RALEIGH, NC - The latest evaluation of the QTL™ program adds to the evidence of the program's lasting impact on teachers and schools.

PARTICIPANT SURVEY RESULTS
The newest formal internal evaluation examined more than 200 North Carolina teachers who completed QTL during Spring 2005. The report measured three areas of impact: participants' implementation of quality teaching strategies, student engagement and learning, and technology use. Impressive gains were measured in each category. (Read the full report.)

Teachers participate in QTL™, but it's students who ultimately benefit from the program's impact through more engaging teaching and active learning.

More than three quarters of participants surveyed on Day Six of the seven-day program reported they had already begun implementing instructional strategies linked to technology that were modeled during the program. More than half reported "substantial" implementation or even stated specific plans for using the concepts.

"I re-discovered that some of my students learn better when you give them a reason, some when you give them the facts, some when you let them try it, and some when you let them teach it to themselves," said one respondent. "I have adapted my teaching practices and hope they my students have gained more skills."

In fact, fully 75 percent of respondents said they have noticed positive changes in attitude, behavior or academics in their classrooms.

"My students are so excited!!" remarked one teacher. "I can hold their attention so much more easily now! They love all the new technology that their teacher is not afraid to use now!"

Possibly the most surprising gains were in teachers' own confidence level with using classroom technology. On the post survey, an overwhelming 94 percent reported an increase in their own confidence and ability related to using technology in the classroom, and 91 percent said that confidence translated into actual implementation of technology or specific plans to do so.

"Thanks to the QTL program, I no longer fear technology," said one. "I consider ways to incorporate it into every lesson plan. QTL has taken me far from the lecture mode with which I am most comfortable and helped me to move into the 21st Century."

CASE STUDY: BOTETOURT COUNTY
The North Carolina report follows an in-depth case study of QTL implementation in Botetourt County, VA. That study, conducted by an external evaluator, found that the first full year of district-wide implementation of QTL in Botetourt County "was a huge success and was echoed at every level in Botetourt County."

The report states that "The teachers were positively impacted with increased technology skills, increased incorporation of best instructional practices and technology into the curriculum, greater collegiality, common level of teaching standards and a higher degree of professionalism."

But the report says it was students who saw the greatest benefit. "The student outcomes were perhaps the best story to tell since they were ultimately the recipients of the drastic effects. Students became more active participatory learners; very difficult, unreachable students experienced turnarounds and test scores correlated to the newly employed QTL techniques for reaching all students." (Read the full report.)

TECHNOLOGY PROJECT EVALUATION
Earlier this year, a formal evaluation of a federally funded technology demonstration project at Oak Lane Elementary in Person County, NC showed QTL's impact as part of a larger classroom technology initiative.

The Oak Lane project, coordinated by the North Carolina Technology Association (formerly NCEITA), showed how a $250,000 investment in technology and teacher professional development could impact a single school and its teachers and students. QTL served as the professional development component of the project, showing teachers how to get the most effective use of the new tools at their disposal. The final evaluation of the project showed the QTL training was a critical piece of the puzzle, and even helped other teachers throughout the district who had the opportunity to take part. (Read the full report.)

STUDYING EACH COMPONENT
Jason Clemmer, evaluation specialist for The Centers for Quality Teaching and Learning, says the QTL program has now undergone several rigorous evaluations to investigate its impact on teachers, schools and school districts.

"We want to make sure the goals of the program are actually realized," he says. "Each component of the QTL program has been studied using a combination of quantitative surveys and in-depth case studies.

"Survey findings show QTL participation will result in the implementation of quality teaching strategies, increased student engagement and learning, higher confidence to use technology, and more integration of technology into the classroom," says Clemmer, a third-year doctoral candidate at UNC-Chapel Hill who holds a master's degree in education.

"Case studies demonstrate how QTL participation can foster increased collaboration and even change the culture of an entire school district when key factors are in place."

Click here for links to each evaluation report.