CONFERENCE ABSTRACTS

Presenter: Ann Easter

The critical role of schoolwide teacher professional learning in the development of effective provisions for gifted and talented students

Over the past decade, the Ministry of Education has funded a number of national initiatives to improve learning outcomes for gifted and talented students in New Zealand schools. Recent reports (e.g., Education Review Office, 2008) demonstrate that high quality teacher professional learning and development is a critical factor in building the capacity of schools to cater effectively for this group of learners. This paper will discuss the key messages in the research and consider the implications of these findings for the development of schoolwide professional learning programmes. Particular attention will be given to issues of change management, sustainability, and the importance of systematic programme evaluation.