A review of 25 technical assistance models and frameworks was conducted to identify the core elements of technicalassistance practices. The focus of analysis was on generally agreed upon technical assistance practices that wereconsidered essential for planning, implementing and evaluating the effectiveness of technical assistance. Resultsindicated that there are five major components of technical assistance and 25 different core elements. Analyses of themodels and components found considerable variability within and between components in terms of the core elementsthat are considered most important or essential. Findings were used to define and describe the core elements of thetechnical assistance models and frameworks and how they can be used in research and evaluation studies todetermine if the use of the core elements and practices are related to changes or improvements in program,organizational, or systems practices.

<span>Findings from a synthesis of technical assistance models and frameworks were used to code the use of 25 core elements of technical assistance in studies and evaluations of implementation interventions to affect program, organization, and systems change. The 25 core elements were group into five components: preparation for the provision of technical assistance, development of a technical assistance plan, implementation of technical assistance, evaluation of the effects of technical assistance, and sustainability of technical assistance-facilitated changes. Results indicated that a subset of 11 core elements was related to between groups and between condition differences in the sizes of effect for program, organization, and systems changes. Results also showed that more intensive technical assistance was associated with larger sizes of effects compared to less intensive technical assistance and that particular combinations of practices were associated with the largest sizes of effect.</span>

Results from a metasynthesis of the relationships between 14 different types of preservice teacher preparation practices and teaching quality, preschool to university student performance, and university student and beginning teacher belief appraisals are reported. Each type of preservice practice (e.g., course-based student learning) included different kinds of instructional methods (e.g., problem-based learning, inquiry-based learning, and project-based learning). The metasynthesis included 118 meta-analyses and 12 surveys of more than three million study participants. Findings clearly indicated that active university student and beginning teacher involvement in mastering the use of instructional practices and both knowledge and skill acquisition by far stood out as the most important preservice teacher preparation practices. These included extended student teaching experiences, simulated instructional practices and microteaching, faculty coaching and mentoring, clinical supervision, different types of cooperative learning practices, and course-based active student learning methods. The pattern of results helped identify high leverage and high impact teacher preparation practices. Implications for future research and improving teacher preparation are described.

Findings from a meta-analysis of meta-analyses of 14 different types of preservice student and beginning teacher preparation practices are described. The research synthesis included 118 meta-analyses and 12 other research studies of preservice practices-preservice student and beginning teacher outcomes. The research reports included between 5000 and 6000 studies and an estimated 2.5 to 3 million study participants. The outcomes included two different teacher quality measures and two different preservice student and beginning teacher measures. Mean difference effect sizes, confidence intervals for the average effect sizes, and generalized patterns of results were used to identify very high impact, high impact, medium impact, low impact, and no impact preservice practices. Results showed that clinically rich field experiences (extended and limited student teaching), learning experiences that included multiple opportunities for deliberate practice, faculty and school-based coaching, clinical supervision and performance feedback, different types of experiences and opportunities to learn to teach, course-based experiential learning experiences, and cooperative learning opportunities stood out as especially important practices that were related to optimal preservice and beginning teacher outcomes. The patterns of results are consistent with a practice-based approach to teacher preparation where the focus of preservice and beginning teacher education is the learning experiences and opportunities to learn and use optimal effective teaching practices.

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