Teacher Professional Development for Reading: A Review of the State of the Research

Teacher professional development (PD) in reading is aimed at improving teachers' instructional practice and, in turn, positively impacting students' reading achievement. Findings from 25 studies included in this meta‐analysis demonstrate that overall, reading PD produced significant, positive effects on teacher outcomes ( g = 0.62). The overall effects of reading PD on teacher skills were large and significant ( g = 0.64), while the effects of reading PD on teachers' beliefs were small and nonsignificant ( g = 0.25). Findings also demonstrated significantly larger effects for active participation, providing teachers with opportunities to learn how to implement an evidence‐based practice compared to passive participation. More research is needed to better understand other key features of high‐quality reading PD, including coherence or alignment of PD content with school and district initiatives and needs to determine the necessary dosage of PD required to maximize teacher outcomes.