S3/E1: Dr. Thomas Guskey on Evaluating Professional Learning

On this episode of The Best of Us, we’re honored to talk with Dr. Thomas Guskey, author of Instructional Feedback: The Power, the Promise, the Practice and nationally-renowned expert on education measurement and evaluation. Dr. Guskey’s evaluation framework is an adapted version of the Kirkpatrick four-level model of evaluation used in business fields. Early attempts to apply this model to teacher PD were unsuccessful, leading him to create a model specifically for education settings that considers systemic support and change. Dr. Guskey takes us through the why’s and how’s of his five-level model for professional learning evaluation, plus what the research says on PD’s impact on students. We also talk about managing learning versus managing learners, overcoming organizational barriers to PD success, and the surprising lessons Pac-Man can bring to the classroom.