The purpose of this qualitative case study was to examine the perceptions of certified support staff at a Georgia middle school, focusing on their opinions of Professional Learning Communities (PLC), the roles they played in PLCs and the effect PLCs had on their professional practices. This descriptive case study utilized open-ended interviews,…

Response to Intervention (RTI) is an initiative first outlined by the federal government in the No Child Left Behind Act (2001) and the Individuals with Disabilities Improvement Act (2004). The purpose of the model is twofold: to address the needs of struggling students with research-based interventions and regular progress monitoring and to…

The purpose of this study was to examine the collegial coaching model of staff development used by 8 English teachers at one Georgia high school. The 8 teachers worked in 4 groups of 2 to develop curriculum, design lessons, and create assessments for one grade level of students. The theoretical foundation for the collegial coaching model dates…

When the modern U.S. environmental movement began in the 1970s, it relied largely on regulation to reduce negative environmental impacts. Companies responded by creating centers of environmental expertise within their organizations. The major focus of a second wave of corporate environmentalism, which began during the late 1980s, was on…

This article considers another group of educators involved with the adoption of model-based instruction (MBI)--the cooperating teachers, who supervise physical education teacher education (PETE) student teachers in the Georgia State University (GSU) program. The university spends several semesters educating preservice teachers about the skills and…

The purpose of this chapter is to advance the concept of pedagogical content knowledge in a manner that would better align it with the integrative type of knowledge needed by teachers at all three stages (preservice teachers, induction teachers, and cooperating teachers), allowing them to use model-based instruction (MBI) most effectively in…

Studied the impact of technology specialists on the use of technology among teachers in rural school districts in Georgia. Interviews with five technology specialists show that they provide assistance to teachers through staff development, technical assistance, and administrative support. (SLD)

The perspectives of three rural middle school principals as they implement Georgia's A Plus Education Reform Act of 2000 were investigated in this study. A case study approach was used, employing both within case and cross case analyses. Three interviews were conducted with each of the three participants, resulting in a total of nine interviews.…