Teachers who lack the professional development needed demonstrate less self-efficacy. Teacher pedagogical and content understanding are important factors related to the impact on student engagement and achievement. This study was designed to attempt to understand teachers' perceptions of the impact of professional development and which format…

Last year Marian Leibowitz presented workshops in 27 states on improving instruction for gifted and talented students. In this interview she gives an overview of what she has seen in programs around the country. (Author/MLF)

Recognizing that student achievement is intrinsically linked to high-quality teaching, Jodi Peine offers an invaluable guide that helps educational leaders strengthen teachers' instructional practice with an individualized and robust professional development process. The author provides administrators and staff developers with step-by-step…

The Effective Teaching and Supervision of Instruction program developed at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay is described. This program is based on Madeline Hunter's clinical theory of instruction. (MT)

Working with teachers, parents, and the school board, the East Hampton (Connecticut) Public Schools developed a program that improved students' paragraph writing within one year. The program involved setting objectives on paragraph construction and use of supporting information, giving teachers inservice training, specifying students' problems,…

The Greenwich, Connecticut, public school system is training teachers and administrators in the use of structured cooperative learning groups as part of a district-wide strategy to explore a variety of effective teaching practices. The cooperative learning program and its impact on teachers and students is described. (MT)

A school district's efforts to implement selected aspects of research on effective schools as part of a five-year plan for instructional improvement are summarized. The selection of goals, and development and implementation of school-level plans are described. Advantages and disadvantages of the school-level approach are discussed. (MT)

To improve test scores and instructional quality, school districts in New Brunswick (New Jersey) and Adams County (Colorado) implemented programs to increase student time on task. Administrators introducing time on task programs should involve teachers and principals in planning, answer six staff questions, and provide support for necessary…

Argues that language learning is a very useful metaphor for exploring new dimensions of teacher development. The notion is that, when the processes of language acquisition and the context in which it occurs are examined closely, important lessons can be learned for creating a more effective culture for the professional growth of teachers. (GLR)

Supports the argument that reading and writing ought to be taught together "so closely that students can't tell where one leaves off and the other begins" and seeks to persuade the reluctant teacher by (1) giving reasons for interweaving composition and literature seamlessly, and (2) outlining one procedure for doing so. (NH)

The peer coaching program described in this paper was designed to promote a teacher self-directed system which established sharing with colleagues through team planning and classroom observation and feedback. While the ultimate goal of the program was to improve instruction and, thereby, to increase student learning, the program also facilitated…

Using Madeline Hunter's Clinical Teaching Model as a guide, the Geary County Unified School District (Junction City, Kansas) established a staff development program that increased student achievement, assisted teachers in setting practical goals for the improvement of instruction, served as the impetus for the district's Effective Schools Program,…

Based on the experience of 36 schools involved with the Northwest Reading Consortium, this manual presents a model of the instructional improvement process involved in that project. The instructional improvement process presented includes five stages: (1) assessing readiness, (2) developing a statement of the instructional problem, (3) making a…

Designed for use by local education agencies, this handbook develops a twelve step process that facilitates the planning and development of comprehensive career education programs. The twelve steps are (1) involve administrators, teachers, and counselors; (2) involve the school board; (3) select a district career education coordinator; (4) inform…

Pasco, Washington, School District will complete its fourth year using Thomas McGreal's (1983) goal-based teacher evaluation process. Describes the model's progressive phases designed to build teachers' responsibility for their own improvement. The plan invigorated teachers and improved teacher-administrator relationships. (CJH)