VIF’s Blended Professional Development is Effective Resource for Educators

News provided by

VIF International Education

Oct 21, 2015, 11:30 ET


Chapel Hill, N.C. (PRWEB) October 21, 2015 -- VIF International Education, a global education partner of K-12 schools and districts, announced Wednesday the release of its 2014-15 end-of-year report. The report, which contains analyses conducted by the Friday Institute for Education Innovation at North Carolina State University and a lead researcher at the Education Policy Initiative of Carolina (EPIC), measures the impact of VIF’s online professional development and curriculum as well as its dual language immersion program, Splash.

The Friday Institute observed that the large majority of educators have found the use of VIF’s Learning Center to be a valuable professional development experience which, in turn, has successfully improved teachers’ understanding and integration of global content. Teachers also reported that greater exposure to global content has resulted in increased teacher collaboration and has helped students become more “open-minded” and inclusive of cultures at their school and beyond. Other key findings included:

  • A majority of participating teachers found VIF professional development to be “valuable,” “very valuable” or “essential” in their development as global educators.
  • Teachers reported increased student engagement.
  • The majority of teachers reported using VIF-created curriculum to provide ideas and resources from which they build their own lessons and projects.
  • Teachers reported increased frequency of their integration of global content compared to their integration prior to participation.

A lead researcher at the Education Policy Initiative of Carolina (EPIC), which is housed within the University of North Carolina’s Institute of Public Policy, also conducted a comprehensive research evaluation on outcomes for students participating in VIF’s Splash Dual Language Immersion program. The study indicates that, on average, students in Splash classrooms have higher scores on math, reading and fifth grade science End of Grade (EOG) tests than their peers in non-Splash classrooms and their peers across North Carolina.

For more information on VIF programs, click here to view the complete 2014-15 end-of-year report.

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About VIF International Education
VIF International Education partners with districts and schools to develop global-ready teachers and students. For more than 25 years, educators have used VIF’s professional development and curriculum, language acquisition and cultural exchange teacher programs to create engaging learning environments that integrate technology, cultural literacy and other 21st century skills into classroom instruction. VIF is a certified B Corp and ‘Best for the World’ honoree headquartered in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.

TJ Scholl, VIF International Education, http://www.vifprogram.com, 919-265-5065, [email protected]