National efforts have been made to encourage technology integration in teacher preparation with expectations for frequent and successful applications with K-12 learners. While online learning has become pervasive in many fields in education, it has been somewhat slow to catch on in K-12 settings. The "Handbook of Research on Emerging…

A recent movement in schools is the implementation of multitiered models of service delivery. Known as response to intervention (RTI), multitiered systems of support (MTSS), or instructional decision making (IDM), these models refer to a tiered framework of services in which research-based instruction is matched to the "data-based needs of…

How can we prepare practicing and aspiring education leaders for the complex, adaptive challenges they face? In "Helping Educators Grow," Eleanor Drago-Severson presents a new approach to leadership development. Too often, she argues, we teach leadership development the same way we teach world history: just the facts. Instead, we need to…

This article describes roles and responsibilities to be taken by groups within a school district in order to promote teacher collaboration as part of the work life of a school. Included is a checklist for use by individuals responsible for staff development in schools, with suggestions for initiating teacher collaboration. (Author/MT)

Reviews research on importance of strong professional communities for supporting reform. National Center for Research in Mathematical Sciences Education (NCRMSE) found significant correlation between teachers' professional community and reformed mathematics instruction. Urban Mathematics Collaboratives (UMC), Quantitative Understanding: Amplifying…

The theme for the Association for Counselor Education and Supervision (ACES) 1993-94 was to promote professionalism, collaboration, and advocacy. To facilitate these goals, the ACES president, Barbara Griffin, engaged the members in a dialogue about change--a change supportive of collaboration and advocacy, a change that called for a strong…

Fifteen recommendations are made for structuring governing board meetings, delegation of authority, new trustee orientation, trustee development, and communication with the president and campus community, to promote more effective board operation. (MSE)

Action learning is a process of learning and reflection that happens with the support of a group of colleagues ("set") working with real problems with the intention of getting things done. This guide is for those who want to practice action learning. It can be used to introduce the concepts of action learning to others and as a manual…

Research reports show that in many schools, teachers are isolated and have little chance for professional collaboration with fellow teachers. However, research also demonstrates that when teachers collaborate, instruction improves. Seven examples of teacher collaboration throughout the United States show how collaboration can be implemented and…

The Danforth Foundation Program for the Preparation of School Principals now being implemented at four American universities embodies two major emphases: (1) collaboration between universities and school systems and (2) experiential learning approaches. One important program aspect is mentoring relationships between candidates and experienced…

This guide is intended to assist groups of special educators to plan, design, and implement mutual professional support activities. The first section, on the nature of professional support groups, presents a definition and discussion of activity focus, format, permanence of focus, and structure. The second section looks specifically at the role of…

This paper reviews the dominant theoretical framework espoused by feminist writers in order to gain a deeper understanding of the distinction between feminist groups on the question of empowerment within the higher education establishment. Feminists are described as falling into three groups--liberal feminists, radical feminists and social…

In recent years, professional development for public school educators has come to be seen as a key component of school improvement plans, particularly large-scale systemic change programs. This Digest outlines what research and best practice suggest about effective professional development for elementary and secondary teachers working in…

School librarians are educators no less than teachers and administrators, and their roles grow ever more important. In most schools, however, there is a gap between the ideal influential role of the school librarian and the actual role of the practicing librarian. The book addresses overcoming this gap for secondary school librarians, not from the…

In China, classroom observation has acquired a bad reputation in the English-as-a-Second-Language profession. A project designed to change this negative image and promote observation as a powerful means of improving both teaching and teachers' self-development efforts is described. A British teacher and Chinese counterpart developed a partnership…