Learning communities are best defined as "ongoing groups who meet regularly for the purposes of increasing their own learning and that of their students." Although learning communities vary in form and context, they share some fundamental core beliefs and values. Based on the idea that educators can learn from each other, learning communities…

According to national survey data, access to and participation in professional development varies widely across states, and the quality of professional development across most states is far from meeting research-based definitions of effective professional development, with a few pockets of excellence in some states. In this study, "Teacher…

The authors conducted a case study in four elementary schools that demonstrated consistent gains in reading achievement, despite their failure to meet Adequate Yearly Progress. By examining the professional development experiences of six teachers in these schools who reported high levels of change on a wider survey, the authors aimed to identify…

In this article, the author shares the story of Gloria, a mathematics teacher. In her fifth year in college, while completing her master's degree, Gloria was placed in a year-long internship guided by a faculty of university- and school-based teacher educators in a professional development school. There, she worked with a team of fellow student…

What skills are needed for coaching? What coaching strategies enhance the coach-teacher interaction? What kinds of support do coaches need? The Center for the Enhancement of Science and Mathematics Education at Northeastern University (CESAME) and The Education Alliance at Brown University analyzed an online seminar for elementary mathematics…