questions:
1. To what extent do professional development activities supported by MSP exhibit features of high-quality professional development as identified in prior research? Do teachers in MSP districts receive higher-quality PD than comparable teachers in non-MSP districts?
2. What are the effects of professional development activities supported by MSP on the quality of instruction in middle-school mathematics classrooms?
3. To what extent are features of high-quality professional development identified in prior research related to the quality of instruction in middle-school mathematics classrooms?

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Project Contributions

The RETA and MSP Partnership: Developing Knowledge from Research and Evaluation Support
"In late 2009, the American Institutes for Research (AIR) was awarded a Research, Evaluation, and Technical Assistance (RETA) grant from the National Science Foundation's Math and Science Partnership (MSP) Program…
Impact of Math and Science Partnership (MSP) Professional Development on the Quality of Instruction in Middle-School Mathematics Classrooms
Posted by: Beth (Mary) Kubitskey . The American Institutes for Research (AIR) and Eastern Michigan University are conducting a multi-site study focusing on the crucial link between professional development (PD) and instructional practice in mathematics and…