Professional football players wouldn't dream of not watching game tapes as a strategy for preparing for their next opponent. By the same token, wouldn't it make sense for teachers to use video reflection from one day's lesson to prepare for the challenges of the lessons that lie ahead? Two principals share advice for cultivating a video-friendly…

Jones, an instructional coach, shares ideas for how to make changes in how PD sessions are offered to teachers. PD that empowers rather than bores teachers puts flexibility first, encourages teachers to be active within each session, and provides both sessions tied to specific school priorities and space for teachers to pursue many learning…

This special report looks at how arts-based charter schools in the District of Columbia, Louisiana, Maryland and North Carolina provide access to arts education and integrate the arts schoolwide across curricula, community engagement and teacher professional development.

Exposure to childhood maltreatment is detrimental to the academic success and educational outcomes of students. It leads to a myriad of deficits related to neurodevelopment and neuroprocessing, which causes disruptions in academic performance, emotional and behavioural regulation, and school attendance. By becoming trauma-informed, schools can…

When opportunities to learn present themselves, often teachers will turn away from them. Knight calls this the Zero-Learning Zone, a rut that educators can get in and miss out on professional growth. He offers warning signs for when you're in the Zero-Learning Zone and tips on how to avoid it to go on to lead a fulfilling, knowledge-filled life.

Many teachers are turning to online professional development to meet their learning needs, but the vast array of available opportunities may be overwhelming. This article provides a framework for making sense of common online teacher learning opportunities. It also suggests situations where online professional development may be most useful and…

The author spends a lot of time thinking about good professional learning vs. typical professional development. Based on her 20-plus years of experience, as well as a bit of inspiration from Reuben Duncan, assistant superintendent in School Administrative Unit 29 in Keene, N.H., she shares what she considers to be the ten best ways to waste…

Wisconsin Virtual School, a state online learning program that offers supplemental online courses to partner districts in Wisconsin, administered a survey to its teachers in fall 2014 to learn more about their training experiences and challenges. More Wisconsin Virtual School teachers reported participating in training or professional development…

This report illustrates how four high-performing systems--British Columbia (Canada), Hong Kong, Shanghai (China) and Singapore--developed their teacher professional learning. The report and accompanying materials are designed as a resource for teachers, school leaders and policymakers wanting to improve teacher professional learning in their…

Online learning provides extensive opportunities for individuals with disabilities to enroll in degree and certificate programs. However, accessibility must be central to online course development since this can have a profound effect on student engagement, academic performance, and completion rates. This article provides a unique perspective on…

People often respond to the pressure of attending a high school reunion or their child's wedding by going on a crash diet to get quick results. In response, friends may marvel about how good they look on the outside. But what folks don't acknowledge is that, in the name of getting results, crash dieters have done some very unhealthy things to…

Research shows low-income students suffer disproportionate learning loss over the summer and because those losses accumulate over time, they contribute substantially to the achievement gap between low- and higher-income children. The Wallace Foundation is funding a five-year demonstration project to examine whether summer learning programs can…

Research shows that professional learning can have a powerful effect on teacher skills and knowledge, and on how well students learn. To be effective, however, professional learning for teachers needs to be conducted in the ways that it is in many high achieving countries--continuously, collaboratively, and with a focus on teaching specific…

This paper presents information from a study in which researchers examined the implementation of local professional development committees in the state of Ohio. Ohio is one of two states that requires teachers to participate in a peer review of their professional development goals. This study examined the Individual Professional Development Plans…

The paper describes an inservice workshop on learning disabilities for college faculty including the processes used to assess needs and promote inservice involvement. Positive inservice evaluations suggested attainment of program goals of providing information about learning disabilities and discussing ethical and pedagogical issues concerning…