The Professional Learning Department hosts an annual week-long orientation for various staff (e.g., teacher, elementary counselors, librarians) who are new to Austin Independent School District (AISD) as part of the Teacher Induction Program (TIP). This report summarizes survey results from staff who attended the Fall 2020 TIP orientation week.

This action research project examined a rural band director's attrition/retention and possible reasons for staying or leaving a position. The purpose of this case study was to describe a rural band director's experience with content-related professional development and support networks, providing access to and a process for collaboration in…

To address increasing accountability demands, instructional leaders must find ways to expand the current reality of faculty development to create a culture where continuous growth and learning are the standard for professional behavior. Growth Infusion is a framework for creating such a culture. The framework is a result of an extensive search for…

Although recent trends in educational research have addressed the educational plight of LGBT [lesbian, gay, bi-sexual, transgender, and queer/questioning] students, a dearth of literature exists about the subpopulation of LGBT youth with disabilities, namely those with verified emotional-behavior disorders (EBDs). Discussions throughout what…

The 1996 National Education Science Standards (NSES) in the U.S. provide descriptions of needed reforms for K-16 science teaching and improvements regarding indications of student learning. The goals indicate specifically the changes needed in teaching and improved ways for assessing student learning. This paper discusses how teaching and student…

This paper details how a 7-month reading-focused professional development initiative, centered on the assessment-to-instruction cycle, supported teachers' growth by combining small group sessions with related individualized literacy coaching. Analysis of participants' experiences revealed the significance of differentiated professional learning in…

Given the complexities of the higher education organizational structure, role conflict exists for all employed in this setting. However, it is particularly apparent with new faculty given the university setting and the expectations to meet performance specific standards. The purpose of this study was to examine and analyze how the development and…

This book contains a compilation of papers presented at the International Conference on Education and New Developments (END 2017), organized by the World Institute for Advanced Research and Science (W.I.A.R.S.). Education, in our contemporary world, is a right since we are born. Every experience has a formative effect on the constitution of the…

While transfer of information to practice is a goal of professional development programs for educators, the gap between learning of new information and application to practice continues to be problematic. Synthesizing theoretical viewpoints of innovation adoption and diffusion theory, normative re-education strategies, self-efficacy theory and…