As they write about the Learning Communities standard in "Reach the Highest Standard in Professional Learning: Learning Communities," authors Ann Lieberman and Lynne Miller consider why communities have gained widespread attention and support and summarize the established research base about them. They also describe three contexts in…

Learning Forward's Standards for Professional Learning emphasize the needs and responsibilities of adults as learners. This is especially true for the Learning Designs standard, which states: "Professional learning that increases educator effectiveness and results for all students integrates theories, research, and models of human…

Education researchers frequently seek out districts, schools, and teachers as partners for professional learning projects. They share their ambitious vision--a new model of professional learning that will support an empowered community, instructional improvement, and student achievement. The authors, along with other members of their research…

Today's education policy places a high priority on improving teacher quality and teaching effectiveness in U.S. schools. Standards-based professional learning requires teachers to have deep subject knowledge and the most effective pedagogy for teaching the subject. States and school districts are charged with establishing teacher professional…

When the researcher and the practitioner share responsibilities and tasks and analyze research data collaboratively, there is greater potential for meaningful staff development. A cooperative research effort, among researchers and practitioners interested in staff development, at the Charlotte-Mecklenburg (North Carolina) Schools Teaching Learning…

Professional learning is necessary for a school or district to achieve its goals. It's logical, then, that professional development plans should not exist separately from school improvement plans. To be comprehensive, professional development plans must be integrated with improvement plans to produce a systematic effort that is results-driven,…

Surveys are a commonly-used tool for measuring satisfaction with staff-development workshops. The four main sources of error and bias in most surveys are sampling slips, non-response nonsense, time-slice traps, and questionable questions. The paper discusses several typical survey problems and presents tips for making surveys into effective tools.…

Discusses the importance of conducting research on the impact of professional development on student learning, explaining why research has not provided any answers and describing an alternative approach that involves beginning from the end then working backward. The paper presents four staff-development principles common to the diverse mix of…

Block scheduling can help high school principals become staff-development leaders. It gives teachers more time to help individual students and contributes to improved achievement, attendance, and graduation rates. This paper describes the results of research on block scheduling in urban high schools and concludes that block scheduling can support…

Author Mike Schmoker argues that data should play a crucial role before staff development begins by helping to select the most results-oriented initiatives. Staff development proposals should be based on data that indicate the initiatives have led to higher achievement. This interview discusses barriers to using data and notes the role of…

While those involved in staff development often seek new or further information or research on effective successful staff development, they often overlook or do not know how to use the voluminous amount of literature that already exists regarding conditions, processes, adaptations, motivation, and strategies for effective educational change. (CB)

The No Child Left Behind Act's requirements for scientifically based research and new accountability standards will affect how professional development leaders do their work. Meeting the new requirements means leaders must more carefully evaluate new programs of professional learning and assess the results. Evaluation must become a given, not an…

Getting answers to questions about schools and student learning requires that educators know how to collect, analyze, and interpret data. Six critical steps in this process include: posing questions, establishing judgment criteria, making a plan, gathering data, analyzing data, and interpreting results. These steps can serve as a beginning guide…

Applying literacy research in the classroom begins with understanding the meaning of scientifically based research and other "lab" terms. From the terminology through key questions to ask yourself when reading research reports, learn how to scrutinize studies to determine their validity--and how applicable they are for your school or district.…

A three-step framework to help teachers examine and modify teaching practice based on data analysis includes: specify current levels of student performance, create action plans, and evaluate and communicate progress. A case study of a teacher who used the framework to pinpoint one student's writing problems, create change in practice, and assess…