The studies in the special series focus on the measurement of teacher practices and approaches for facilitating and evaluating school personnel's use of data to inform instructional decisions that promote student achievement. In this commentary, the importance of conducting research on professional development and coaching is highlighted. The need…

Koretz, in his article published in this issue, provides compelling arguments that the high stakes currently associated with accountability testing lead to behavioral changes in students, teachers, and other stakeholders that often have negative consequences, such as inflated scores. Koretz goes on to argue that these negative consequences require…

Since the beginning of the 20th century, professionals in language teaching have strived for ways that could guarantee better outcomes in language teaching classes. Different methods were used mostly in the first half of that century. Then some language teaching professionals moved beyond methods with the hope of gaining greater results. In one…

Since the beginning of the 20th century, professionals in language teaching have strived for ways that could guarantee better outcomes in language teaching classes. Different methods were used mostly in the first half of that century. The some language teaching professionals moved beyond methods with the hope of gaining greater results. In one…

In implementing inclusive education, special educators frequently collaborate with general educators in various settings. How does such collaborative practice complicate the configuration of their professional identities? This paper uses the framework of "figured world" (Holland, Lachiotte, Skinner, & Cain, 1998) to scrutinize the practice of one…

Federal and professional mandates call for increased family involvement in education, yet most teacher preparation programs do not teach skills necessary to engage families in a thorough or systematic manner. The current project addressed this training deficit by offering a program that included a sequence of three graduate courses to a cohort of…

Asserting that teacher attention is often overlooked as a positive intervention strategy, this article presents a general overview of teacher attention and its effectiveness in changing behavior. Practical suggestions for effective teacher approval are described, as is a principle called "pairing" which may be used for social reinforcement. (JC)

Provides results of a survey given to 150 educators across 5 school Direct Instruction implementations. Proposes that this survey is an initial step in the direction of determining teacher preferences with regard to levels of support and coaching provided in school. Finds teachers identified the team-teach method of coaching as the most effective.…

The addition of performance feedback increased treatment integrity for three teachers who implemented interventions in a residential treatment community. Findings support the need for direct assessment of treatment integrity in school-based behavioral consultation research and practice. (EMK)

This pre-post field study compared effects of a coping model (CM) and a lecture/discussion style on use of redirection, general praise, and paraphrasing by 48 undergraduates in an elementary health methods course. Lecture subjects had no significant changes. CM subjects change significantly in use of praise and paraphrasing. (Author/SJL)

Purpose: This paper seeks to disseminate knowledge regarding the experiences of a student team in implementing a campus-level sustainability initiative, outlining the strategy to measure the potential impact of this initiative. Design/methodology/approach: Project design is a case study. Via interviewing and surveys, the study observed student and…

A two-year professional development program in a Japanese junior high school is described. Schoolwide training institutes and individual practice sessions focused on behavioral methods of instruction according to a direct instruction model. Observed teaching behaviors changed following the program, and most teachers indicated the direct…

This study examined effects of a self-assessment procedure on the behaviors and thoughts of 26 preservice student interns in a special education graduate program at the University of Florida. Analysis indicated that self-assessment had no impact on interns' teaching behaviors when compared to traditional supervisory practice but did help identify…

Considers the possibilities of inadequacies in either the staff development effort and/or the evaluation of the Madeline Hunter Follow-Through Program, and concludes that the long-term change in teacher behavior is more difficult to accomplish than had been anticipated. (Author/HOD)

Offers interpretations of some results of the Napa County, California, Follow-Through Project that tested the Hunter Teacher Decision-Making Model, also known as the Instructional Theory into Practice Model. (Author/HOD)