Professional development that addresses school capacity: Lessons from urban elementary schools

We argue that professional development should address five aspects of schoo l capacity: teachers' knowledge, skills, and dispositions; professional com munity; program coherence; technical resources; and principal leadership. A two-year study of nine urban elementary schools in the United States found considerable variation in schools' use of professional development to addr ess capacity. More comprehensive professional development occurred through both externally developed programs and school-based initiatives. Comprehens ive professional development was most strongly related to the school's init ial level of capacity and principal leadership, less related to per teacher funding, least related to external assistance and district/state policy. I mplications are discussed.