Communities of practice as organisations of learning have developed different forms as: task-based, practice-based or knowledge based communities (Barab et al., 2004). The paper presents a case study of a successful community of practice developed under the umbrella of Council of Europe Pestalozzi programme for teacher development. The programme…

Presents two interrelated stories: one concerning the author's struggles to become an effective teacher of psychology, and the second about the University of New Hampshire's graduate program in psychology and its emphasis on research and teaching. The program's two-semester Seminar and Practicum in the Teaching of Psychology is detailed, and data…

This paper suggests that the idea of "taking stock" of the current program--reflecting on what educators believe to be best practice--and then "charting a course" of action to better align practice with vision is a deliberate way for teachers to build capacity to enact reform. It begins by providing a brief overview of the changing direction of…

This paper examines the efforts of a university teacher preparation program working in collaboration with the faculty of a rural high school to provide a professional development model of preparing future teachers. The key elements of the partnership model are based on Goodlad's four functions of partner schools: preparing educators, providing…

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act of 1997 requires Individualized Education Program teams to consider positive behavior interventions and supports (PBIS) based on functional behavioral assessment for students with disabilities whose behavior impedes their learning or the learning of others. To meet federal mandates, educational…

One of the most important responsibilities of academic leaders is to encourage and provide continuing professional development opportunities for themselves, faculty, and staff. Retreats are very effective vehicles for professional growth, providing an opportunity to discuss their experiences and different issues. For over 25 years, the most…

The College of Education at the University of Cincinnati agreed to examine its teacher education programs and initiate program changes within the broad framework provided by the Holmes initiatives. Those involved began by developing a conceptual framework for pursuing planning and implementation efforts in the college. Rather than proposing a…

A recent model for the design of staff development programs for educators includes 5 stages--readiness, planning, training, implementation, and maintenance--each of which is defined by a set of 4 to 11 practices. To test this model and the relative merits of its 38 practices and its underlying assumptions, a national questionnaire survey of over…

When the University of Georgia's Department of Educational Leadership was formed from the merger of two earlier departments, the new entity developed an innovative doctoral program in educational leadership that incorporated principles of problem-based and student-based learning. The program was designed to promote the values, knowledge, and…

The Department of Energy (DOE) has implemented a coherent recruitment, training, and professional development program to provide the technical talent necessary to run DOE's many complex operations. Designed to provide recently graduated, entry-level engineers and scientists the learning and experience requisite to effective job performance and…

A 1-day orientation workshop for business clients from other cultures is described. Factors in program design that relate to the specific cultural group addressed are discussed, and include such considerations as culture-specific versus culture-general content, professional focus, and the learning style to which the participants are accustomed.…

This paper addresses the basic critical elements of teacher education reform and describes a rigorous university teacher education professional school and program which not only prepares future teachers in academics, pedagogy, and technology, but also prepares them to become productive participants in a changing society. The paper argues that the…

A concern among those scrutinizing postsecondary programs in educational administration is the relationship among the academic and theoretical components of the programs, field-based experiences, and future on-the-job success. This paper examines the efforts of an educational administration department at Valdosta State College, Valdosta, Georgia,…

This study describes a school-university collaboration involving a number of professional development schools in Israel and examines the efficacy of such collaborations. A government agency requested that a university researcher plan and implement collaborative programs. The program determined to include a heterogeneous group of schools, selected…

The School Leadership Study was designed to contribute important data on how high quality pre- and in-service programs are structured, how they implement the effective strategies noted in the research literature, and the impact of program graduates in the schools they lead. The study examines whether program components triangulate with graduate…