Behavior skills training (BST) with ongoing coaching is an effective form of professional development that creates sustained educator practice change and improves student outcomes. We provide a model for how BST can be used to improve the implementation of evidence-based practices with both teachers and paraprofessionals, the latter of whom often…

Purpose: The following narratives describe how successful relationships between mentors and pre-service and inservice teachers go beyond observations and feedback. The purpose is to share the multifaceted approach mentors take to support teacher candidates in generative ways so they can develop their potential as practitioners and how they nurture…

In this article, the authors describe a key change from the First Edition to the Second Edition of Essential 3 of the NAPDS Nine Essentials. In the original Essential 3, the concept of "reciprocal professional development" was emphasized to honor PL opportunities that are led by either school-based faculty personnel as well as…

The purpose of this article is to present three professional engagement activities that are embedded in one online professional learning community named Health Teacher Central: (a) accessing to professional learning community; (b) pair and share; and (c) be an educated consumer. It is suggested that teacher educators can integrate these activities…

College campuses are accustomed to serving various populations and typically offer professional development for faculty and staff to assist those students. However, most institutions do not offer specific professional training targeted toward serving military-connected students--those students who have previously served in the US military, are…

The focus of this article is to offer tips for physical education teachers to develop and grow professionally. The six tips provided are not listed in order of importance, nor are they meant to be an exhaustive list. Instead, tips for enhancing professional development practices within the physical education profession are categorized based on…

Educators and researchers often think of program design and program evaluation as separate endeavors, even intentionally creating a firewall between them. But what if designers and evaluators worked together, combining their insights to strengthen both the program and the study of it? In the work of evaluating a statewide professional learning…

Purpose: The purpose of this viewpoint article is to share the reflections of school and university leaders on the success of their emerging school-university partnership for the preparation of middle school teachers. Design/methodology/approach: The article is a reflective paper in which the leaders of the school-university partnership discuss…

Due to the increasing teacher attrition rate, it is crucial that policy initiatives are put into place to retain high quality teachers. The National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS) cohort is one policy initiative that can attempt to effectively increase teacher retention through a multi-tier university-school partnership. The…

The purpose of the current manuscript is to delineate a collaborative professional development effort between Norfolk Public Schools and Old Dominion University--a nascent school-university partnership. Ed Talks were created to build relationships between public school and university faculty, but we have encountered challenges in implementing this…

There are many valuable sources of evaluation data, including -- but not limited to -- professional learning participants. In the authors' work on leadership development and organizational learning for Tulsa Public Schools in Oklahoma, they regularly ask educators to share feedback and perceptions of usefulness of their professional learning. The…

As schools become more racially, socioeconomically, and linguistically diverse, there are increasing calls for educational leaders to be more representative of student demographics and be explicitly prepared to advance equity through culturally responsive/relevant leadership practices. We discuss how applying an equity lens to three key content…

Expanding Quality in Infant Toddler Care is a professional development initiative that is relationship-based on every level. It is administrated by the Colorado Office of Early Childhood. Instructors get intensive training and become members of the Infant Toddler Specialist network. Every level of the EQ Initiative uses an open framework called…

Purpose: The National Association for Professional Development Schools (NAPDS) recognizes that there is a tendency for the term "PDS" (Professional Development School) to be used as a catch-all for various relationships that constitute school--university partnership work. The intent of this NAPDS statement is to assert the essentials, or…

To create a coaching culture, school leaders have to make it a priority and support coaching at every level, and continuously. This article offers five "dos" and four "don'ts" for school leaders on how to support coaching at their schools, highlighting topics such as professional development for coaches, scheduling time for…