Increasing Adolescent Engagement, Motivation, and Achievement: Efficacy of a Web-Based, Teacher Professional Development Model

Purpose: By the time adolescents enter high school, more than half report that they do not take school or their studies seriously. Many adolescents also report that their interactions with teachers are not satisfying or motivating, suggesting that teachers may be uniquely positioned to promote student engagement in school. Because disengagement and lack of motivation are often expressed through disruptive and uncooperative classroom behavior, their negative effects on learning are compounded by missed instructional time due to office discipline referrals and in-school suspensions. My Teaching Partner (MTP) is designed to change the quality of teacher-student interactions in ways that enhance student engagement, reduce problematic behaviors, and increase student achievement. At the secondary level, MTP provides on-going, personalized coaching and feedback to support teachers' appropriate responses to adolescents' unique developmental needs. In this efficacy study, the research team will examine the effects of MTP on the academic performance of students in high school and determine the extent to which improved teacher-student interaction increases student behavioral and achievement outcomes via their impact on student engagement and motivation.