Responding to the claim that teacher engagement in professional development is a waste of time, this study employed phenomenology as the approach to explore teachers' perceptions of the role of continuous professional development (CPD) in improving their instructional practices and student learning. A purposive sample of elementary teachers…

Higher education is experiencing unprecedented change due to economic and demographic projections, largely focusing on the usage of adjunct faculty. No longer will community colleges be able to rely solely on full-time faculty to ensure that students persist to graduation. This executive position paper provides a proposed plan for a formalized…

AIM Academy of Conshohocken, Pennsylvania is a K-12 school modeled after the Lab School of Washington. AIM promises its 200 students and their parents a unique and innovative learning environment. Applying the latest techniques proven to help children who learn differently, AIM Academy taps into students' talents in ways that are both fully…

With the changing cultural demographics in U.S. classrooms, school counselors must develop innovative approaches to promote culturally responsive school climates and organizational change. A vision is offered of systemic cultural responsiveness and culturally relevant teaching practices that nurture and engage all learners. The role of the school…

When students already are achieving at high levels, it can be easy for teachers to become complacent. However, Mountain Brook Schools in suburban Birmingham, Alabama, has developed a culture committed to continuous improvement that has resulted in an excellent system becoming outstanding. The key is professional development. Professional learning…

Leadership is a hot-button issue these days. Reformers depend on it. The public believes that it is what schools need more of. And private sector CEOs think they know exactly what it is and are anxious to share that knowledge with the "poor unwashed masses" of educational leaders. It is not surprising, then, that so many people are…

This document explores how basic American cultural value patterns have influenced the nature of general studies, specialization, and professional education in programs of teacher education. The value patterns examined deal with individualism, the work ethic and the civic arts. These patterns are analyzed in terms of their control over what…

Many universities and colleges list the development of lifelong learning skills as a curriculum objective and have adopted laptop programs that may enable lifelong learning. The purpose of this research is to address the effectiveness of a technology-based and computer-mediated learning environment in achieving lifelong learning skills from the…

Presents specific ways teachers can create a safe, just, inclusive, communicative, inviting, and caring elementary classroom community that promotes academic achievement. Focuses on teachers becoming more caring and competent by being honest, cultivating communication skills, being flexible, being empathetic, promoting humor, being kind,…

We analyze a two-year Faculty Fellows Program designed to enhance the service-learning pedagogy and scholarship at a regional comprehensive university. The impact of the program was analyzed using initial questionnaires, meeting notes, final reports, and faculty reflective essays. Participation in a faculty fellows cohort program provided a sense…

This volume contains papers submitted to the 11th Annual International Conference of the Bulgarian Comparative Education Society (BCES), held in Plovdiv, Bulgaria, 14-17 May 2013, and papers submitted to the 1st International Distance Partner Conference, organized by the International Research Centre "Scientific Cooperation,"…