Help Yourself, Help Your Students

Science teachers often participate in professional development programs (PDPs) to improve their students' learning. They sign up for workshops, institutes, university classes, or professional learning communities to gain knowledge and new instructional practices and to find colleagues with whom to discuss their teaching. But with so many options available, how do you know which PDPs are best and which in particular will support the "Next Generation Science Standards" (NGSS Lead States 2013)? To answer these questions, a review was conducted of the research focused on PDPs for science teachers. In this article, the authors present the results of that review and suggest what to consider when selecting a PDP.