For middle and high school teachers facing the challenge of implementing the Common Core State Standards, disciplinary literacy instruction is a critical element--and one for which many are unprepared. Disciplinary literacy focuses attention on the reading, writing, and communication skills unique to each discipline (Moje, 2008; Shanahan &…

A revolution took place in staff development in the late 1980s and into the 1990s. It was not reported on the evening news. Very few knew it was happening. The author was a rebel, along with others she had not yet met, in the rebellion that resulted in learning communities, the dominant form of professional development today. In 1978, the…

This article describes an initiative designed to improve the content-area literacy skills of all students at a Massachusetts high school and to demonstrate the important role teacher leaders play in bridging the various elements of school improvement efforts. Meeting students' language and literacy needs within content-area classrooms is becoming…

To implement the Common Core State Standards, teachers will need a broader knowledge base, a more diverse tool kit for teaching and learning, and greater experience with teaching in a standards-based environment. The growth required over the next three years seems to be large. The author works in a district that has provided an ongoing, continual…

Although the idea of educational coaching is not new, the way teachers-in-training across six west Alabama counties are receiving job-embedded support is far from routine. Educational consultants 764 miles away are pioneering the use of virtual coaching for professional development. From their offices at the Pennsylvania Training and Technical…

Cultural proficiency is defined as "the policies and practices of an organization or the values and behaviors of an individual that enable the agency or person to interact effectively in a culturally diverse environment." The diverse composition of today's classrooms demands that schools and educators be culturally proficient, yet few of them are.…

Four actions are necessary when contracting to do staff development: recognize that a presenter is a consultant first, arrange for a group contracting conversation in order to completely understand the school's needs, work from a standard set of design questions, and work from a standard set of logistics questions. (SM)

A staff development model on the topic of mainstreaming was designed around three components: workshops, technical assistance, and program visitations. Evaluation data collected from each component indicated that feedback from the staff concerning the work of consultants needs to be shared with the principal. (JN)

In Colorado, a project was developed to teach participants a collaborative planning process for staff development and to assist in the design of a system of personnel development. Areas covered included: (1) selection of cadre members; (2) participation; (3) program design; and (4) consultants' reflections. (JN)

The Detroit Center for Professional Growth and Development, a state-funded teacher center, has prepared a computerized data bank to study patterns of relationships among selected staff development and school characteristics. A description of what the staff development data bank contains and how it obtains information is given. (JN)

A model of inservice training for teachers of mainstreamed students focuses on the development of a multidisciplinary staff support team which provides consultation to the staff members of a school. The establishment of building-based teams, types of assistance, administrative support, and accessibility of service are detailed. (JN)

An intensive teacher inservice model using "field-based" clinical instructors was conducted at a Houston, Texas, school in cooperation with a Teacher Corps project. Inservice consultants explained and demonstrated new teaching skills and also worked with teachers on the classroom level. Methods that proved most successful for…

A model of classroom-based staff development for teachers at the high school level is described. The program incorporates the consulting teacher model and uses three kinds of inservice training: courses, consultations, and workshops. (JN)

This paper discusses the El Paso Collaborative for Academic Excellence and how it helps improve the literacy skills of all children in El Paso, Texas. The goal of the collaborative is to ensure that all children are successful in school and are prepared to enter and be successful in a four-year college. Its role is to expand leadership and…

Educators from the Baltimore City Public Schools and the Houston Independent School District describe how they implement inclusion and the role of staff development in the process. The Baltimore district describes its consulting teacher model, which supports inclusion from the inside out. The Houston district offers strategies for districts…