Making schools learning places for teachers as well as students is a timeless and appealing vision. The growing number of professional learning communities is a hopeful sign that profound change is on the way. This is the challenge learning communities face: Schools and districts need implementation models flexible enough to adapt to local…

Recent state legislation in Michigan mandates that all graduating seniors successfully pass algebra I and II. Numerous initiatives have been enacted to help mathematics teachers meet this challenge, yet school principals have had little preparation for the necessary curricular and instructional changes. To address this unmet need, university-based…

Every teacher can recall a range of experiences in professional development workshops. Some of these may have provided opportunities in which teachers felt engaged, empowered, and supported as learners, while others felt disconnected from practice. Although these authors recognize that workshops, particularly those with no follow-up support, are…

"Workparties," sponsored by the Teachers Centers' Exchange (Far West Laboratory), provide the time, support, resources, warmth, concreteness, and thought that productive meetings consist of. Descriptions of workparties planned for participants interested in staff development are provided. (CJ)

Using the research on effective staff development, a rural Minnesota school district developed a grass-roots professional development program which featured opening-week workshops, training programs, mini-grants, a professional library,and a school effectiveness program. (JD)

Three learning concepts important for adult learners are that learning is accelerated by making connections to prior information, people learn best when actively constructing knowledge, and instruments are important in supporting knowledge retrieval and construction. The paper explains how index cards can be useful instruments in learning. (SM)

A staff development program for administrators focuses on three areas, each having its own workshop: (1) leadership styles; (2) organizational climate; and (3) analyzing feedback from the evaluations. (CJ)